News from Albany

Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs was pleased to join Governor Cuomo in announcing that federal disaster assistance is currently available for homeowners, renters and small businesses in Kings County as a result of damages incurred by Hurricane Irene.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses can begin applying for assistance by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.

New Laws

A.3882 – (Chap. 270 of 2011) Authorizes the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program (LTCOP) to receive and resolve complaints affecting applicants and residents of assisted living residences.

A.8366 – (Chap. 398 of 2011) Will enable safe access to public roads for all users by utilizing “complete street design principles” by transportation officials. Such features to be considered would include sidewalks, paved shoulders for bicycle use, bicycle lanes, share the road signage, lane striping, crosswalks and pedestrian signals, ramps, bus pullouts and other traffic-calming measures.

Assembly Legislation Awaiting Senate Action

A.805 – The Assembly passed legislation I sponsored that would establish the Prescription Drug Assistance Program to harness consumer purchasing power by negotiating rebates with suppliers. Those rebates would then be applied toward reducing prescription drug costs for participants, helping to make their medication more attainable.

A.6289 – (Labor Committee) Recognizing that families need both time and financial support in order to fulfill their obligations to their relatives and loved ones, I support paid family leave. Although the Federal Family & Medical Leave Act guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid leave to many workers to care for a sick relative or bond with a new child, most people can’t afford to take unpaid time from work. I believe paid family leave benefits would allow all workers to remain in the workforce and still receive some income while taking leave to care for their family.

A.7777 – The Assembly passed legislation that would place a temporary moratorium on electric, gas or steam service terminations to residential customers, until the Public Service Commission (PSC) completes a review of existing consumer protection policies. The review would evaluate the current policies’ effectiveness in addressing consumer issues and protecting consumer welfare.

The leadership of the Assembly led the way in passing legislation to extend and expand rent protections for New York City residents prior to the conclusion of this year’s Legislative Session. As a co-sponsor of this legislation, I am proud that we were able to pass the boldest improvements in nearly 30 years (A.8518). The new law encompasses many of the measures championed by the Assembly in previous years, and enacts these new protections until June 15, 2015.

Specifically, the new law raises the vacancy deregulation threshold to $2,500 per month and the high-rent threshold to $2,500 per month, while increasing the income threshold to $200,000 per year, thereby protecting more apartments and renters. Additionally, the new law amends the system of improvements to individual apartments by lowering this rate to only 1/60th of the costs of any new renovation.

Hydrofracking Update

According to draft regulations released by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), hydrofracking will be prohibited in New York City and Syracuse watersheds as well as primary aquifers across upstate. State forests and wildlife areas will also be shielded.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technology that injects liquids at high pressure deep into the earth to split rock and extract natural gas from shale.

While a moratorium on hydrofracking has expired, New York State will not be issuing permits for drilling until the final rules and regulations are approved after the 60-day public comment period.

The New York State Legislature made history this past June by passing a rational tuition plan for SUNY and CUNY. The five year plan will allow students and their families to plan for incremental tuition increases and protect the neediest students. Anyone who receives the maximum TAP award will not have to pay tuition costs over the $5,000 maximum TAP award. The added revenue from tuition will go directly to support student services and will allow for more class offerings and hiring of more full time faculty. Stable revenue support is a much needed investment in public higher education and its students. The new law will also help New York’s public universities become a leading catalyst for regionally-focused economic development while maintaining affordability and improving academic quality for all students.

Specifically, SUNY and CUNY campuses can now raise tuition by $300 per year for five years, replacing an era of sudden tuition increases. The law will maintain affordability by establishing tuition credits, which will require SUNY and CUNY to apply a credit against the tuition charged to a student. The amount of the applicable tuition credit will be based on the level of a student’s tuition assistance program (TAP) award.

Ms. Jacobs meets with NYS Department of Education Regent Dr. Kathleen Cashin.

Students should contact their college Financial Aid or Student Accounts office with specific financial aid or billing concerns. For general information about TAP and other financial assistance programs, please visit the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) website at www.hesc.com or call 1-888-NYSHESC (1-888-697-4372) toll free or 1-518-473-1574 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.