Assembly Will Barclay

For the second time in three years, property owners along the southern and eastern shores on Lake Ontario are experiencing catastrophic flooding. With lake levels nearly 3 feet above the 100-year average, water has once again eroded shorelines, forced the collapse of sea walls, and flooded septic systems and homes.

If there is a lesson to be learned from this legislative session, it is that elections have consequences. One-party rule has removed the political checks and balances that previously existed in state government.

Members of the Assembly Majority have proposed a bill that would, once again, place restrictions on hunters and sportsmen across New York. The bill, A.722a, would ban hunting contests, competitions, tournaments or derbies in the state.

For victims of heinous crimes whose perpetrators are behind bars, parole hearings can be traumatic. The state can do more to protect victims and families of victims from undue suffering by passing Ramona’s Law.

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.