A message from
Assemblywoman
Sandy
Galef
Legislative Update


Dear Constituent:

As I write this newsletter I wish I could tell you that our State budget was passed on time because I am such a strong supporter of an on-time budget and reaching consensus on the state’s fiscal plan. The good news is that there are bills under serious deliberation to correct this failure. Our counties, towns, cities, villages, and local school districts pass their budgets in a timely manner. There is no reason we in state government cannot.

I am happy to report that we have formed joint conference committees on several important issues. For example, both houses in the Legislature have formed joint committees consisting of members of the Assembly and the Senate to look at changing how we vote to meet the criteria of the federal “Help America Vote” Act, to change how we pass our budget, and to reform the Rockefeller Drug Law.

Sandy with constituents at a town meeting at Putnam Valley Free Library discussing local and state issues.

For years, New York State has resisted forming joint conference committees that are common in other states. But this year we are seeing movement, with all legislators having more input in getting things done. You, too, have an important role as a community member. Your response to my newsletter surveys and attendance at my town meetings in your community are ways for me to learn how you feel about issues and what your priorities are. It is wonderful to speak with you on a personal and in-depth level. You become part of the process of government when I take your input and bring it to Albany during deliberations on various bills.

Finally, let’s continue to stay in touch by phone, fax, and e-mail so we can all work to improve New York State and the way we do the people’s business.


Sincerely,

Sandy Galef
Member of the Assembly
914-941-1111 (phone)
914-941-9132 (fax)



Kids’ Summer Reading Program

Sandy Galef with youngsters at a weekend reading program at the Ossining Public Library. Sandy is the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Libraries and Education Technology.
Youngsters in my 90th Assembly District are invited to join the New York State Assembly’s summer reading program for children from preschool through sixth grade. Studies show that children who continue to read in the summer perform better in the fall when school resumes. Those who complete their reading list will get a certificate from the State Assembly. To be part of this program and get your reading list, please call my office or e-mail me.

To help fund and expand the summer reading program, I have introduced Bill A9705-A. This would create distinctive “Love Your Library” license plates that cost $25 and also establish a dedicated “Love Your Library” Fund. The $25 license plate fees will help underwrite this important educational program for libraries.


Take the 2004...
Summer
Reading
Challenge!

When you’ve read just 15 minutes per day for 40 days or more, send in your marked off calendar to Assemblywoman Sandy Galef and receive your New York State Assembly Excellence in Reading Certificate

See me for more details.
Sponsored by
Assemblywoman Sandy Galef



Sandy showing a compact fluorescent light bulb at her recent Energy Fair in Cold Spring with Ellen McNelly, Cold Spring, and Leo Weigman and George Fletcher, Croton-on-Hudson, co-founders of the Croton Sustainable Energy Cooperative. The Energy Fair was taped and will be shown in three parts on “Speakout with Sandy Galef” on local community access cable channels. Call Sandy for times, dates, and channels.


Child Health And Safety Legislative Package

I have put a high priority on kids’ health and safety this past legislative season by introducing a package of bills that include healthy food choices in school vending machines and anti-smoking for teen-agers. The legislation will help reverse childhood obesity and teen-age smoking.

A6563-B — seeks to fight childhood obesity by limiting a child’s access to junk food through vending machines during school hours. Influencing children’s eating habits early will help them develop healthy eating habits and combat the rising trend of childhood obesity.

A9896 — will rid high schools of tobacco products by raising purchase age for cigarettes from 18 to 19. Many try their first cigarette before they are 18 and most become addicted at 17, when they have access to both pocket money and contact with 18-year-olds in school who make the purchases for them.

A10057 — would create a “Safe Routes to School” program, to allow districts to use federal monies to encourage pedestrian travel to school. By limiting the dangers faced by child pedestrians by building sidewalks, calming high traffic areas, and providing funding for bike racks and wider traffic lanes, we can increase physical activity, and greatly reduce the risk of future cardiovascular problems, diabetes, and cancer.

