Assemblywoman Sandy Galef A message from
Assemblywoman
SANDY
GALEF

December 2005

Legislative Wrap-Up

Address: 2 Church Street, Ossining, NY 10562
Phone: 914-941-1111 • Fax: 914-941-9132 • E-mail:

Dear Constituent:

This was a very good year in Albany. We passed a budget on time after twenty years of missing our April deadline. We were able to study proposed legislation that resulted in the passage of good laws, as outlined in these pages.

As you know, I have worked hard for an amendment to the State Constitution requiring an on-time budget. It failed at the polls. However, I will continue my efforts to reform Albany. I will report to you regularly on these activities and seek your support in making state government more effective and efficient.

Let us look at next year’s legislative session starting in January 2006. What would you like us to address? What are your priorities? Join me at one or more of the six public town meetings this winter at a library near you. They commence in January after the Governor has presented his budget. It will be an opportunity to comment on what the executive has proposed, discuss ideas with your neighbors, and get to know one another in an informal setting.

Your answers to questions on the back of this newsletter are of particular interest. They deal with ways to cut costs. I have been receiving lots of calls and letters about the expense of living in our counties. Should we look at saving by consolidating municipalities and school districts? When travelling to other states and meeting other legislators, I have learned that New York has many more layers of government. Are they all necessary? It is a difficult topic, but one to start talking about at the upcoming town meetings. When answering the questionnaire, please be sure to include your zip code so I can sort the responses by community.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,
signature
Sandy Galef
Member of the Assembly



TALK IN THE LIBRARY

with Sandy Galef

TOWN MEETING SCHEDULE

Saturday, January 28, 2006
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Hendrick Hudson Free Library
185 Kings Ferry Road, Montrose

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Julia Butterfield Memorial Library
10 Morris Avenue, Cold Spring

Wednesday, February 1, 2006
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
The Field Library
4 Nelson Avenue, Peekskill

Saturday, February 4, 2006
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Putnam Valley Free Library
30 Oscawana Lake Road, Putnam Valley

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Kent Public Library
17 Sybils Crossing, Kent Lakes

Thursday, February 9, 2006
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Ossining Public Library
53 Croton Avenue, Ossining

Come to the library and say hello to Sandy.
You’re allowed to be loud. . .but not very.



New Laws of 2005

This is an overview of new laws in effect and those still awaiting action by the Governor. Details are available on the Assembly web site or by contacting my office.

Animal Rights Legislation

  • Increases penalties for dog attacks causing serious physical injury. (Chapter 526)

Public Safety and Terrorism Legislation

  • Prohibits the sale or give-away of promotional utility knives or box cutters to those under 18. (Chapter 243)

  • Increases penalties for leaving the scene of a vehicular accident. (Chapter 49)

  • Strengthens penalties for vehicular assault and vehicular manslaughter when serious physical injury or death is caused by someone drunk or impaired by drugs. (Chapter 39)

  • Protects against future acts of terrorism by requiring tighter control over the sale of ammonium nitrate, a common fertilizer compound used to make bombs in the ’93 World Trade Center and the ’95 Oklahoma City bombings. (Chapter 620)

  • Requires law enforcement agencies to maintain a list of entities with vulnerable populations that should be notified when a sex offender poses a risk of public safety. (Chapter 680)

  • Requires children’s day camps and overnight camps to run background checks on prospective staff members to determine if they are a registered sex offender. (Chapter 260)

  • Mandates the state to notify local social services districts when any level 2 or 3 sex offender being released from prison intends to seek homeless housing assistance from a social services district. (Chapter 410)

  • Bans use of public funds for Viagra and other prescriptions, medical procedures or supplies for the treatment of erectile dysfunction for registered sex offenders. (Chapter 645)

Consumer Legislation

  • Requires the State board of Pharmacy to post drug retail price lists on its web site to help consumers comparison shop. (Chapter 293)

  • Ensures that Internet users have adequate warning that some access numbers may involve long-distance phone charges. (Chapter 334)

  • Allows parking spaces for the handicapped to be marked as tow-away zones. (Chapter 199)

  • Protects against identity theft by requiring any state agency or business to notify state residents whose unencrypted personal information may have been acquired by an unauthorized person. (Chapter 442)

  • Authorizes limited direct interstate shipment of wine and provides that any holder of a license to manufacture wine in any other state who obtains an out-of-state direct shipper’s license, may ship no more than 36 cases of wine produced by such license holder per year directly to a resident of New York, for resident’s personal use and not for resale. (Chapters 210 and 184)

