A message from
Assemblywoman
Sandy
Galef

July 2004

End of Session 2004



E-mail: galefs@assembly.state.ny.us • Address: 2 Church Street, Ossining 10562
Phone: 914-941-1111 • Fax: 914-941-9132

Dear Constituent,

The legislative session officially ended in June, although I am sure that we will be back in Albany soon to complete important unfinished business. As you know, I have been speaking out for years about the dismal way the state government has functioned, while lobbying my colleagues to support many of my reform bills. Our state government has certainly reached a low point this year.

Looking back in history, two hundred and seventeen years ago, a small group of legislators met in Philadelphia, and in five months hammered out a compromise on the most profound document in American history — the United States Constitution. Conversely, for the past six months, state legislators and the Governor have failed to create an annual budget for this state or to compromise on several important issues.

What worked in Philadelphia and what’s wrong with Albany? In three words: joint conference committees. Our founders in Philadelphia used them abundantly; our leaders in Albany are wary of them and seldom use them.

As the sponsor of the mandatory joint conference committee bill now circulating among my legislative colleagues, Assembly Bill 6605/ Senate Bill 4129, I believe that New York State government needs radical changes to perform up to the expectations of our residents. To date, 59 of my colleagues on a bipartisan basis are sponsors of my bill in the Assembly.

This bill will require the creation of conference committees consisting of Senators and Assembly Members in majority and minority parties, whenever similar bills pass both houses of the legislature. The leaders of the Assembly and Senate will no longer be the only two who can call for conference committees. Each sponsor of similar bills and legislative committee chairs will have the right to call for conference committees. Also, a non-partisan review office will be created to establish guidelines for similar bills that pass both houses. This is the best way to pry open a closed process.

Almost every state and the United States Congress use the joint conference committee process without the gridlock that New York routinely faces. Many states use conference committees to resolve the state budget issues as well as other controversial issues. In some states, conference committees are used over a hundred times per legislative session. By allowing the members of both houses to work together to reach a compromise, this process saves time and energy, expedites the passage of important bills, and opens up the legislative process to all legislators and the public.

Your help is the key to reforming New York State government. Please convey your thoughts on my joint conference committee bill to Governor George Pataki at 518-474-8390, the Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno at 518-455-3191 and the Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver at 518-455-3791.

If my bill becomes law, New York’s state government may begin to function like the constitutional convention in Philadelphia and accomplish many of our more difficult goals.

Although the legislative and budget processes need major reform, there is good news from Albany. This newsletter includes some of the highlights of the 2004 legislative session – some of the bills that I worked on throughout the year that impact my district as well as other legislation that affects us all.

If you have any specific ideas for legislation to be introduced in the future, please give me a call to discuss your thoughts. Working together we can make a difference.

Sincerely,

Sandy Galef




These are some of my bills that passed both the Assembly and the Senate and will become law once signed by the Governor:


Passed Assembly And Senate. Awaits Governor’s Signature.

Tax $$S For Putnam County Green Space. Bill A6329A. Places all 21,000+ acres of state land in Putnam County back on the tax rolls. The county will receive $1.85 million from the state for lands it currently possesses, with future lands acquired by the state subject to additional taxation.

Nuclear Plant Safety. Bill A7201B. Authorizes security guards at nuclear facilities throughout New York State to use physical or deadly force to prevent burglary and defend the premises at these installations.

School Nutrition. Bill A10454A. Encourages schools to set up nutrition committees consisting of parents, teachers, students, and school staff to bring healthy foods to our children both in the cafeteria and vending machines.

Watershed Protection. Bill A10015A. Protects Peekskill’s watershed by enhancing the powers of those monitoring the Peekskill Hollow Brook and the Wiccopee Reservoir. Also enables those protecting the watershed to patrol lands outside of the City of Peekskill, a measure that they are not currently afforded.

