As 2017 comes to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on our accomplishments and refocus our efforts to help keep Central New York moving forward. We faced some challenges this year, but once again proved that Central New Yorkers come together to get things done. In the Assembly, I fought to strengthen our workforce, support small businesses and thriving industries and protect homeowners and commuters. I look forward to continuing this hard work in 2018.

Job creation has always been a top priority for me, and this year comes with several victories. I co-sponsored and helped pass the New York Buy American Act, which requires that contracts over $1 million for state road and bridge construction and repair prioritize American-made steel and iron (Ch. 451 of 2017). As a manufacturing hub, this measure is good news for Central New York. What’s more, it will help ensure that we’re keeping and creating good jobs in our communities.

To help bridge the skills gap and connect workers to in-demand and good-paying jobs, I strongly supported the creation of the Empire State Apprenticeship Program in this year’s state budget, which offers tax credits and grants to businesses that hire apprentices. The program allows students to complete coursework and receive on-site job training while they earn a living. Further, I secured funding in the 2017-18 state budget for the Syracuse Women’s Opportunity Center to open professional doors for more women. Over 300 women have been helped through the center each year, and I’ll keep fighting to ensure we tackle the obstacles and barriers that stand in the way of their success.

I also sponsored a new law that creates a two-tier food processing licensing fee to help level the playing field for small-scale food producers (Ch. 400 of 2017). The law reduces the license fee from $400 to $175 per facility for qualified producers, encouraging entrepreneurship and helping more small businesses get off the ground. This also increases access to locally produced foods in our communities. I also co-sponsored and helped pass a new law that eases the financial burden of liability insurance for farms that host agritourism activities such as apple and pumpkin picking, tree shopping and more to allow more farmers to offer activities and draw in visitors (Ch. 338 of 2017).

Further, I co-sponsored legislation to allow the New York State Thruway Authority to create free short-distance permits for commuters that travel between Exits 34-A and 39 (A.695). While the measure was vetoed by the governor, I’ll continue working toward a solution to save commuters money, help reduce congestion on our roads and ease the stress on our local infrastructure. I also fought to ensure local governments have the funding they need to keep our roads and bridges up to par without overburdening taxpayers. And, to strengthen flood management in the region, I authored a law that creates the Upstate Flood Mitigation Task Force (Ch. 448 of 2017). The task force is responsible for assessing flood impact and prevention measures to help protect properties and public health. These are just some of the steps I’ve taken to invest in our neighborhoods and I’ll keep pushing to get results for Central New York.

We made a lot of progress this year, but there is more work to do. As we approach a new year and legislative session, I look forward to hearing from you about how I can help make Central New York a better place for our families and for generations to come. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns regarding this or any community issue at StirpeA@nyassembly.gov or by calling 315-452-1115.