Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

Whether it’s adopting a family to make sure they have presents under the tree, or working at a local community dinner to ensure that people have a warm holiday meal in good company, many volunteer their time to give back to their community. I continue to be humbled at the way our community gives in time, talent, and resources. Many holiday events are successful because of volunteers.

Fall is the time of year when many graduating high school seniors start to look toward the future. According to the New York State Education Department, in 2010, 82% of high school graduates in New York entered post-secondary education which includes either two- or four-year institutions. In order to attend, most students will apply for some type of financial aid whether it is in the form of student loans or scholarships or a combination of both.

The U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs estimates that there are 892,221 veterans in New York State and nearly 22 million veterans across America. From World War II to present-day battles, veterans return home shaped by their experience. They deserve our gratitude and respect.

The Tax Foundation, an independent tax policy research organization, released its 11th annual report last week which indicated that New York’s business tax climate is second to last in the country. California, New Jersey and Minnesota also received shameful ratings while states like Wyoming, South Dakota, Florida and Nevada ranked among the highest.

There have been a number of reported overdoses due to heroin and other opioids in recent months. According to the Centers for Disease Control, among people 25 to 64 years old, drug overdose caused more deaths than motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2012. Drug overdose death rates have been rising steadily since 1992 with a 117% increase from 1999 to 2012 alone.

In 1961, Ruth Colvin, a resident of Central New York, read an article in the newspaper claiming that more than 11,000 people in her town were unable to read. Shocked by this information, Ms. Colvin decided to take it upon herself to do something about it. It was defining moment for Ms. Colvin and her life’s work. She pioneered Literacy Volunteers of America, a program providing literacy tutoring to adults.

As Election Day draws closer, campaigns often ratchet up their rhetoric. The Governor’s campaign is doing just that. In effort to counter the “Stop Common Core” line that his opponent Rob Astorino is running on, Cuomo formed the Women’s Equality line. This is a political party formed by the Governor and his Democratic political allies to help advertise his support of a package of bills known as the Women’s Equality Act.

The Dream Act bill would allow illegal immigrants the opportunity to receive funding under New York’s college tuition and scholarship program. Additionally, I want to make you aware of the radical proposal the “New York is Home Act.” Proposed by two New York City legislators, this bill attempts to bypass federal immigration policy by creating “state citizenship.” Under their plan, illegal immigrants would have voting rights and the ability to run for public office.

The NYS Department of Education recently released the assessment results for third through eighth graders. The Department of Education reports there were some gains statewide over last year’s results. Statewide the percentage of students scoring on the math exam at or above the proficient level (receiving a score of 3 or 4) increased only slightly from 31.2% to 35.8%. The English Language Arts exam showed virtually no change, with 31.4% of New York students “proficient” as compared to last year’s score of 31.3% scoring proficient.