Library Support. Bill A9705. Gives New Yorkers the option to request “Love Your Library” license plates for a small additional fee. The program will pay for itself using this fee with additional proceeds allocated towards the “Love Your Library Fund” that benefits libraries throughout the state.

Putnam County Police Assistance. Bill A9603. Helps Putnam County police better serve the public and comply with new state regulations. Under the new state lock-up regulations, deputies are to supervise all detainees. This bill amends the regulations to permit the Putnam Sheriff’s Department to use trained professionals to supervise pre-arraignment detainees and frees up the deputies to go back to patrolling the streets. The measure saves money for Putnam County taxpayers by not requiring additional deputies be added to the force.

Peekskill Judges. Bill A11080. Helps Peekskill fill their seven-month vacancy to the part-time city court judgeship. This bill was requested by the City of Peekskill to allow it to expand the search for judges to all of Westchester County.


Officials in Putnam at a news conference called by Assemblywoman Sandy Galef and Senator Vincent Leibell to announce passage of their bill A639A/S2359A that places state owned green space back on the tax rolls in Putnam County. On hand were (from left) Al Hosmer, Philipstown Council, Gary Tutty, Putnam Valley School Superintendent, Richard Shea, Philipstown Council, Frank Del Campo, Putnam County Deputy Supervisor, John Di Natale, Haldane School Superintendent, Dave Brower, Philipstown Council, Senator Leibell, Assemblywoman Galef, William Mazzuca, Philipstown Supervisor, Betty Budney, Philipstown Council, Carmello Santos, Putnam Valley Supervisor.





Some of my bills passed only the Assembly and will not become law this year. They will be my priorities in the next legislative session:


Passed Assembly.

Green Government. Bill A10421. This allows local governments to buy environmentally clean power, if competitively priced, even if it is not the lowest bid. Enabling local governments to use wind or solar power helps the environment and reduces our dependence on foreign oil.

School Health And Safety. Bill A10057A and Bill A6563B. One bill uses federal monies to create a “Safe Routes to School” program. Schools would apply for money to calm traffic around schools, construct or improve sidewalks and bike lanes, and buy bike racks. This could significantly reduce rush hour traffic around schools and encourage exercise for students to combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity. The other bill bans junk food in school vending machines during school hours.

Drowsy Driving. Bill A11392. Starts a program to educate the public about the dangers of driving while sleep-deprived. Drowsy drivers cause some 100,000 crashes each year in the state, with non-commercial drowsy drivers causing the largest percentage of accidents that result in serious injury or fatalities. Through education, we hope to reverse this alarming trend.

Boating Safety. Bill A6878. Decreases boating insurance costs for those who completed a boating safety course. Would save people money when buying insurance and reduce the number of boating accidents.

Campaign Finance Reform. Bill A6562C. Requires computerized campaign disclosure for local races that raise over $1000. Seeks to improve public access to campaign finance records since voters have a right to know who gives money to local candidates. This is already the law for statewide races.





Here are some highlights of the 2004 legislative session that passed both the Assembly and the Senate and need the Governor’s signature to become law:


Criminal Justice.

Jury Reform. Bill A07518. Lengthens the time between summonses for jury duty from four to six years, with eight years off for anyone who serves on a jury 10 days or more.

Child Witness. Bill A10559. Increases from 12 to 14 the age at which certain child witnesses can testify by live, two-way closed-circuit television in sex offense or incest proceedings.

Toll-Free Sex Offender Registry. Bill A11590. Changes current telephone service of the state Sex Offender Registry from a fee-based “900” number to a toll-free number to promote greater use of this service.

Criminal DNA Extension. Bill A11721. Expands existing DNA identification index to include all registered sex offenders and those convicted of other felony offenses and attempted offenses.

Mandatory Life Sentence. Bill A11557. Provides a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without parole for conviction of murder committed in the course of a sex crime, expanding the punishment to include those whose victims are children under the age of 14.


Child Health, Safety, Education.

