Politics

Two bills in particular which passed the State Legislature could help both seniors and visually-impaired residents if signed into law by the Governor. I supported each in the Assembly and both passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, honey, wine, and cheese are all out in abundance this time of year throughout the region and will be for the next few months at local farmers’ markets. Farmers’ markets provide an opportunity to buy local and give farmers a chance to provide home-grown produce straight to the consumer. The markets are located throughout the region and we’re fortunate to have as much fresh and homegrown produce as we do in our area.

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.