Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, a Manhattan Democrat and sponsor of the Dignity for All Students Act, wants to change the way teachers are trained to detect bullying and harassment and improve the quality of HIV/AIDS education in high schools. In a letter to Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, O’Donnell laid out […]
Month: September 2016
Senate, Assembly enjoy high marks from optimistic voters
A poll of 600 likely New York voters released Tuesday shows renewed optimism about state government, which is good news for incumbent lawmakers heading into the fall elections. The state Senate has a 48-41 percent favorability rating — the best it’s ever been — up from 41-45 percent last […]
Clinton holds 21-point lead over Trump in NY
Likely voters more aligned with Clinton on issues of immigration, climate change, health care and gun control Independent voters view both candidates unfavorably, call both Trump and Clinton dishonest Hillary Clinton now holds a 21-point lead over Donald Trump, 51-30 percent — down a little from a 25-point, […]
Twitter is the new political tool
My birthday is not until next July but Rich Azzopardi of Governor Cuomo’s press office has recently sent me a gift that should certainly be acknowledged. Azzopardi, who was once my student on The Legislative Gazette newspaper, now seems to be in charge of retributive tweeting for the governor. […]
Cuomo makes it easier for farmers to sell wine, beer and cider
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed two new laws that allow farm wineries, breweries and cideries to sell their products by the glass both on site and in off-site stores, further updating New York’s 80-year-old Alcoholic Beverage Control Law. These bills (S.5707-a/A.7960-a and S. 5341/A.5580) allow farm wineries, breweries and cideries […]
We must declare a war on addiction
New York state is not alone in its drug inundation. We’ve all been watching the heroin scourge threatening to drown us just as surely as the rising water levels in our oceans threaten the same thing. We really don’t understand why our children too often turn to drugs. I […]
Assemblyman wants careful study of rail crossings before spending $5M federal grant
The recent announcement that the federal government will give New York several million dollars to improve railroad crossings highlights the need for legislation requiring the Department of Transportation to assess and prioritize rail crossing deficiencies across the state, said Assemblyman Tom Abinanti, D-Greenburgh, the author of a bill that […]
DOB launches new website to assist nonprofits
The Division of the Budget is launching a new website — www.ny.gov/nonprofits — designed to improve the working relationship between the state and those not-for-profits that provide services to New Yorkers. The website will serve as New York’s source for information impacting the nonprofit sector and as a portal […]