Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

It was less than 30 years ago when the Americans with Disabilities Act passed Congress and was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush.

There is a bill gaining support in Albany that, if enacted, would further reduce the amount of farms in our state. The bill is called the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act.

For years the Governor and the Assembly Democrats have pushed for state-funded political campaigns. With one-party rule, publicly-funded political campaigns are nearing reality. This year, the budget authorized spending of up to $100 million annually to fund statewide political races.

In 1994, the state began the Linked Deposit Program to assist and encourage firms, manufacturers and small businesses to make investments. This program offers reduced-rate financing to makes it less expensive to borrow money.

While not directly related to NYS fiscal issues, some of the biggest policies included in this year’s state budget were changes to our state’s criminal justice system. The biggest of those changes was the elimination of cash bail for most crimes other than certain qualifying offenses.

New York’s property taxes are the highest in the nation. Tragically, this year’s state budget, instead of trying to provide some tax relief to our already overburden property owners, makes ill-conceived changes to the one state program that is actually designed to provide property tax relief, that is, the STAR (School Tax Relief) Program.

Sometimes being an elected official can be challenging because you are forced to make difficult decisions.At times, I have had to vote on legislation that if enacted would have both a positive and negative effect on my district and the constituents I represent.

Some of the best tools that can be used to protect children from abuse and neglect is raising awareness about its prevalence and helping families seek resources they need.

United States Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously wrote, “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” What Justice Brandeis wrote 100 years ago still rings true in government today.