As a lifelong resident of Western New York, being entrusted as your state Assembly representative continues to be the honor of my lifetime. It is important to me to stand up for the hardworking men and women who have put their faith in me and to work hard with my colleagues to build consensus on meaningful, commonsense proposals that will deliver a better future for us all.

Though avid readers of my column know I do not shy away from being critical of the governor and downstate leaders when it comes to inflated state spending and other issues, when it comes to working together to deliver for the people of Western New York, I work in a bipartisan manner. I’m pleased to share the following key successes from this year’s session:

• Closed a loophole in state law requiring the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to provide oversight of attractions such as the Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Ride to assist patrons and businesses alike (A.10399);
• Passed legislation which permits the Clarence Central School District to establish an insurance reserve fund (A.9218);
• Established safety measures to protect children online through the passage of the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act and New York Child Data Protection Act (A.8148-A, A.8149-A);
• Supported volunteer firefighters and EMTs by expanding a law we created two years ago allowing for a real property tax exemption to be extended to those who volunteer in neighboring municipalities (A.2121);
• Assisted our veterans to better disseminate resources and benefits from state agencies (A.7173) and allowing Gold Star families to use state campsites free of charge – a measure similar to one I’ve sponsored for years (A.8568, originally A.2270);
• Promoted agritourism by permitting our craft distilleries, cideries and meaderies to ship their products (A.3132) and investing in the future of agriculture through the expansion of the beginning farmer advisory board (A.7020-A); and
• Successfully advocated for $150 million in the NY SWIMS Program to prevent childhood drowning by increasing access to swimming lessons, improving recruitment and retention of lifeguards, and rehabilitating state and municipal swimming pools.

Despite my serious concerns with our economy, border security, crime and outmigration, and my continued opposition to the downstate drive majorities and governor’s policies and their lack of attention and willingness to change course, I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner when appropriate to deliver on issues important to Western New York.

As always, I am here for you and please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance. Please call my office in Clarence at (716) 839-4691 or email me at norrism@nyassembly.gov.