Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

It wasn’t too long ago that New York was ranked close to the bottom in terms of organ harvesting and donation rates. In 2010, a little over 2.7 million New Yorkers were registered organ donors. While that may sound like a high number, it was only about 18 percent of potential donors and is dramatically lower than the national average.

Common Core – the new academic standards adopted by 46 states intended to make students ready for college and careers – was put into motion for grades K-12 this school year. The State Board of Regents adopted Common Core in 2010 in part to secure more federal aid for education.Beginning in September, teachers in most public school districts across New York were required to teach this brand new curriculum.

This year, New York State enacted a law that requires birthing facilities across the state to test newborns for congenital heart defects through the use of pulse oximetry. Pulse oximetry is an inexpensive and non-invasive test that measures a baby’s blood oxygenation levels. This law will help ensure that infants are screened before they leave the hospital. I was pleased be a sponsor of this bill in the Assembly.

October was national Domestic Violence Awareness Month. While I realize we are now in November, because I missed writing about this topic last month and because I strongly believe we need to continue to raise awareness about domestic violence, I am writing about this issue this month.

Veterans’ Day is a time we honor our veterans and thank them for their service. We pause to reflect on their lives and appreciate how their sacrifices keep us safe and protect our country and our freedoms. I’ve always believed that New York State should do more for our veterans. We can’t rely solely on the federal government’s benefit structure to honor our state veterans’ service.

According to the State Health Department, breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women in New York State. Each year in New York, more than 14,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and almost 2,700 women die from the disease. It is estimated that one in eight women will develop breast cancer during her life.

When voters go to the polls on Nov. 5, they will be asked whether to support a number of amendments to the State Constitution. Recently, I talked about the casino referendum and the implications its passage will have on New York. This week, I want to let readers know about five other referendums that will appear on the ballot.

Recently, the Tax Foundation released a map showing the combined local, state, and federal cell phone rates. The map showed, not surprisingly, that New York residents pay the third highest cell phone tax rate in the country. Our state and local cell phone tax is 17.85%. When those taxes are combined with the federal tax rate, New Yorker’s cell tax rate is 23.67%.

Often issues arise in the State legislature where there are meritorious arguments on either side of the legislation. This holds true for the state-wide referendum championed by Governor Cuomo that, if passed, would change our State Constitution to allow, among other things, the siting of four commercial casinos in Upstate New York.