Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation to try to overturn Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive orders and extend the closing times on bars and restaurants to midnight. This week, Sen. Phil Boyle, R-Bay Shore, has joined Assemblyman Jarett Gandolfo in introducing legislation (S.5880/A.5409) to push back the restaurant and bar curfew from […]
Policy
Assembly passes bill to open more courts that give many veterans a second chance
A bill that looks to expand the availability of Veteran Treatment Courts in New York passed the Assembly last Thursday. The bill is sponsored by Assemblywoman Sandy Galef and co-sponsored Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara. Bill A.5719-a would authorize the transfer of qualified cases from a criminal court in a county […]
SUNY now vaccinating most employees while campuses serve local communities
As the federal vaccine supply continues to increase, SUNY is increasing its number of vaccination sites to meet the demands. SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced on March 19 the first COVID-19 shots administered to faculty and staff at its SUNY Sullivan vaccination site. This becomes possible as more public-facing employees […]
Bill would make daylight saving time permanent in New York
With many New Yorkers still adjusting to their lost hour of sleep last weekend, Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara and Sen. Joseph Griffo have introduced legislation that would make daylight savings permanent in the state of New York. The bipartisan legislation would cement daylight saving time as the year-round standard time in […]
Parents group, police and doctors make plea to remove recreational cannabis from budget plan
With the legalization of recreational marijuana all but a certainty in the state budget, a coalition of parents, police and doctors is urging the Legislature to remove the issue from budget negotiations. In an open letter to lawmakers, the organizations say legalization and commercialization of recreational marijuana creates a serious […]
Assemblyman wants to expand restaurant capacity two days early, to capture St. Paddy’s business
Restaurants statewide can increase their capacity once again, beginning on March 19, but Assemblyman Jarett Gandolfo is calling for an earlier start date so that struggling businesses take advantage of St. Patrick’s Day business. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s looser restrictions will increase restaurant capacity outside of New York City to 75% […]
Restaurants get the OK for more customers, but industry survey reveals little optimism
As eligible residents throughout the state receive their first doses of COVID vaccine, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is lifting capacity restrictions on New York restaurants outside of New York City starting March 19, but restaurants say they’re still struggling to recover from their losses. “Our fight in the war against COVID-19 […]
Assemblyman hopes rural ambulance companies can help distribute vaccines
As New Yorkers in rural areas of the state struggle to access vaccine sites, Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara has written to the state Department of Health asking for the agency to issue guidelines that would allow ambulance services to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in more sparsely populated regions. As the representative of […]