Assembly Will Barclay

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.

During World War I, American women wore a black arm band that featured a blue star around their left arm to show they had family serving their country. As the war progressed and, sadly, more and more soldiers died in combat, families sought to show their personal loss and display of patriotism by covering the blue star with a gold star.

This month, Albany was hit with yet another scandal when Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned only hours after it was reported that several women had made accusations that he had been physically abusive to them. While, as far as we know, the allegations are not related to his official duties, due to the seriousness of the claims a quick resignation was wholly appropriate and a full investigation needs to be undertaken. In the meantime, the question of who will replace Schneiderman has preoccupied Albany.

A bill was recently put forward by a Manhattan lawmaker that, if passed and signed by the Governor, would do away with marksmanship, archery, and shooting programs in New York state schools. The bill would also ban gun safety classes on school grounds by prohibiting the use of firearms as part of the lesson. Under this proposal, highly successful programs and teams that positively impact thousands of kids each year would be eliminated.

The heroin and opioid crisis has touched countless lives and ravaged families throughout the country. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 60,000 people died of a drug overdose in the U.S. in 2016, five times higher than in 1999. That number is roughly the same amount of people who live in a mid-sized city such as Utica.

My office recently invited people in the 120th Assembly district to participate in a legislative survey and more than 800 people took the time to respond. The survey asked people their thoughts on the local economy, laws pertaining to drugs, child welfare, the SAFE Act, economic development, and health care. Not surprisingly, in this unscientific survey, the overwhelming majority of people are concerned about our local economy.

When the faucet is turned on, we take it for granted that clean, safe water will come out of the spigot. Unfortunately, as has been reported both nationally and in New York State, this is not always the case. In recent years, many problems have arisen due to aging water and sewer systems. In many cases, municipalities are dealing with systems that are more than 100 years old.

Libraries serve as a valuable resource for millions of residents in both rural and urban areas. In New York state there are more than 750 libraries. They are usually centrally located in communities and function both as a free and public space for events and provide key resources to people all ages. In addition to providing traditional services and educational resources, libraries provide free computer and internet access.

As has become an Albany tradition, the budget was passed in the early morning hours having been for the most part negotiated by what is known as “four men in a room” – the Governor, the Speaker of the Assembly, the Majority Leader of the Senate and the Leader of the Independent Democratic Conference of the Senate. The massive $168.3 billion budget is bigger than any other state’s budget with the exception of California, a state with twice as many people as New York.