Thanks to all who stopped by my open house this Friday! This is one of my favorite events of the year and I was so pleased to have more than 100 people from all corners of the 109th district stop by to see the terrific work by local artists Theresa Swidorski, Laura Shore and Lee Dixon.

Press Conference on Net Neutrality Bill & Gov. Cuomo's Executive Order. This past Tuesday, I held a press conference with Senator Carlucci on our bill introduced last month to protect Net Neutrality in NY (A.8882/S.7183), >and we received wide coverage including in the Times Union. The following day, Governor Cuomo issued an executive order modeled after my legislation to protect net neutrality in New York. I commend the Governor for moving aggressively to protect a free and open internet in New York and pleased to his support to pass my legislation (A. 8882) to permanently enshrine net neutrality in statute.

Assembly Yellow Book on the Governor's Budget Released. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced on Monday the release of the Yellow Book, the Assembly’s analysis of the Governor’s proposed $168 Billion SFY 2018-2019 Executive Budget. The completion of the Yellow Book marks the beginning of the Assembly’s in-depth examination of the Executive’s budget and serves as a resource for Assemblymembers participating in the joint legislative fiscal committee budget hearings. The first of these 13 public hearings began last Tuesday.

Op-Ed on State Funding for Albany & Health Labs Site. Last week, the Times Union ran an important editorial on state funding issues facing the City of Albany. I’m disappointed that additional $12.5 million in aid for Albany was not included in the executive budget and will continue to advocate for its inclusion it in the final budget. Separately, I am continuing to work with the Governor's office to advocate that the proposed consolidated health labs, including Wadsworth Center, remain in Albany and will send future updates.

Labor Dispute at Hilton Albany Over! I’m pleased and relieved to share the good news that an agreement has been reached between picketing workers and management at the Hilton Albany! The agreement will allow workers to maintain vacation and bereavement policies and to receive wage increases. Members of the Hotel Trades Council approved the new contract on Wednesday afternoon. I commend the workers for their perseverance through this very challenging time - and celebrate their success!

Times Union Editorial on Plastic Bags. The Times Union this week ran an editorial piece calling for action on disposable plastic bags and their serious impact on the environment. NYS uses a whopping 23 BILLION plastic bags per YEAR, which can take up to 1000 years to decompose - we can do better. This problem costs New York taxpayers $12 million a year not to mention the harm to our natural resources. There are plenty of resources outlining programs that work to mitigate this issue; all that is needed is state action. I’ll be continuing to advocate on this harmful issue and to push measures that help preserve the environment. In the meantime, please try to avoid plastic and use more recycle bags at the store.

Community Updates & Events

Albany Symphony Orchestra Invited to Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The Albany Symphony Orchestra announced on Wednesday that they have been selected as one of only four orchestras in the country to be invited to the Kennedy Center’s SHIFT festival. The Symphony will be performing on April 11th and 12th where they will be performing music inspired by New York’s waterways. This is a true honor for the Symphony - and so deserved for one of our true Capital Region treasures!

Altamont Fire Department Turns 125! The Altamont Fire Department will be celebrating their 125th anniversary this year. They are the oldest volunteer fire department in New York State! Congratulations to the AFD on their many years of protecting Altamont and to ALL firefighters for their extraordinary service to our communities!

William Kennedy 90th Birthday Celebration. I’ll be joining the New York State Writer’s Institute on Wednesday, January 31st at 7:00 PM to celebrate the 90th birthday of William Kennedy. Pulitzer Prize-winning author and native son Kennedy turned 90 on January 16. His "Albany cycle" of novels – Legs, Billy Phelan's Greatest Game, and Ironweed -- helped to establish the city as an internationally recognized capital of the literary imagination and I am proud to join in the celebration!

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, or give us a call at (518) 455-4178.

Pat