This year’s legislative session was historic, in many ways. We witnessed the departure of a governor, the rise to power of another, and the retirement of the longest-serving majority leader in Senate History.
During all that, we also passed some important pieces of legislation that will certainly bring relief to families and help improve our economy. In the end, however, our work this year was incomplete as we missed an opportunity to enact meaningful property tax relief.
With a focus on the accomplishments for starters, we passed measures to promote economic growth, create jobs and improve healthcare.
Realizing the potential for the green energy industry, the Legislature passed legislation that will encourage onsite generation of both wind and solar power – reducing demand on the electric grid and improving our environment. This move will further solidify our state and our region as leaders in smart technology and renewable energy.
We also reformed the state’s Brownfield Revitalization Program. These reforms will help the program by improving incentives, and thus make the repurposing of brownfields a stronger part of our state’s economic development strategy.
We also adopted legislation that will eliminate mandatory overtime for nurses at hospitals across New York. This legislation will guarantee our nurses are protected from having to work exhaustive hours, thus improving patient safety and encouraging more people to enter this important field.
The last piece of legislation I want to mention is one that I was pleased to sponsor and get passed in the Senate that allows people to hunt with a rifle in Madison County. Since 2005, several counties in the Southern Tier and Central New York have allowed big-game rifle hunting. Madison County originally chose not to join that list due to concerns about safety. Since 2005 there have been no problems in the other counties and conservation clubs of Madison County requested that the county be included in the list where sportsmen and women are able to hunt deer with rifles. This bill is good news for hunting enthusiasts and for the local economy as it will help boost outdoor tourism in Madison County.
While we accomplish much this year, from Brownfield reform to the expansion of net metering, we still missed out on providing real relief from high property taxes. As the legislative session came to a close, many constituents reached out to me to add their voice to the Governor’s proposed property tax relief package, which includes mandate relief, a cap on property taxes and a circuit breaker. The property tax cap has received the most headlines, but the other elements of the package are just as important and would give people needed relief on property taxes now, and not just in the future.
This is an issue I have been committed to addressing since the first day I took office in 2005. There is still a chance for relief this year, and I hope the New York State Senate returns to Albany soon to adopt property tax relief legislation, that both protects the value of education and reduces the cost of living in our state. When we do that, we will truly be able to call this a historic legislative session.
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