Living so close to Fort Drum, we see firsthand the tremendous sacrifices our soldiers make in the name of defending both our country and our freedom. While we should show our appreciation to veterans and current service members year-round, May – which is Military Appreciation Month – presents special opportunities to recognize our troops.
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.
More vitamins and minerals, protection against diseases such as heart disease and cancer, a lower number on the scale and freshness that is second to none, these are just some of the benefits of eating fruits, vegetables and other foods found at your local farmers’ market.
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.
Four point two million. According to the National Institutes of Health, that’s the number of Americans aged 12 or older who said they had used heroin once in their lives. What’s even scarier? It’s estimated that of those users, 23 percent will become dependent on this highly addictive and deadly drug.
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
As the school year winds down, students are gearing up for what is often thought to be one of the highlights of high school, prom. While prom can be a great deal of fun, it’s so important that students know that in order to have a great time, they need to make safety a priority.
New York state has the unfortunate distinction of being a high cost of living state and when it comes to auto insurance, New York lives up to its reputation. Our auto insurance rates are among the highest in the nation. Although there are several reasons for our high rates, fraud plays a large part.
Because our parks are such important natural resources, it’s so important that we protect them and keep them pristine. That’s the goal of the third annual “I Love My Park Day,” a statewide event taking place on May 3 that aims to improve and enhance New York’s state parks and historic sites.
Library use has increased across the state. According to some of New York State Library’s latest statistics, visits to public libraries increased by seven million from 113 million to 120 million from 2007 to 2009. The number of items borrowed – books, ebooks, movies, magazines and more – has increased by more than 11%.
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