Environmental Legislation

  • Prohibits the shooting or spearing of targets or animals from a remote location over the Internet. (Chapter 653)

  • Prohibits the sale of mercury thermostats, various mercury instruments and measuring devices, and mercury switches and relays. (Chapter 676)

  • Requires the procurement and use of environmentally sensitive cleaning and maintenance products in schools. (Chapter 584)

Government Employees and Government Reform Legislation

  • Confers jurisdiction on the State Ethics Commission over former state officers and employees, former candidates for statewide elected office and former political party chairs with respect to actions taken by those while in state service or party office, or as candidates, closing a loophole that lets someone retire to evade an investigation. (Chapter 165)

  • Limits the influence of lobbying on the awarding of state and local government contracts. (Chapter 1)

  • Establishes the Public Authorities Accountability Act to improve oversight of the state’s public authorities and public benefit corporations. (A9007/S5927)

Health Legislation

  • Requires the Department of Health to review the criminal history information of prospective employees of nursing homes and home care service agencies. (A2003b/S4371a)

  • Prohibits discrimination in employment based on speculation about genetic predispositions founded on personal or family information, as well as known predispositions. (Chapter 75)

  • Requires hospitals to report infection rates and make the information public, and also changes the date by which the Health Department must establish a hospital-acquired reporting system to July 1, 2006. (Chapters 284 and 239)

  • Empowers merchants to go beyond due diligence in not selling alcohol or tobacco to those under age. (Chapter 578)



photo
Sandy and Metro-North President Peter Cannito cut the ribbon for public restrooms at the foot of Main Street, Cold Spring. They were joined by Cold Spring Mayor Anthony Phillips, Philipstown Supervisor Bill Mazzuca, Putnam County Legislator Vincent Tamagna, Philipstown Councilwoman Betty Budney, Garrison architect Peter Johantgen, and Metro North’s Mark Mannix.

Sandy obtained a $156,500 construction grant from Metro-North to fund the new restrooms, upgrades for Cold Spring’s train station, new commuter stairway, new ornamental fence, and walkway improvements.


photo Sandy in Peekskill with Governor Pataki, who announced the state’s Main Streets Program that provides funds to revitalize downtowns. Peekskill received a $200,000 state grant to renovate buildings and make street and sidewalk improvements.
photo Sandy marked Veterans Day this year with a ceremony unveiling a new sign renaming Route 9D near the Putnam/Dutchess border as the Hudson Valley POW-MIA Memorial Highway. Sandy and State Senator Vincent Leibell co-sponsored the legislation initiated by Rolling Thunder Inc. Chapter 3 members, who were on hand along with VFW representatives, Gold Star Mothers, other veterans groups, and municipal officials.

photo
Sandy and Senator Vincent Leibell hold a news conference in Cortlandt with bi-partisan proponents of an amendment to the State Constitution requiring an on-time budget.


Constituent Questionnaire

New York State has 62 cities, 932 towns, 553 villages and 731 school districts.
Would you reduce that number in order to cut taxes? Answer below.

Room for two respondents. Include zip code here _____________.

1. Would you eliminate the city, town, or village in which you live and consolidate your government with that of a surrounding community?

Yes
 No
Yes
 No

2. Would you merge some services in your city, town, or village with that of a neighboring government?
If yes, which services?







3. Would you merge your entire school district with that of a surrounding school district?

Yes
 No
Yes
 No

4. Would you merge some services of your school district with that of a surrounding school district?
If yes, circle one or more merged services you favor.

Yes
(transportation, purchasing, administration)
No
Yes
(transportation, purchasing, administration)
No

5. Should violent, convicted sex offenders judged a continuing threat be civilly confined after serving their prison time?

Yes
 No
Yes
 No

6. With the cost of fuel rising, should we require better gas mileage for new vehicles?

Yes
 No
Yes
 No

7. Is childhood obesity a private matter for parents or a public health issue for schools to teach nutrition and eliminate unhealthy food & drink on premises?

public matter for schools
private matter for parents
public matter for schools
private matter for parents

8. How should the Indian Point nuclear power plant notify residents of emergencies?

phone
siren
both phone & siren
phone
siren
both phone & siren

Sign. Include Zip Code For Tallying Purposes.
**Click here for a printable form**

Please return the completed form to: Assemblywoman Sandy Galef
2 Church Street
Ossining, NY 10562-4802

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