With the passage of the new State Budget comes a wide variety of changes aimed at creating new opportunities that will enable all New Yorkers to continue moving forward. Last week, I brought you news that my Young Farmers NY plan, aimed at encouraging more young people to enter careers in the agriculture industry, was included in the state’s new spending plan.
The 2014-15 New York state budget passed again on time for the fourth year in a row and we kept state operating spending at under 2% growth. The $137.9 billion spending plan contains some good news for New Yorkers but did fall short on other aspects.
Snow and cold aside, March is a “sweet” month. That’s because of “Maple Weekend,” an annual celebration held to promote New York’s maple industry. With 2.2 million taps, our state is the nation’s second largest maple producer with plenty of room for growth.
According to the most recent statistics I could find, in 2012, more than 600,000 children in the United States and Puerto Rico were victims of child abuse and more than 1,500 children died as a result of abuse or neglect. Even more tragic, these are only reported cases of abuse and neglect.
State budget negotiations are taking place and the budget deadline of April 1 is nearly upon us. Each year, the Senate and the Assembly pass what they consider to be priorities in “one-house budget” resolutions. The Assembly passed its $138.4 billion one-house resolution earlier this month and the Senate passed its resolution the week before last.
To say Fort Drum is a significant part of Central and Northern New York is an understatement. Home to the 10th Mountain Division, the Army’s most deployed infantry group, Fort Drum is our state’s biggest single-site employer with 18,000 soldiers and 4,000 civilian workers. Last year, the post had a $1.4 billion impact on our state’s economy.
What started as a small-town school event in California held over the course of a week in 1978, Women’s History Month has grown tremendously. Today, throughout the entire month of March, the world’s focus turns to women and the significant contributions they have made to our history, culture and society.
Last week, the state Legislature met in joint session to elect four members to the state Board of Regents. The Board of Regents is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within New York State including the implementation of educational standards such as the much-maligned Common Core standards.
From the food we eat to the products we use, not a day goes by that we don’t have a farmer to thank for helping to provide life’s necessities. But, what if there weren’t any farmers? As recent research suggests, that’s a question we should be considering.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, use of illicit drugs in the United States has been increasing. In their Nationwide Trends report (updated January, 2014), in 2012 an estimated 23.9 million Americans aged 12 or older, approximately 9% of the population, had used an illicit drug or abused a psychotherapeutic medication in the past month.
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