Assembly Will Barclay

Very often legislative bodies pass ill-advised laws in response to tragedies in hopes that the new laws will work to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future. I used to work for a judge who would say bad facts make bad law. This is true in the legislative process and no truer is the case with the New York Safe Act which passed in January of 2014 shortly following the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy. Since its passage, the law has been panned by law enforcement officials, second amendment advocates, outdoor enthusiast and others.

There are a number of local residents who display the signs on their property that read “Look Twice, Save a Life.” It’s a campaign that started many years ago designed to help protect motorcyclists. It was created by the parents of a 25-year-old man who lost his life while driving a motorcycle in a head-on collision with another vehicle. The driver in the other vehicle failed to see him.

The 2015 Legislative Session has ended. There were many accomplishments but the list of what did not get done for Upstate is longer. Instead, the end of session was dominated by New York City issues like rent control, property tax exemptions for NYC (421a) and discussions on the control of New York City schools.

Now that the school year has ended, a great way for children to retain the vocabulary and knowledge they’ve acquired this school year is to encourage them to read each day over the summer. Studies show that reading just 15 minutes a day helps prevent learning loss. Summer reading is an opportunity for kids to learn more independently. According to recent studies, children’s early understanding of literacy is developed within their family and their community.

The Legislature recently passed a bill that, if signed by the Governor, would reform the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) and expedite the process for those in search of public records. The measure passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the Senate and the Assembly. I am urging the Governor to sign the bill into law and make this change effective immediately.

Each year, more than 14.5 million Americans become cancer survivors. Many local service providers are working to increase those survival rates by encouraging regular screenings. Cervical cancer rates have been reduced dramatically since the Pap test was first introduced 65 years ago and 90% of cervical cancer can be cured if treated early. Despite these success rates, every two minutes, a woman will die of cervical cancer somewhere in the world.

It is not a secret that New York is a challenging state in which to do business because of our high taxes and oppressive regulatory scheme. Some, but not all, of these policies originate out of New York City which faces different demographics and economic conditions than we do in Upstate New York. A big push this year by many NYC legislators has been to raise the state’s minimum wage. Under current law, the minimum wage is $8.75 an hour and it is set to raise to $9.00 an hour on December 31, 2015.

Here are some bills introduced by lawmakers that make some of us scratch our heads. Even by Albany’s standards, these are a bit unbelievable. I want to share a few with you this week.

Access to quality healthcare is a necessary component for a thriving community and we are fortunate to have great healthcare facilities and providers in Central New York. That being said, our healthcare system is under stress because we continue to face shortages of healthcare professionals in New York state, particularly in rural areas. These shortages are particularly acute for primary care doctors and nurses but extend to specialty practices and other healthcare providers.