Last week, in celebration of Earth Day and science research, I spoke at a huge rally in West Capitol Park in solidarity with “March For Science” events around the country. It was inspiring to see nearly 4,000 attendees standing up for science and the environment!

In that same vein, the Assembly passed a series of environmental bills this week:

Earth Day – Environmental legislation passed in the Assembly last Monday, including my bill to require rail companies prove financial security or insurance to cover cleanup and decontamination costs associated with any potential oil spill or disaster. Since I introduced this legislation in 2014, the growth of crude oil transportation has continued to climb. With major storage facilities at the Port of Albany, upstate cities like Albany are at a convergence of major oil freight lines. A disaster with these trains could have devastating consequences as we’ve seen elsewhere in North America. By requiring oil companies to be fully insured, it incentivizes safety measures to help protect our communities.

New Bill Calls for Transparency with Release of Tax Returns. Last week, I joined colleagues to push for legislation which would increase the transparency of elected officials’ financial interests. The bill would require the release of the NYS tax returns of statewide elected officials, including the President and Vice President. I also sponsor the T.R.U.M.P. Act, which would require candidates for President to release their federal tax returns in order to appear on the New York state ballot. Congress should not consider the President Trump’s proposed tax reform – which would have dire consequences for NY voters - without knowing what conflicts of interest the President has with the proposal and how he will personally benefit from it. Insisting upon this transparency is in keeping with 40 years of precedent where every major presidential candidate has released tax returns!

League of Women Voters Calls for Early Voting Reforms. I was proud to join the League of Women Voters of NYS this week to support proposed early voting legislation. More than 33 states allow early voting, and more than a third of the vote in 2016 was cast early. Increasing access to voting should be a priority this legislative session, along with related reforms to increase voter turnout.

Regional Economic Development Council Awards. The Governor this week announced the launch of Round VII of the Regional Economic Development Council initiative, officially kicking off the annual competition for more than $800 million in state economic development resources. The Consolidated Funding Application will open to applicants on Monday, May 1, 2017, enabling businesses, municipalities, not-for-profits and members of the public to begin applying, through a single application, for assistance from dozens of state programs for projects that create jobs and help to revitalize communities.

Upcoming Events at the Capitol:

Film Screening at Capitol – Hudson River. A series of film shorts titled The Hudson: A River at Risk will be shown by the Legislature on Tuesday May 2 at 4:15PM in the NYS Legislative Office Building in Hearing Room A across from the Capitol. The films document the critical environmental issues threatening communities along New York’s most iconic waterway. The films, hosted by award winning filmmaker Jon Bowermaster, highlight what can be done to help safeguard the river against potential disasters like oil spills from barges, pipelines, and oil trains. This is a free event and all members of the public are welcome to join legislators at this important film event. A question and answer session will follow.

Press Conference - Legislative Women’s Caucus. The Legislative Women's Caucus will be holding a press conference on Wednesday, May 3rd at 10:00am at the Million Dollar Staircase in the Capitol to promote child care and afterschool programs, both of which were supported by the bipartisan caucus; however state funding for childcare and upstate Pre-K was woefully inadequate.

Community Updates:

School Board Elections, Tuesday, May 16th. Please turn out to vote on school budgets and for school board candidates on May 16th. I am pleased to report competitive school board races this year in Bethlehem and New Scotland. For more on the candidates, please see the links below:

• Bethlehem Schools will have a Meet the Candidate Night this Tuesday, May 2nd.
• Guilderland School Board and budget elections will also be held on May 16 at each of the five district elementary schools. Three of the board seats are up for election, and five candidates running. The Altamont Enterprise interviewed each of the candidates on issues relevant to the district.

Women in Politics at Albany History Fair. Join me and other elected representatives at this year's Albany History Fair. A panel discussion, "Backwards and in Heels: Women in Politics Today" brings the suffrage-themed fair into the 21st century. Join me at 3PM, May 7th for the panel to be moderated by Liz Benjamin and include Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, and Albany Common Council Member Dorcey Applyrs.

Albany High Senior is Presidential Scholar Finalist. Albany High School senior Santos Otero, who has been named a semifinalist in the 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program! That means he is in the running to be one of up to 141 scholars from throughout the country selected for the prestigious program, one of the nation’s highest honors for high-school students. I nominated Santos last year to be a Career and Technical Scholar; his area of expertise is carpentry and he has a deep interest in giving back to his community.

Job Opportunities: New York State has setup a new job portal entitled Jobs Express, where thousands of private and public sector jobs are listed. Visit jobs.ny.gov for more information on how to apply for these opportunities.

As always, for the latest news or for upcoming events, please visit my office online, on Facebook, on Twitter, or my Times Union blog. If you would like to reach my office, please feel free to send us a note.

Sincerely---

Pat