Assembly Will Barclay

The Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network recently launched an ad campaign called Pass Life On. There are a series of videos which talk about the importance of organ donation titled “The Greatest Person Never Known” which feature a grateful organ recipient. The ad campaign is designed to help improve the state’s organ donation registration rates, which continue to be much lower than other states.

The second biggest budget item in the state budget is education, which is right behind healthcare. Last year, the state spent $22.3 billion on education. In 2012, combined with the local and federal share of education, New Yorkers spent $58.4 billion on public education. This is a 56% increase over what was spent on a combined basis in 2002. This year, the Governor proposes to spend $23.14 billion on education. This represents a $1.1 billion increase over last year.

There have been a number of national and local news stories reporting on the increased cases of measles. The cases have primarily been located in California. However, nationally, the number of cases of measles in the U.S. grew to 635 in 2014, more than the past four years combined, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In New York, there were three confirmed cases of measles this year. Other preventable diseases also made a comeback in recent years.

We have heard a lot from the Governor’s office about the success of New York’s Health Exchange. The exchange was set up pursuant to ObamaCare which mandates that all Americans obtain health insurance. The exchanges, which are either set up by individual states or by the federal government (when a state decides not to opt into the program), are, in theory, supposed to provide a market for people to purchase health insurance. New York, pursuant to an executive order of the Governor, set up its own exchange. Compared to other states and to the federal government’s system, New York’s exchange has had fewer reported problems.

Long-time serving Speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver, has been arrested for public corruption. After initially standing by Silver, claiming, amazingly, that his arrest will not be a distraction, members the NYC-dominated Democrat majority in the Assembly finally came to their senses and realized that supporting Silver was a politically tenuous position and that a new Speaker must be elected. In the days that followed, a number of Democratic Assembly members, exclusively from NYC, with the exception of one, announced their candidacy to replace Silver.

Last week, the Governor presented his State of the State address. This annual tradition, much like the President’s State of Union address, is an opportunity for the Governor to set forth his priorities for the upcoming state legislative session. The State of the State address is usually in the beginning of January but this year it was appropriately delayed due to the passing of the Governor’s father. If you didn’t hear much about the State of the State, it is because the day after the State of the State address long-term State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was arrested for public corruption.

A 2012 report created by the Energy Highway Task Force, a task force led by key representatives from the fields of energy, environmental conservation and economic development, cited the critical need for improving transmission lines across the state. Their arguments for upgrading transmission lines are on point. New York’s current energy infrastructure includes approximately 10,900 miles of transmission lines.

With a new year comes new commitments and renewed hope. Last week, the Assembly welcomed new representatives. The swearing-in ceremony reminds all who attend to renew our commitment to public service. As we await the Governor’s State of the State address, I hope our state will turn its focus on improving the economy, investing in infrastructure and work toward improving education.

For Christmas, one of the gifts I received was a local food basket. My family and I enjoyed it over the holidays. I am always impressed with the quality and variety of our local producers – from cheese, vegetables, wines and breads. The good news is our economy is benefiting more from these local products.