Start of 239th Legislative Session. I am disappointed that the Governor is breaking tradition and not formally presenting his State of the State message to the Legislature, however, I look forward to hearing more on his plans when his budget is released on January 17th. I am enthused and heartened by Speaker Carl Heastie's opening address on January 4th to members of the Assembly identifying the Assembly's legislative priorities, which include increasing aid for infrastructure (water & sewer, as well as transportation including alternatives for a greener environment), education aid for schools, criminal justice reform, protecting health care and women's rights, tax reform with a more progressive structure, initiatives to strengthen the state's families, and more on criminal justice reform.

Swearing-In for My New Term in Office. Many thanks to all who braved the snow and cold to attend the Swearing-In Ceremony on December 29th for several Capital Region state legislators and me along with Congressman Paul Tonko. I am truly honored to continue to serve the residents of the 109th Assembly District and will do so to the best of my abilities.

Health Care Press Conference. I joined representatives from Citizen Action, AFSCME and SEIU on Wednesday to speak out on the threatened repeal of the Affordable Care Act. An estimated 2.7 million New Yorkers—25,552 in Albany County—would lose coverage if the ACA were repealed. The impact, too, on state and county budgets would be disastrous with Albany County standing to lose $4.7 million in federal Medicaid funding in the 2016-17 alone—critical funds used to help offset property taxes.

Instead of repealing the Affordable Care Act (without any serious plans to replace it!) we should instead improve it by lowering premiums, lowering deductibles and providing better choices of doctors and hospitals. As I stated earlier, “It's a little difficult to make America great again, if you're going to make America sick again.”

Veto of Indigent Legal Services Legislation. Despite tremendous support for my bill with Senator DeFrancisco to achieve long overdue criminal justice reform to bring cost savings and better access to counsel for indigent defendants across New York State, the Governor vetoed the legislation. While we failed in the final hours of 2016 to reach agreement, I remain fully committed and have already begun working with Speaker Heastie, Senator DeFrancisco, and others to fix this critical need for our counties in the 2017 session. We have waited 50 years to fully implement this constitutional mandate and we want to get this right for the sake of all New Yorkers.

Tuesday Referendum on Albany Public Schools. On Tuesday, January 10, Albany residents are reminded to vote on Albany Public Schools Bond Proposals. The first proposal is to renovate the former New Covenant charter school at 50 N. Lark Street at a cost of $6.5 million. The second is to approve the purchase of the former Brighter Choice Middle School building at 395 Elk St. to be used as the Alternative Learning Center at a cost of $4.1 million. Both projects are necessary to accommodate dramatic enrollment growth at elementary and middle schools – 1400 students (26%) over the last 8 years. Neither project will result in tax increases. Funds will come from state aid and from the district’s capital reserve.

Polls open at 7:00 A.M. and close at 9:00 P.M. To determine where you vote, please check here: http://www.albanyschools.com/ Budget/WheretoVote.html

Monolith Solar to Add 66 New Jobs. The demand for solar energy is growing fast and Monolith Solar, soon to be opening at a new location in Vista Technology Park in the Town of Bethlehem, is looking to hire 66 new workers. If you are interested you can apply on their website, call, or drop off a resume at their Rensselaer office. More information may be found in this WNYT interview with founder of Monolith, Steven Erby.

Job Opportunities: New York State has setup a new job portal entitled Jobs Express, where thousands of private and public sector jobs are listed. Visit jobs.ny.gov for more information on how to apply for these opportunities.

As always, for the latest news or for upcoming events, please visit my office online, on Facebook, on Twitter, or my Times Union blog. If you would like to reach my office, please feel free to send us a note.

Sincerely ---

Pat