While I am proud of the meaningful legislation we passed this year, I cannot help but think about the opportunities that were lost because of an increasingly cumbersome budget process and the extraordinary amount of authority that has been ceded to the Executive Branch. The state budget was finalized 57 days late, consuming valuable time that could have been spent advancing additional priorities for New Yorkers. Despite those obstacles, we were able to pass several important measures that will improve public safety, address addiction, and protect vulnerable populations, and expand access to medical care throughout our state.

One of my top priorities this session was protecting young people from dangerous drug dealers who use social media platforms to sell illegal substances. On December 19, 2024, 16-year-old Avery Ping connected with a drug dealer on Snapchat to purchase MDMA. Tragically, the drug was laced with fentanyl and resulted in his death. After Avery's passing, it was discovered that law enforcement had issued a warrant for the dealer's account eight weeks earlier. Had Snapchat responded to that warrant in a timely manner, the dealer may have been apprehended before selling Avery the fatal drug.

In response, I passed legislation requiring large social media companies to comply with lawfully issued search warrants from law enforcement within 72 hours of receipt (A8022A). This legislation garnered support from the Police Benevolent Association of New York State, Common Sense Media, World Without Exploitation, Albany County District Attorney Lee Kindlon, and Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney. I want to thank Avery's grandfather, Martin Ping, for his tireless advocacy to ensure another family does not experience this tragedy. Various social media companies lobbied against the bill, but public safety comes first.

Building on last year's successful effort to regulate products derived from the kratom leaf, the New York State Assembly unanimously passed my bipartisan legislation to ban synthetic kratom products, commonly known as 7-OH or 'gas station heroin' (A9156B). These dangerous substances are created by artificially concentrating the active ingredient found in kratom, resulting in a product that is 13 times more potent than morphine and capable of causing addiction, declining health, severe withdrawal symptoms, and fatal overdoses.

As Chair of the Assembly Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, I am deeply concerned about the growing availability of these high-potency synthetic products and the serious public health risks they pose. I want to thank Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh and Assemblymember Jake Blumencranz for their bipartisan support on this issue, as well as Cari Scribner, whose son’s death was related to kratom, for turning a personal tragedy into meaningful advocacy that is helping protect other families.

Continuing our efforts to combat the overdose crisis, I passed legislation requiring the Office of Addiction Services and Supports to provide test strips capable of detecting dangerous adulterants such as medetomidine, benzodiazepines, and nitazenes (A9001). This legislation was inspired by testimony before my committee from Dr. Kimberly Boulden and Dr. Joshua Lynch, who highlighted significant gaps in our current harm reduction efforts.Overdose deaths are declining due to harm reduction policies.

In addition, I passed legislation making all FDA-approved opioid reversal agents available in New York (A265A). Together, these measures will help ensure that New York has a comprehensive toolkit to save lives and respond to the evolving overdose epidemic.

Another significant accomplishment this session was advancing legislation to address the rapid growth of problem gambling. The Assembly passed my legislation requiring commercial health insurance plans to provide outpatient coverage for gambling addiction treatment (A8518), and this provision was ultimately included in the enacted state budget. While expanding access to treatment is critical, we must continue working to prevent gambling addiction before it begins by establishing stronger safeguards, including restrictions on gambling advertisements during sporting events.

I was also pleased to pass legislation addressing elder abuse by requiring the New York State Office for the Aging to provide training for senior service providers and senior center employees on recognizing, reporting, and responding to abuse (A582A). By ensuring that those who work most closely with older adults can identify warning signs, we can better protect vulnerable seniors and connect them with needed services.

Although I am encouraged by the progress we made this year, the reality is that most of the session was consumed by budget negotiations. A major reason for this is the extraordinary amount of authority that has been concentrated in the Executive Branch. Over time, Governors have increasingly used the budget process to advance policy initiatives that would be unlikely to pass through the normal legislative process as standalone bills. As lawmakers were forced to negotiate those policy issues as part of the budget, valuable time was diverted from addressing other priorities facing New Yorkers.

Even after legislation passes both houses of the Legislature, the process is often prolonged by chapter amendments, which are changes requested by the Governor as a condition of signing a bill into law. While some amendments are substantive, many are relatively minor. Nevertheless, they require additional negotiations and legislative action, consuming time that could otherwise be spent moving new legislation forward.

The result is a legislative process increasingly consumed by procedural hurdles rather than focused on solving problems for New Yorkers. This year, the delayed budget prevented movement on several important measures, including the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act and the REST Act, which would have given municipalities the option to pursue rent stabilization measures if they chose to do so. If we want a government that is more responsive to the needs of New Yorkers, we need to restore a better balance between the Legislature and the Executive Branch so that elected representatives can spend more time advancing solutions and less time navigating delays.

The delayed budget and the Legislature's increasingly cumbersome process also prevented two of my bills that were on the cusp of passing from being voted on: legislation to add two consumer advocates to the Public Service Commission (A10993A) and legislation authorizing municipalities to participate in county self-insured health plans (A1766B), which would lower health insurance costs to municipalities.

Looking ahead to next year, I will continue fighting for legislation to eliminate the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities (A1006B). It is unacceptable that New York still permits people with disabilities to be paid less than minimum wage for performing the same work as others. Many states have already ended this discriminatory practice, and New York should do the same. Only a small number of workers with disabilities remain subject to subminimum wage provisions. No company will go out of business if this outdated practice is eliminated.

I will also continue advocating for the Complex Care Act (A464B), which would allow parents of medically fragile children to be minimally compensated for providing the care their children need when private duty nurses, which the State is required to provide, are unavailable. Far too many families are forced to leave the workforce because of nursing shortages, despite performing medically necessary care that would otherwise be provided by paid professionals.

Finally, while effective representation requires collaboration with the Governor, I will continue speaking out when I believe different priorities are warranted. Rolling back environmental protections will increase, not lower, energy costs.New Yorkers should not be left at the mercy of rising prices of natural gas and oil, while Australia, Northern Europe, and China prove that the cost of green energy is lower.Expanding access to pre-kindergarten should benefit communities across New York, not just New York City, as was enacted in this year’s budget.And at a time when so many needs remain unmet, I question whether an 8% increase in funding for the Office of Court Administration should take precedence over other pressing concerns.

Although this session was marked by delays and missed opportunities, I remain committed to advancing policies that protect consumers, strengthen public health, support vulnerable New Yorkers, and improve quality of life for the residents of the 110th Assembly District.