The 2019 State Legislative Session is officially underway in Albany. Governor Cuomo has given his State of the State address and has released his 2019 Executive Budget Proposal.

A new majority has taken over in the State Senate. My sincere congratulations to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. She is the first woman to lead a majority legislative conference in New York State history.

Both houses of the state legislature and the Executive Mansion are all controlled by the Democratic Party. As an Independent, I this see change as an opportunity to make real progress in New York State. I look forward to continuing to be a member of the Majority Conference in the State Assembly. I will continue to work with both parties to get things done for the State, Long Island, and my district.

As a member of the State Assembly, I am proud to be part of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s Leadership Team, as the new Chairman of the Assembly Local Governments Committee. The Local Governments Committee has jurisdiction over all issues relating to local governments including our local towns and villages. It is one of the larger and more important committees in the State Assembly. I look forward to the new challenge.

I will continue to serve as a member of the Ways and Means, Environmental Conservation, and Transportation Committees, all assignments which are important to the needs of the 1^st Assembly District.

It is clear this is going to be a busy year with an agenda reflecting the will of the people expressed in the 2018 elections. On the very first day, the Legislature tackled election reform by passing legislation providing for (a) early voting, (b) facilitating voting registration, (c) combining the state and federal primaries into one date in June, and (d) closing the LLC loophole in campaign finance. It is only a first step toward a fairer, equitable, and transparent election system that makes it easier for everyone to vote and insures that wealth and money do not control the political process.

In the coming weeks we can expect even more legislative action on many subjects, including climate change, health care, women’s issues, and education.

My priorities for my Assembly District in 2019 will be to improve the daily lives of my constituents and make eastern Long Island a more affordable place to live. We need policies that balance our economy with our environment. I look forward to working on these priorities with my partner in Albany, State Senator Ken LaValle.

Last year in Albany was a successful one for the 1^st Assembly District. State legislation was adopted that will permit a new hospital to be constructed by Stony Brook Southampton Hospital at the Southampton Campus providing better health care for the East End. Important water quality legislation was approved to facilitate the extension of water mains to contaminated areas and to permit the upgrade of outdated and failing septic systems. Further, Towns will be authorized to require sand mines to install monitoring wells to insure protection of water quality.

We approved legislation mandating meaningful notice and community involvement for LIPA capital projects, such as transmission lines so that LIPA’s mistakes in Eastport and East Hampton never happen again.

We have worked to guide state capital funding to our downtown business districts in locations such as Hampton Bays, Sag Harbor, Montauk, and Westhampton Beach. State funding was provided to launch the South Fork Commuter Connection rail service in 2019 and for school based mental health services.

We also funded environmental efforts for the Peconic Estuary, the Central Pine Barrens and our state parks.

In 2019, it is my goal to build on these successes. My top priority will be to address the critical issue of affordable housing on the East End. Working and middle class families must be able to afford to live here.

We educate our children, who then move away because of the lack of housing. A large part of our workforce, from small businesspeople and tradesmen to professionals, lives outside the area because they cannot afford the housing costs. It impacts traffic congestion, emergency services recruitment, job recruitment and retention, and the ability of families to stay on the East End.

The construction of workforce housing projects, to date, has only put a small dent in the demand for housing. We need an entire new paradigm for housing on the East End.

One solution is the creation of a housing counterpart to the successful Peconic Bay Community Preservation Fund.

I will sponsor legislation creating the Peconic Bay Community Housing Fund. By adding ½% to the existing regional real estate transfer tax, over $20 million would be provided annually to provide financial assistance to first-time homebuyers and construct new housing stock for ownership and rental. The Towns would first be required to develop a town housing plan and a regional housing strategy with the other Peconic Bay towns to demonstrate to the public how the money would be spent. The exemptions for the transfer tax would also be increased for sales under $2 million to reduce the impact on affordable housing. Voter approval would also be required.

We will also continue efforts to promote a sustainable commercial fishing industry for Long Island, which began with a meeting with the DEC Commissioner on the East End in 2017. After sponsoring legislation in 2018, the State Attorney-General has now brought a lawsuit against the federal government advocating for New York’s fair share of fish under federal quotas.

We will also work to change New York State’s antiquated commercial fishing licensing and permit regulations to foster a sustainable and growing fishing industry. After many meetings with the commercial fishing industry, we await a report from the DEC in early 2019 with recommendations as to how best to improve the fishery. We will meet again with the commercial fishing industry before any legislation is considered in Albany. Commercial fishing is not just history and tradition. It is a part of our sustainable economic future.

Transportation is another key to the future. The implementation of a South Fork Commuter Connection on March 4 will give residents another way to get to work and help to reduce traffic on CR 39. With the help of the Governor and the LIRR, we will have $1 million to fund this train/bus service through 2020. We will seek capital funding this year for track infrastructure improvements to permit even more trains to be added in the future. Public transportation will make it easier to recruit and retain workers on the East End.

Higher education is important to our region’s economic health. We need an educated workforce to compete. The construction of a new hospital at the Southampton campus approved last year is just one element of the campus’ renaissance. The campus is evolving into a center for quality graduate education in areas such as marine sciences, health sciences, and the fine arts. Ultimately, 1,000 students will attend classes at the campus each year.

The renovation of the old Southampton Hall is a priority for 2019. The building is at the heart of the campus and has lain dormant for more than a decade. This facility can be the anchor for creative arts programming at the campus. In 2018, $5 million was allocated for the renovation of this building. Currently, a feasibility study is underway to determine how to best rehabilitate the building. In 2019, we will finalize that study and seek the additional funds necessary for construction.

On Long Island, our economy depends on clean water. We have made progress with the amendment of the Community Preservation Fund to permit up to 20% of the fund to be used for water quality improvement projects. In addition, we have made it clear the CPF water quality funds can be utilized for water main extensions to contaminated areas and for grants and loans to upgrade septic systems. The Governor is proposing another $2.5 billion State Water Quality Improvement Fund, in addition to the $2.5 billion previously approved by the Legislature. That is only the down payment. In 2019, I will sponsor legislation that would provide a recurring revenue stream to Suffolk County to match the state bond to insure that we reverse the trend of water quality degradation affecting our groundwater and surface waters.  

The above mentioned initiatives and projects will provide more jobs, increased public transportation, improved health care, better educational opportunities, and a cleaner environment. These will be some of my top priorities for 2019. No doubt, there will be many more issues to address, LIPA rates, education aid, and energy, to name a few. I look forward to the challenge that lies ahead and will keep you apprised of the progress that is made.