WHAT'S INSIDE:

Voting Reform Legislation
State Agencies to Help Those Affected by the Government Shutdown
National Grid Winter Storm Warning
Times Union Job Fair
American Red Cross Blood Drive
2020 Census Jobs
NENYCOSH and Capital Region BOCES Work Safety Information Session
WNYT Interview

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Voting Reform Legislation
 
The NYS Assembly passed a series of bills to make voting easier for more New Yorkers and help prevent wealthy special interests from having undue influence in political campaigns. The Assembly has passed election reform legislation year after year, leading the fight to expand voting opportunities and increase transparency. Now, with new leadership in the state Senate, there’s renewed hope that the bills become law.
 
Voting is not only the right of every American but also a hallmark of our values and our democracy. Yet, for far too many New Yorkers, voting is a difficult, exasperating experience. It’s time to reform some of the most restrictive voting laws in the country in an effort to ensure every voice is heard. With our new partners in the state Senate, we are poised to make good on our promise to New Yorkers and break down barriers to voting.
 
To read more about the specific measures passed, check out my blog post here.

State Agencies to Help Those Affected by the Government Shutdown
 
Governor Cuomo recently announced that he has directed state agencies to provide support for federal workers impacted by the federal government shutdown. The Governor called for the New York State Department of Labor to provide increased support to workers seeking unemployment insurance benefits and the State's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to help those working without pay apply for and obtain public assistance benefits.
 
 
For more information on what benefits you may be entitled to check out the full press release from the Governor’s office here.

DISTRICT NEWS 

National Grid Winter Storm Warning
 
With the winter storm warnings through the weekend National Grid staff and line crews are on standby throughout the weekend should outages occur.
 
To report a power outage or downed power line, customers should call National Grid at 1-800-867-5222 to expedite restoration.
 
Customers who depend on electrically powered life support equipment, such as a respirator, should register as a life support customer by calling National Grid at 1-800-642-4272. (In a medical emergency, always dial 911.)
 
If a natural gas leak is suspected, customers should call National Grid’s 24-hour gas emergency number at 1-800-892-2345 after leaving their house and reaching a safe environment.
 
For real-time power outage information, customers can visit Outage Central here: https://www.nationalgridus.com/Upstate-NY-Home/Default  

Times Union Job Fair
 
The Times Union will be hosting their annual job fair on Monday, January 21, from 10am-4pm at the Albany Marriott, 189 Wolf Road, Albany, NY.
 
Bring a hardcopy of your resume to have it scanned for free. All participating companies will receive a copy of resumes within a week.
 
To register for the job fair visit https://www.timesunionjobfair.com/
 
American Red Cross Blood Drive
 
The American Red Cross will be hosting a blood drive at the Cohoes-Waterford Elks at 45 N Mohawk Street Cohoes on Monday, January 21^st from 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
 
To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit www.redcrossblood.org 

 For more information take a look at this flyer
 
2020 Census Jobs
 
The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting thousands of people across the country to assist with the 2020 Census count.
 
They are hiring for a variety of temporary jobs, including census takers, recruiting assistants, office staff, and supervisory staff. To be eligible, you must be at least 18 years old, have a valid Social Security number, and be a U.S. citizen.
 
For more information or to apply for a job visit https://2020census.gov/jobs

 
NENYCOSH and Capital Region BOCES Work Safety Information Session
 
The Northeast NY Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health and Capital Region BOCES will be presenting a Workplace Safety informational meeting. Presenters will speak with community members about how to stay safe on the job and prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. This information is especially helpful if you work in food service, home health care, construction, landscaping or with chemicals.
 
The presentation will take place at the Albany Public Library, 161 Washington Ave. Albany, NY 12210 on January 22nd and 23rd from 1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
 
For more information check out this flyer
 
 
Verizon - New Spam and Robocalling Features
 
Beginning this March Verizon will be offering spam and robocalling features free to all Verizon Customers.
 
Verizon will be rolling out the free spam alerting and call blocking tools to all of our wireless customers, whose smartphones support these features, including iPhone and Android devices. There will be more information on how to sign up for the free service as we get closer to launch.
 
For more information check out the full press release here

IN THE NEWS

WNYT Interview
 
Check out my interview on Channel 13 this Sunday at 8:20 a.m. as we discuss the upcoming legislative session.