Sandy, Lakeland Schools Food Service Director Joanne Ricapito, and legislators at an Albany news conference outlining Galef’s vending machine bill. Ms. Ricapito is a member of Sandy’s task force on children’s nutrition and has successfully introduced healthy food choices in vending machines at Lakeland School District.
A10454 — encourages local boards of education to create a nutrition committee to bring nutrition to the attention of the entire school community. The bill requires written notice and an opportunity to comment on any contract or renewal for vending machines or exclusive rights to provide food or beverages in a school district. Parents can assess a district’s decisions about their child’s health through free flowing, public information.

For a copy of these bills, please call me.



Energy Saving Tip For Your Home And Business

There is a simple, convenient way we all can save energy, reduce our utility bill, and save money in the long run – compact fluorescent light bulbs. Reasons to buy a compact fluorescent light bulb to replace a traditional one:

bulbs last 4.5 years, or up to 10 times longer than regular incandescent light bulbs
use 75% less energy
generate 90% less heat and produce more light per watt
similar in color and brightness to regular light bulbs
Ask your hardware store
or go online to www.bulbs.com
and www.nolico.com.
can directly replace regular light bulbs and are more compact than ever.


Survey Results

Almost 600 of you answered my survey questions posed in the March newsletter and gave these responses:
1. 78% said “YES”
We should expand the bottle bill to include non-carbonated juice and water.
2. 64% said “YES”
We should raise the age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 19.
3. 64% said “YES”
We should change the vehicle licensing process for seniors, as we did for teen-age drivers who have graduated licenses.


Voters To Decide On Change To State Budget Process

Next year voters will get the chance to stop the perennially late state budgets that hurt our credit rating, cost us more money to borrow, and hamper local governments, agencies, non-profits, and businesses that depend on state dollars.

You will be asked to vote to amend the state Constitution to:

  • automatically have a contingency budget go into effect if a new budget is not passed by May 1st.

That will occur after the Legislature enacts these changes:

  • moves the budget date from April 1st to May 1st to get more accurate figures for revenue forecasting, since it will be after the April 15th income tax deadline

  • adopts a two-year appropriation budget for school aid, like other states, to help schools plan ahead and to let taxpayers know what state aid their schools will get before voting on local school budgets.



Lottery School Aid

In 2004, $1.89 billion lottery dollars went to education, approximately 33% of the lottery’s total sales of $5.84 billion dollars. If we increased that to 45%, there would have been an additional $738 million for the schools. My bill A6331 proposes that the minimum rate of 45% of lottery sales be earmarked for education to meet the growing demands on local schools and help offset the heavy tax burden for property owners.

Here is a look at your school district budget and lottery aid:

School District FY’03-’04
School Budget 		FY’03-‘04
Lottery Aid
Westchester County
Briarcliff Manor $35,915,059.00 $29,929.00
Briarcliff Manor $35,915,059.00 $29,929.00
Croton-Harmon $27,891,000.00 $ 162,737.00
Hendrick Hudson $50,063,100.00 $ 45,855.00
Lakeland $97,348,660.00 $3,212,232.00
Ossining $70,621,846.00 $1,087,485.00
Peekskill $51,153,101.00 $2,255,504.00

Putnam County
Carmel $71,672,687.00 $2,133,079.00
Garrison $ 6,874,178.00 $ $6, 930.00
Haldane $12,596,031.00 $ 192,936.00
Putnam Valley $31,784,826.00 $ 592,936.00


Formula For Lottery Dollars To Education

By law, revenues generated by Lottery sales are to be used in support of New York State’s elementary and secondary education. The State Department of Education disburses the revenue deposited by the Lottery, along with other State aid funds, to local school districts based on a formula established by the New York State Legislature. The formula includes such factors as local school district pupil population, grade level of the pupils, special student needs and the full value of property within a district.

As part of State guidelines, Lottery aid also includes $15 for each resident enrolled pupil for the purchase and loan of textbooks.

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