The following is a summary of bills that passed both houses of the State Legislature during the 2006 Legislative Session. If Governor George Pataki approves them, these bills will:

ANIMAL RIGHTS

• Allow family courts to include companion animals under the provisions of a court order of protection.

CHILD ABUSE

• Establish child advocacy centers to improve our response to child abuse by creating non-threatening child-focused environments in which to conduct investigations, treatment, and prosecution of child abuse cases.

CRIME PREVENTION

• Provide a standardized procedure for police and district attorneys to use to inform victims of state Crime Victims Board services.

• Make fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle a Class D felony (punishable by up to seven years in prison) if the officer or another person is killed as a result; make fleeing a Class E felony (up to four years in prison) if a serious injury occurs; make fleeing a misdemeanor (up to one year in prison) if the driver exceeded the speed limit by at least twenty-five miles per hour or drove recklessly.

• Prevent mortgage fraud and deed theft, protect homeowners’ equity, and penalize those who intentionally mislead homeowners regarding the details of a transaction.

• Add school buses to the list of designated areas where a person can be charged with violating a Drug-Free School Zone by selling controlled substances.

• Elevate the possession of a single illegal loaded firearm to a Class C felony with a mandatory, no-parole prison term of 3.5 years, instead of local jail time or straight probation.

DISABILITIES

• Create a New York State interagency council for services to persons who are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing, in order to promote a more comprehensive service system.

• Enact consumer protections for the purchase of wheelchairs, including warranties, replacement of defective equipment, and quality standards.

ENVIRONMENT

• Create a New York Ocean and Bay Council to protect and conserve New York’s marine resources.

• Require the Department of Environmental Conservation to notify owners of real property, in a timely manner, of contamination such as vapor intrusion.

• Require landlords to disclose all known reports of contamination of real property, including vapor intrusion, to any person occupying the property.

HEALTH CARE

• Increase hospital emergency room rates from $95 to $125 beginning in 2007, $140 in 2008, and $150 in 2009.

• Increase nursing home reimbursements.

• Extend the state’s wraparound coverage of Medicare/Medicaid dual eligible individuals for an additional year.

• Fight Medicaid fraud by establishing the office of the Medicaid Inspector General and setting up stricter penalties for Medicaid fraud offenders.

ORGAN DONATION

• Encourage more New Yorkers to become organ donors by making living donors eligible for a state income tax deduction of up to ten thousand dollars to cover expenses related to organ donation.

• Establish an organ and tissue donation information program to promote public awareness of organ donation.

• Identify individuals as organ donors on the faces of their driver’s licenses to save critical minutes in emergency situations.

SEX OFFENDERS

• Add moderate-risk sex offenders to the state’s online registry of sex offenders and authorize local police authorities to provide information concerning low-risk offenders to vulnerable populations.

• Establish the criminal offense of predatory sexual assault, elevating penalties for violent felony sex crimes, such as rape, to a maximum of life in prison.

• Eliminate the criminal statute of limitations on Class B felony sex crimes such as rape and sexual assault, to ensure that the mere passage of time does not allow the perpetrators of felony sex crimes to escape prosecution.

REFORMING THE STATE BUDGET PROCESS

Continuing his work in the area of government reform, Assemblymember Mark Weprin supported a bill to reform the budget process by adding transparency, accountability, and efficiency.

The bill, which passed the Legislature, would move the start of New York’s fiscal year from April 1 to May 1 in order to allow for better revenue and spending projections. It would also require a two-year appropriation for education aid that will help schools stay a step ahead by giving them the information they need, when they need it. Finally, the plan calls for the creation of an Independent Budget Office that would give the Legislature information on appropriations, revenues, revenue estimates, and the fiscal impact of proposed laws.

“Passing two on-time budgets in a row is a step in the right direction,” said Weprin. “But we can still improve the budget process. One of the most important tasks legislators have is to craft a fair, on-time budget.”

LOCAL FIFTH GRADER BECOMES
ASSEMBLYMEMBER FOR A DAY

“Assemblymember for a Day” contest winner Mindy Zou and Assemblymember Mark Weprin

Assemblymember Mark Weprin relinquished his role as legislator for one day to a student from a local elementary school who won his annual “Assembly Member for a Day” Essay Contest. This year’s essay question was “If you could invite someone from American history to visit your school, whom would you choose and why?”

Contest winner Mindy Zou, a fifth grader from P.S. 188 Queens, the Kingsbury School, in Hollis Hills, chose Helen Keller to visit the school and talk about her life with Mindy and her classmates. Mindy was impressed by how Helen Keller overcame the obstacles posed by her disabilities. She was also fascinated by Braille and even learned how to write her own name in Braille.

Mindy visited Albany with her parents and her younger brother, Benjamin. Her day began with a meeting with Assemblymember Weprin and an interview with a Legislative Gazette reporter. Mindy then received a citation from Attorney General Elliot Spitzer and met with lobbyists to discuss legislative issues. She also sat in on a committee meeting, during which committee chair Joseph Lentol treated her as a member of the committee.

Mindy then headed to the Capitol to meet Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Majority Leader Paul Tokasz. During the legislative session, Mindy was introduced by Assemblymember Mark Weprin as her family watched proudly. Many Assemblymembers came over to congratulate Mindy on winning this year’s essay competition. As a special treat, Mindy was invited to meet Governor George Pataki and tour his office.

To conclude the day, Assemblymember Weprin and Mindy recorded a television interview in which a reporter asked them questions about the day’s events and the essay competition. “Mindy revealed that her interest in politics and government grew much stronger as the day progressed,” said Assemblymember Weprin. “Perhaps she will one day return to Albany as my full time replacement.”

A longtime supporter of public education and public libraries, Assemblymember Mark Weprin is proud to help the New York Library Association to promote reading. Mr. Weprin sponsors an annual Summer Reading Challenge for students in his district and rewards every participant with an official New York State Assembly Certificate of Merit.

E-Z PASS MONTHLY FEE ELIMINATED

Assemblymember Mark Weprin was a strong voice in an effort to eliminate the monthly fee that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Bridges and Tunnels began charging its customers last year. He called on the MTA last fall to get rid of the fee; when the MTA denied the request, Assemblymember Weprin led a legislative effort to make the change.

“The twelve dollars a year that the MTA was charging represented an unjust hardship to the very people who are the MTA’s best customers – advance payers – many of whom have no alternative to using the bridges and tunnels to travel to and from work,” said Assemblymember Weprin. “The fee is even more of a burden to the occasional customers who use E-ZPass only a few times a year.” Now New Yorkers can once again use E-ZPass without paying a monthly fee. The change went into effect on June 1, 2006.

Assemblymember Mark Weprin participated in the 27th Annual Arline Thomas Urban Bird Literary Arts Contest Ceremony at Alley Pond Environmental Center in Douglaston. Mr. Weprin commended the winning students, who produced literary and artistic works, on their creativity, talent, and effort.