Veterans Issues Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan works to promote a bill (A4291) ensuring that veterans are represented on the workforce investment board so that vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will receive the job training they need to find success in life.

• erect and maintain a monument honoring state residents awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor – to be located near the Empire State Plaza in Albany;

• obtain treatment services for veterans exposed to toxic materials or harmful chemicals, including health screenings, and establish a task force to study the effects of the exposure;

• establish a New York State Veteran’s Hall of Fame; and

• provide death benefits and health insurance coverage to eligible survivors of public employees who die while on active duty.

For further information about programs which assist veterans please contact the St. Albans Veterans Administration office in Queens at (718) 526-1000 Ext. 2217.

35 million meals per year would go from reduced price to free for a quarter million students – eliminating their out-of-pocket expense
Bill also provides $40 million in additional reimbursement for school meals

All our schools deserve healthy meals program. Assemblywoman Nolan greets students from her alma mater, St. Aloysius at the State Capital building.

The State Assembly passed legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Nolan that would establish new meal programs and nutrition guidelines for New York’s school districts in order to provide students with healthy food choices.

The Healthy Schools Act (A.8698) is designed to provide students with access to healthier school meals, snacks and beverages, eliminate the cost to students receiving a reduced-price lunch or breakfast, and increase the state reimbursement for reduced-price and free meals.

“The percentage of U.S. children and adolescents who are unhealthy has skyrocketed over the past few decades and is worse than ever,” Nolan reported. “Poor dietary habits and inactivity contribute to serious health problems for kids, now and down the road.”

Under this bill, all school districts that participate in the federal school lunch program will be required to establish a school breakfast program in middle and high schools. The state will provide approximately $9 million in funding to serve free breakfast and lunch to the 254,000 students statewide who currently receive meals at a reduced price. This means that 35 million meals per year will go from reduced price to free.

“This legislation will also defray costs to schools by providing an increase of 15 cents per free and reduced-price meal served. This equates to approximately $40 million in additional state reimbursements,” Nolan said.

“Having a healthy breakfast program in middle and high schools will go a long way toward helping older students get a better start to their school day,” Nolan said.

The new legislation applies to meals, snacks and beverages served by and on the grounds of the state’s public and charter schools during regular school hours. It also applies to private schools that participate in federal school lunch programs.

Nurses from Queens visited Assemblywoman Nolan recently to advocate for healthy schools and better working conditions for nurses throughout Queens, including Wyckoff, Elmhurst and St. John’s Hospitals.

The new nutritional and dietary standards will consider cholesterol and sodium levels, percent of calories derived from fat and sugar, total calorie amounts, fat content of milk and other dairy products, and serving sizes.

School snacks and beverages would be affected by the new legislation as of September 1, 2008; all snacks and beverages sold in school stores and vending machines must also meet the dietary standards. As of September 1, 2010, school meals must be trans fat free, contain fruit with no added sweeteners and non-fried vegetables, and offer 50 percent whole grain products.

In addition, the Assembly passed a bill (A.8699) that would simplify student access to meal programs by providing school districts with information on implementing an electronic payment system or some other discreet means that eliminates the overt identification of students receiving a free or reduced-price meal.

1. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed an eight dollar fee for driving into Manhattan south of 86th Street to reduce congestion and raise money for transit projects. Do you support the effort?

   Yes

   No

   Unsure

2. Since passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Law, public school students are spending several months of each school year preparing for and taking high-stakes standardized tests that are used to evaluate schools. Do you agree that local public schools are devoting too much time to preparing students for and administering high-stakes tests?

   Yes

   No

   Unsure

3. If you are a parent, grandparent, student or teacher in a New York City school, what is your concern?

**Click here for a printable survey**

ENERGY ALERT

Con Edison is asking the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) for approval to raise the average residential customer’s electricity bill nearly 17%. Tell the PSC that New Yorkers have paid enough for unreliable service by filling this out and sending it to Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan. She’ll send it to the PSC with her own letter explaining why the unfair rate hike should be rejected.

Last summer’s Queens blackout and the unacceptable amount of electrified hotspots throughout New York City show a consistent lack of concern. With the PSC investigating Con Edison’s handling of the blackout – and Assembly hearings planned on the proposed rate hike – it would be wrong to move forward. Let the PSC know that another rate hike is a bad idea.

**Click here for a printable view**