Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

New York State has thousands of lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and millions of acres of forest. The geographic diversity of our state, and its great natural resources, not only makes New York a beautiful state to live in but a wonderful place to enjoy the outdoors.

In my mind, one of the most selfless things a person can do is to be a living organ donor. In order to give the gift of life to another, a living organ donor not only sacrifices a part of his or her body for another, but also endures the necessary medical procedure, the healing and other hardships. While many have undertaken this incredibly generous act, there is a huge gap between those awaiting an organ or tissue transplant and the organs and tissues available for transplant.

Over the last week, my office has received several calls regarding Governor Cuomo’s recent “conditional” pardons of more than 24,000 convicted felons who are currently on parole. The calls were prompted because it became known that at least 77 sexual predators where among the 24,000 felons who received conditional pardons.

People are concerned about the direction our state is headed. We have some of the highest property taxes in the U.S., a sluggish economy, and an onslaught of corruption cases and other scandals involving taxpayer dollars. The following are some questions I am frequently asked on these important issues and some ideas on how to change and improve state government.

Some good news was recently announced that hopefully will help spur private investments in communities that traditionally have had difficulty attracting business investment. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 created an economic development tool known as Opportunity Zones designed to encourage long-term investments in low-income communities.

At times, a person’s struggle with drug addiction starts with access to unused medication in a home medicine cabinet. In order to help prevent this pathway to addiction and also help the environment, this session the State Legislature passed a measure that, if signed by the Governor, will for the first time in New York require drug manufacturers to assist with the collection of unused drugs.

The 2018 session has officially ended in Albany. Unfortunately, much of the dialogue in Albany was spent focused on President Trump instead of seizing the opportunities to improve New York. Even before session began, the Governor claimed New York was under assault from the federal government. Due to anticipated cuts in health care funding, he said that New York would face a $4 billion deficit. Further, he claimed that the recent federal tax reform would only widen this gap and harm our state.

In a recent legislative district survey, respondents noted that one of our area’s strengths is its cultural events and historical sites. I happen to agree with them. We are fortunate to have organizations throughout our communities that work to preserve history and foster the arts. It has always been important to me that the state supports these local efforts which enrich our communities.

Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day was held last week by the State Assembly. The day highlights both the issues and the accomplishments of advocates, families, and individuals with special needs across our state. As part of the awareness day, more than 40 agencies and associations that serve people with disabilities participated in an outreach fair to advocate for disability-related issues and promote services, programs, and adaptive equipment.