Childcare is an issue of major economic importance to women and families in the Capital Region, and I will continue to advocate for increased funding to protect our region’s most vulnerable. This week, I joined a group of bi-partisan colleagues from the Legislative Women’s Caucus to call for an increase in funding for New York’s woefully underfunded childcare services. The enacted budget cuts $7 million from child care subsidies for low-income families, at a time when only 17% of eligible families actually receive childcare services.

Capital Region Delegation Calls to Avoid Amtrak Delays. Amtrak has announced that it plans to close several tracks in Penn Station for upgrades, which will cause major delays for travelers and commuters to New York City from the Capital Region. Assemblymember John McDonald, Senator Neil Breslin and I are calling for alternative routes which would prevent these delays to be explored. In the interest of being solution oriented, we suggest exploring the feasibility of re-routing trains to Grand Central Station in the interim, especially in light of the fact that 20 years ago most trains were routed to Grand Central rather than Penn Station. The Assembly will hold a hearing on this issue on May 11th.

Albany to Receive Resources to Curb Violent Crime. Governor Cuomo was in Albany this week to announce the allocation of additional enforcement resources to the City of Albany to curb gang violence. The State is increasing funding for the community-based SNUG and Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiatives, bringing this year's total investment to nearly $1.2 million for the Capital Region. Federal and local law enforcement partners will now have expanded access to state intelligence expertise, and other resources to better coordinate operations and leverage intelligence-based policing strategies in the fight against violent crime and drug trafficking.

Federal Funding Provides Home Cooling Assistance. $3 million is available for individuals with serious health issues to receive assistance to purchase air conditioners. Federal funding secured by the state will help New Yorkers with health issues that may be aggravated by extreme heat by providing cooling assistance through the Home Energy Assistance Program. Individuals eligible for assistance can apply at their local department of social services beginning May 1.

Assembly Passes Measures to Aid Crime Victims. This week, the assembly passed a package of legislation to protect victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. One bill that was passed would protect victims who seek police or emergency assistance from being evicted from their homes. Many local nuisance laws are triggered if police or emergency services provide aid or are called to a property multiple times. This legislation seeks to prevent such ordinances from causing victims, oftentimes women and their children, from being evicted from their homes for seeking emergency help.

Another bill recognizes the need to treat victims of sexual exploitation as victims, rather than criminals. Under that bill, a person convicted of prostitution or who is found be to be a victim of sex trafficking would not be required to provide samples to be included in the state DNA identification database.

Community Updates:

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

• Bethlehem Schools will hold School Board and budget elections on May 16.
• 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.
• Albany Public Library and the Albany City School District staff have been making the rounds to various neighborhood associations to provide the public with information about the proposed budgets that will be put before the voters on Tuesday, May 16th. More information on the school budget vote can be accessed here, and information about the library budget and board vote can be accessed here.

Bike Count Volunteers Needed. The Spring 2017 Bike Count will take place on Monday, May 15 and Wednesday, May 17. There will be two shifts per day (7:00-9:00 AM and 3:30-5:30 PM). Every year for the past several years, the Mayor’s Office of Energy & Sustainability has been conducting a spring bicycle count at strategic intersections within the City of Albany to help gather information about existing cycling and pedestrian demand and activity. If you would like to participate in the spring bike count, please email Lauren Alpert at lalpert@albanyny.gov with your preferred time(s) and location(s). Please also indicate if you can volunteer for more than one shift/location.

Consent 101 Event. On Sunday, May 21, from 2:00 - 3:30 pm, the Voorheesville Public Library will host a “Consent 101” event. A panel of experts will facilitate an interactive presentation for older teens and parents that will emphasize practical, hands-on skills and information to promote safety and independence. Using the national “It’s On Us: Stop Sexual Assault” campaign and other resources, the discussion will focus on sexual assault and the topics of recognizing sexual assault, identifying situations in which it may occur, bystander awareness, strategies to know when and how to intervene, creating an environment where sexual assault is unacceptable, how to help survivors, and prevention strategies.

Capital Region Job Fair. A Community Job Fair will be held with employers from across the region in Wednesday, May 17, from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm. The event will be held at Albany at SCCC, 112 State Street, 2nd Floor, in Albany.

Job Opportunities: New York State has set up 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