Assembly Will Barclay

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Assembly Will Barclay

Assembly Passes Bill to Separate Student Test Scores from Teacher Evaluations

September 3, 2018 Contributor
As students and teachers begin a new school year, I thought it would be a good time to update constituents on the Common Core standards, now known as the Next Generation Learning Standards, and where things stands with standardized testing. As many will recall, in 2013 the New York State Board of Regents adopted the Common Core learning standards. Almost immediately following their adoption, it was realized that the standards were flawed and that the quick implementation of Common Core would create unnecessary hardship on students, parents, teachers and administrators.

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Assembly Will Barclay

Synthetic Drugs Continue to Pose Public Health Threat

August 27, 2018 Contributor
Earlier this month, more than 100 people were hospitalized within a short time period for synthetic drug overdose in New Haven, Connecticut. Health officials there issued a public health alert, warning people of the dangers of the drugs after several people convulsed and collapsed at a public park. This was not an isolated incident and our region is no stranger to the impact of synthetics drugs.

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Assembly Will Barclay

New York’s Credit Card Debt Higher than National Average

August 20, 2018 Contributor
Earlier this year, the state comptroller’s office issued a report about consumers’ credit card debt in New York state. The information, which is largely based on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s data, shows how people are managing their households within their local economies and serves as a basis for comparison when it comes to household finances.

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Assembly Will Barclay

Legislature Passes Bill to Better Protect, Promote Living Organ Donors

August 6, 2018 Contributor
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.

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Assembly Will Barclay

Property Taxes, Public Trust, Education Among People’s Top Concerns

July 23, 2018 Contributor
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.

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Assembly Will Barclay

Opportunity Zones Provide Chance to Increase Private Investment

July 9, 2018 Contributor
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.

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Assembly Will Barclay

Legislature Passes Drug Take Back Bill

July 2, 2018 Contributor
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.

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Assembly Will Barclay

The Session of Missed Opportunities

June 25, 2018 Contributor
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.

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