There has been some good news lately involving dairy and the local economy. New York was recently named the top yogurt producer in the nation. This is the second year our state has earned this distinction; in large part, due to the Greek yogurt producers...

Assemblyman Will Barclay (R,C,I-Pulaski) is urging his colleagues to enact Brittany’s Law, a crucial piece of crime-prevention legislation that has failed to reach the Assembly Floor despite years of solid Senate support. Brittany’s Law-Domestic...

There are a number of measures I sponsor that would expand women’s rights and protections, as well as serve to better protect children. I wanted to highlight a few this week that would help the punishment fit the crime, and also make it easier for women...

Memorial Day is a time for family picnics and parades. More importantly, however, it's also a time we honor our veterans and pay homage to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in serving our country. As a state, we can always do more for...

I receive a lot of questions about how schools are funded and how that money is spent. There is good reason for these questions because a lot of money is involved. State aid to schools comprises $21.8 billion—roughly 24%—of our $92.3 billion state...

Assemblyman Will Barclay (R,C,I--Pulaski) announced today that New York State’s Tax Freedom Day was Sunday, May 4. Tax Freedom Day marks the date when New York State’s citizens have collectively earned enough money to pay their total tax bill for...

New York is home to more than 900,000 veterans, and some estimates indicate that as many as 72% have seen combat. Additionally, New York is home to approximately 30,000 active duty military personnel, as well as 30,000 National Guard and Reservists. ...

New York state has the unfortunate distinction of being a high-cost-of-living state, and when it comes to auto insurance, New York lives up to its reputation. Our auto insurance rates are among the highest in the nation. Although there are several reasons...

“This is excellent news for us here in Central New York, where farming has been the cornerstone of our rural communities for generations and has direct local and regional impact on our economy. Agricultural production returned almost $4.7 billion to...

Library use has increased across the state. According to some of New York State Library’s latest statistics, visits to public libraries increased by seven million, from 113 million to 120 million, from 2007 to 2009. The number of items borrowed—books,...

“I’m disappointed to learn that a State Supreme Court justice has upheld the SAFE Act and concluded that it did not infringe on our 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. I hope the challenge to the SAFE Act pending in federal court produces a different...

“Ethics reform” has been a buzz phrase heard in Albany and around the state a lot over the last few years, and for good reason. Lately, there have been several high profile cases of wrongdoing by state officials. However, as is often the case in...

“The Majority-controlled Assembly Codes Committee stopped all efforts to repeal the SAFE Act this week. They ensured that this repeal would not make it to the floor for a full Assembly vote. The message was clear: they do not care about our right to...

The 2014-15 New York state budget passed again on time for the fourth year in a row, and we kept state operating spending at under 2% growth. The $137.9 billion spending plan contains some good news for New Yorkers but did fall short on other aspects....

While the $138 billion spending plan for 2014-15 is not ideal, I am pleased with many components of the New York State budget and, accordingly, voted in favor of many of the budget bills. For one, it restores $602 million of the Gap Elimination Adjustment...

According to the most recent statistics I could find, in 2012, more than 600,000 children in the United States and Puerto Rico were victims of child abuse, and more than 1,500 children died as a result of abuse or neglect. Even more tragic, these are...

State budget negotiations are taking place and the budget deadline of April 1 is nearly upon us. Each year, the Senate and the Assembly pass what they consider to be priorities in “one-house budget” resolutions. The Assembly passed its $138.4 billion...

I was pleased to vote in favor of the farm tax credit in the Assembly. This bill establishes a much-needed tax credit for Thruway tolls for farmers. Passing this type of legislation is a good example of how our state can be friendlier to businesses, especially...

Last week, the state Legislature met in joint session to elect four members to the state Board of Regents. The Board of Regents is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within New York State, including the implementation...

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, use of illicit drugs in the United States has been increasing. In their Nationwide Trends report (updated January, 2014), in 2012, an estimated 23.9 million Americans aged 12 or older--approximately...