With the recent warm weather and sunny skies, many people in the Central and Northern New York region have been spending the bulk of their summer days and nights outside. While there’s nothing like enjoying the outdoors, it’s important to protect yourself from mosquitoes looking to take a bite out of your summer fun.
The 2013 legislative session has ended. In this week’s column, I want to share my thoughts on some positive steps the Legislature took to enact change and also highlight a few matters that will, unfortunately, remain status quo for now.
As state senator, improving our state aid formula and ensuring our schools receive a fair share of state aid are just two of the ways I am working to improve public education. But, in order to create even better educational opportunities, I need your feedback too.
This week, many people will join friends and family members to fire up the grill, load up the cooler, and find that perfect spot to watch a spectacle in the sky for the Fourth of July holiday. But, the Fourth is so much more than cookouts and fireworks displays.
At the end of session both the Assembly and Senate unanimously voted to enact the Lt. Col. Todd Clark Memorial Flag Presentment Program. Lt. Col. Clark was recently killed on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. A 17-year veteran of the United States Army, Clark was a Purple Heart recipient and sadly, was killed after confronting a terrorist threat to his unit.
From Lake Ontario to the St. Lawrence River, there is no shortage of places in Central and Northern New York where anglers can spend the day trying to reel in their next big catch. If you’re looking to test the waters when it comes to fishing, an event taking place this weekend will help you do just that.
Utica police have been searching for a toddler since he was reported missing on June 11. Sadly, the 9-month-old child was reported missing two weeks after his disappearance by his father. Police have involved some members of the public to help search for the child and asking anyone with information to call. This case is an example of why New York needs to pass Caylee’s Law.
On New York State roadways, the number of motorcycles has increased 12 percent over five years. In Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Oswego counties, motorcycle registrations in have grown by 31 percent, 21 percent and 16 percent respectively during that time period to more than 13,800. As the number of bikes on the road has increased, so has the number of accidents.
Understanding that his success as governor greatly depends on whether he can provide the leadership to help turn around New York’s languishing economy, Cuomo is pushing the legislature to pass what he calls “a game-changing initiative.” I disagree with the Governor and think that this program, while it may provide some economic stimulus, it is really more of the same of what has been proposed in New York in the past and fails to accomplish what our state really needs – which is, broad-based tax relief.
My end-of-session priorities include getting tax breaks for farmers and active military. We need harsher laws for synthetic drug users and dealers on par with our current controlled substance penalties. We need to create laws that establish a protocol for inappropriate and unethical behavior for lawmakers, instead of leaving ethics up to the powers that be.
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