Shaken Baby Syndrome. Bill A10889. Requires hospitals and birth centers to request that maternity patients and fathers view a video presentation on the dangers of shaking infants. More than a quarter of the victims die from this act, with more than half of the survivors suffering from blindness, paralysis and mental retardation.

Eating Disorder Centers. Bill A11396. Facilitates the development of comprehensive care centers for eating disorders in order to provide individualized, comprehensive, and integrated plans of care; requires health insurers to give coverage for treatment at such centers.

Skateboard Safety Bill. Bill A1122. Requires those under the age of fourteen to wear a helmet while operating a skateboard as is required for those who ride bicycles and in-line skates. Also prohibits skateboarders from attaching themselves to any automobiles on the roadways.

Minimum Drop-Out Age. Bill A1892. Gives all school districts the ability to require that students attend school at least until the end of the school year in which they turn 17. Current drop-out age is 16.


Consumer Protection, Other Legislation.

Gift Card, Gift Certificate Fees. A10333B and A10334A. Provides that no retroactive fees shall be assessed against a gift certificate; no monthly service fees may be assessed against the balance of a gift certificate prior to the 13th month of dormancy. Requires the disclosure of the terms and conditions of a gift certificate at the time of purchase.

Partial Payment Of Taxes. A9495. Provides for partial payment of real property taxes at any time to be applied to the outstanding balance of taxes owed by a taxpayer. Allows tax collector to accept partial payments in amounts otherwise not billed.

Organ Donor Registry. A11301A. Directs the Department of Health to establish a New York State organ and tissue donor registry to facilitate organ donation in the state; provides for enrollment in such registry and limited access to donor information.

Wild Animal Imports. A2684. Bans the ownership of exotic animals as pets in New York by prohibiting possession, sale, barter, transfer, exchange and import of wild animals as pets.

First Responder Needs. A11198. A10117. A955. A9748B. These increase benefits for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers; increase loan limits available to give local departments access to needed equipment; let departments adjust budgets to accommodate higher fuel costs; encourage donation of equipment to fire departments by exempting equipment from liability.

New Cigarette Safety Law Takes Effect. Chapter 284. Legislation passed in 2000 (A11162) became effective the end of June 2004 that makes New York the first state to phase-in a requirement that tobacco companies sell “fire-safe” cigarettes to reduce the number of smoking-related fires that kill some 900 Americans each year.





Galef office interns Rachel Levin of Brandeis University and Marianne Perricone of Aldelphi University pose with Sandy and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer in Cortlandt. More interns are wanted for Galef’s district office at 2 Church Street in Ossining. College and high school students and adult volunteers are asked to contact Galef’s Chief of Staff Catherine Borgia at 914-941-1111.





Standing room only turnout for Sandy’s recent public forum on changes to Medicare held at Cortlandt Town Hall. Hundreds turned out to hear experts discuss what is happening on the national level that impacts senior residents. It is one of many public meetings held throughout Galef’s 90th Assembly District that includes the towns of Ossining, Cortlandt, Philipstown, Putnam Valley, Kent, and the city of Peekskill.




**Please Click Here for a Printable Questionaire**

Questionnaire

Please give me your opinion on these issues that we are considering in Albany.
There is room for two respondents.


1. Do you favor legislation that would require insurance to cover mental illnesses as they do physical illnesses?


Yes No

Yes No

2. Should we pass a bill allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to chronically ill patients?


Yes No

Yes No

3. Should we increase gambling in our state to secure more money for our children’s education?


Yes No

Yes No

4. Should we allow state tax dollars to be used for making capital improvements at private colleges and universities in New York?


Yes No

Yes No

5. Should we allow stem cell research in New York for medical purposes only?


Yes No

Yes No

6. Should we have partial public financing of campaigns for judicial candidates?


Yes No

Yes No

7. Please comment on any of the above or other issues of interest to you:


Comments:











Comments:











Please send your completed and signed questionaire to:

Assemblywoman Sandy Galef
2 Church Street
Ossining, NY 10562-4802

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