Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

On a number of occasions in the past, I have voted against the legalization of medical marijuana. However, in what is a rare occurrence in Albany, the sponsors of the initial legislation to legalize marijuana agreed to sit down with the Governor and others and amend the legislation in order to take into account the legitimate concerns of those who opposed it. As a result, a compromise was reached and legislation to legalize medical marijuana was passed in both houses with limited opposition.

Unfortunately, our office often hears firsthand accounts from local residents who have been scammed. I wanted to let people know of common scams local residents have experienced recently and how to avoid scams and identity theft. One scam currently affecting local residents is a lottery scam. In this scam, an email is sent announcing that the recipient has won a prize.

We’ve seen many cases in recent months concerning heroin use and overdoses. It has become a public health epidemic. The stories are sad and often tragic. Overdose rates have increased substantially. Deaths from heroin overdoses in New York more than doubled from 215 in 2008 to 478 in 2012.

The Governor, legislators and advocacy groups are all jockeying in attempt to get their favored legislation passed and signed into law before the legislative session concludes. The Assembly majority, which is dominated by downstate Democrats, is pushing a number of agenda items including medical marijuana, publicly financed campaigns , and an expansion of abortion rights to name a few.

There has been some good news lately involving dairy and the local economy. New York was recently named the top yogurt producer in the nation. This is the second year our state has earned this distinction, in large part due to the Greek yogurt producers who call New York home.

There are a number of measures I sponsor that would expand women’s rights and protections, as well as serve to better protect children. I wanted to highlight a few this week that would help the punishment fit the crime and also, make it easier for women and children to access services when in need.

Memorial Day is a time for family picnics and parades. More importantly however, it’s also a time we honor our veterans and pay homage to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in serving our country. As a state, we can always do more for those who have fought for our freedoms. To that end, I sponsor and support a number of bills that will improve the lives of our veterans.

I receive a lot of questions about how schools are funded and how that money is spent. There is good reason for these questions because a lot of money is involved. State aid to schools comprises $21.8 billion, roughly 24 percent, of our $92.3 billion state operating budget. In addition, it is estimated local school taxes raised approximately $20.3 billion in 2013. The New York state lottery also funds education and provided $3.04 billion in 2012, according to the latest data available.

The Legislature recently passed the “Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Act” and it was signed by the Governor. The goal is to increase participation of service-disabled veteran-owned business and award up to 6% of all state contracts to such businesses. I was pleased to vote in support, and in fact, I co-sponsor a similar measure called NY Jobs for Heroes