“The announcement today that Canada is expected to lift the testing requirements at the border as mentioned in the Press Republican is a positive sign. This is encouraging to many North Country families and businesses who have been negatively impacted...

“I worked in corrections for twenty years and understand how dangerous working at a correctional facility can be. The recent spike in prison violence including the most recent incident at Clinton Correctional is unacceptable and the problem is only...

The United States-Canada border partially reopened in August last year after it was closed for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the partial reopening, residents on both sides of the border still struggle to cross the border due to the...

Gas prices have been rising steadily for months but over the past week, gasoline prices have soared to over $4 per gallon across the North Country. This unexpected increase is unaffordable to many North Country families that travel larger distances for...

“The past two years have been extremely difficult for the North Country, especially with the border closure, and extending the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) until 2031 would help our region recover. Since NBRC started in 2010, over $23...

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) was a panelist yesterday during the keynote at the New York State Economic Development Council conference at the Albany Capital Center. The topic of the session was Economic Development and Market Ready/Shovel...

“The images and stories coming from Ukraine are heartbreaking and I stand with the Ukrainian people as they resist the invasion by Russian forces. The actions of Vladimir Putin in Ukraine are nothing short of the behavior of a tyrant. We are feeling...

“Considering the decline in local positive cases, hospitalization rates along with an increase in the number of people fully vaccinated, it was time for New York to reconsider its mask policy. Many families in the North Country were looking forward...

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) announced that nominations for his 2022 Women of Distinction Awards are underway. The Women of Distinction Awards are held annually and honor local women who have had significant positive impacts on their community...

“The recent announcement that Canada is lifting some of their border restrictions to make it easier for vaccinated travelers to visit the United States is a good first step but we need more guidance from both federal governments so that we can prepare...

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) joined his colleagues today at the Million Dollar Staircase in Albany to advocate for New York to elevate the Division of Veterans’ Services to a full service, cabinet-level Department. The Division of Veterans’...

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) announced that a bill he co-sponsored that would create a 250th Commemoration Commission to plan and develop the celebration of the American Revolution in New York passed the Assembly unanimously last week and...

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) served as a panelist at City & State’s Virtual State Legislative Forum on Long-Term Care sponsored by AARP New York, joining several of his fellow lawmakers and AARP leaders to discuss challenges in the state’s...

“The North Country transportation manufacturing sector is bigger than ever so it’s no surprise that MTA chose our very own Nova Bus to fulfill a contract to build 20 electric buses. This is great news for our region and will help create and sustain...

“With Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement today lifting the mask mandates for businesses, I want to thank local business owners and patrons for their patience over the past couple of months.I agree with both New York State United Teachers and New...

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) announced he introduced a bill that would create a Strategic Site Readiness Fund. The fund would provide grants to counties and municipalities for costs related to creating “shovel-ready” sites for new development...

“With crime rising across New York State, I feel it is necessary to once again urge the State to make necessary changes to bail reform. I voted against bail reform in 2019 because I was concerned about how it would negatively impact public safety. I...

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) stated that it is not the right time for the new Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) requirement for commercial driver license (CDL) workers to be implemented by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) due...

The New York State Department of Labor Wage Board was expected to decide whether they would be lowering the overtime threshold for farmworkers from sixty to forty hours per week in 2020 but extended their decision until this year when they scheduled three...

“Governor Kathy Hochul announced her proposed budget today that will help move our state forward and will address many issues people are experiencing across the North Country. This included funding that will help the North Country get back to work such...