Misguided proposals will lead to further financial hardship for students
Each year, we should be making headway for New York’s struggling college students. We should be addressing the ever-increasing costs of higher education and adopting measures that ensure current and prospective students have the opportunity to earn a college degree without being burdened with debt come graduation day. Instead, we are seeing actions that will do the opposite.
READ postCop killer released due to faulty law
Tyrone Howard, who viciously killed Police Officer Holder Tuesday night, benefited from misguided “reform” to our state’s drug laws to get out of prison and back on the streets.
READ postHigher taxes, fewer New Yorkers
While many of us spend the winter months daydreaming about warmer days, others have made the permanent move elsewhere. Their reason for leaving New York, however, is not solely for sunnier weather.
READ postA Rare Opportunity for Reform
Two years ago, following the use of taxpayer funds to cover up sexual harassment in the state Assembly, I was among those who called for Speaker Sheldon Silver to resign.
READ postMTA needs to do more for outer boroughs
A few weeks ago, the MTA unveiled its 2015 Capital Plan. Despite its $32 billion price tag, projects important to Southwest Brooklyn and the outer boroughs are, once again, nowhere to be found.
READ postHelp New York save taxpayer money and trees, this November
When I entered the state legislature in 2011, I couldn’t believe the amount of paper wasted every day. Hundreds of pages of different drafts of bills are put on our chamber desks, sent to our offices, and placed in meeting rooms of the various committees we serve on, despite most legislators reading the bills beforehand and oftentimes electronically.
READ postPassing crucial legislation to keep our streets safe
In the final hours of the 2014 legislative session, the New York State Legislature took action on one of the most important issues of the year, passing sweeping measures to combat the prescription drug and heroin epidemic plaguing our communities.
READ postAlbany Must Not Fail Women Again
The Women’s Equality Act has been hotly contested for the past two years, and now is the time to come together and deliver legislation that helps New York’s women.
READ postTuition assistance for middle class must be priority
With graduation season underway, now is the time to raise awareness about one of the fastest growing problems facing our nation.
READ postLaw-abiding citizens should not be treated like second class citizens
The priorities of those governing New York seem to be lost in a quagmire, and we’re dangerously close to setting two very bad precedents.
READ postLegislature’s tasks remain plentiful in 2014
Over the past three years, my colleagues and I have worked hard to turn a $10 billion deficit into what is projected to be a $2 billion surplus in 2014.
READ postCommon Core failing early tests
As we begin a new year, it is incumbent upon state legislators to take stock of the successes gained over the past year and the areas where work is left to be done.
READ postRooting out crime in our community
South Brooklyn is a gem among our borough’s communities and the entire city. Business is booming, families are moving in and the community has never been more attractive. That’s why it is so critical that we take every measure possible to keep crime off our streets and protect our community.
READ postTaking action to protect seniors
The 2013 legislative session was filled with philosophical differences and conflicts that slowed the progress made for New Yorkers over the last two years. Ideological debates hindered many important measures from moving forward. However, the state Assembly was able to deliver positive results for seniors in 2013.
READ postPublic Corruption Prevention and Enforcement Act
Every year at the end of the legislative session, many hot-button issues debated over the preceding months develop into bills taken up at the Capitol. A popular topic of discussion in 2013 has been the public financing of political campaigns.
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