July 2014

Assembly Passes Two Bills Authored by Hevesi Aimed to Reduce Redundancy and Prevent Waste of Resources
One of the first pieces of legislation Assemblyman Hevesi authored as Chair of the Oversight, Analysis and Investigation Committee passed in both the Assembly and Senate and is now on its way to the Governor’s office to be signed into law. Assembly bill A.7187 is the first change in law emerging from a new ongoing legislative initiative that is specifically aimed at making government more efficient. The goal of this bill is to repeal outdated reporting requirements and several other provisions pertaining to The Board of Railroad Commissioners and its related proceedings. The bill also repeals the provisions of the general municipal law with regard to the temporary state commission on local government ethics and its reporting requirements.

Another of Assemblyman Hevesi’s bills unanimously passed the Assembly on June 19th of the 2014 legislative session. Assembly bill A.9090 would allow state agencies the ability to view municipalities single audit filings electronically, in compliance with the federal Single Audit Act of 1984, which will reduce burdens on local government entities. All local government entities that receive federal dollars in excess of an aggregate sum of $500,000 annually, must file a single audit with the federal Clearinghouse and appropriate state agencies. Currently, local government entities must file with the federal government, and then individually with each state agency that acted for a related purpose. The majority of localities required to file these audits receive an assortment of smaller grants adding up to $500,000 for a variety of purposes, and they are therefore required to file multiple documents with various state agencies. The federal clearinghouse, allows entities filing an audit to designate other authorized users of their documents. This legislation would require municipalities to designate the state agencies that they would be filing their audits with in addition to their submission to the federal clearinghouse as authorized viewers to satisfy their state filing requirements electronically. This simple change will improve government efficiency by saving municipalities and local governments time, staff resources, and money.

Glendale Food Pantry Drive
Assemblyman Hevesi has teamed up with Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and The Shops at Atlas Park to host a food drive this summer. The collected goods will help restock the Glendale Food Pantry. We encourage everyone in the community to consider making a donation to the pantry, which serves our friends and neighbors. If you would like to donate, please bring canned foods and non-perishable items to either the Assembly Member’s District Office, located at 70-50 Austin Street, Suite 110, Forest Hills, NY 11375, the Council Member’s office, located at 71-19 80th Street, Suite 8-303, Glendale, NY, 11385, The Shops at Atlas Park, at any of the Summer on the Green events, or at the Subway sandwich shop located in Atlas Park. All items that are collected will be donated, and will go toward supporting individuals in need.
The New York Public Library Encourages Student’s to Continue Reading During their Summer Recess
As the school year closes, the New York Public Library system is encouraging students to keep up with their reading over the summer. This continued reading, even while school is not in session, will prevent an effect called “Summer Slide,” where students can lose some of the skills they learned during the academic year. To find out more information about how students can stay on top of their learning over the summer, and programs offered at New York City’s Public Libraries, please feel free to visit https://www.summerreading.org.
Office Locations:
District Office: 70-50 Austin Street, Suite 110, Forest Hills, NY 11375 • 718-263-5595
Albany Office: Room 742 Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY 12248 • 518-455-4926
Email: hevesia@assembly.state.ny.us