After 6 months of intense work in Albany, it's always wonderful to come back to our community. Dorothy said it best, there’s no place like home! Yet while I was in Albany, I worked to pass a wide array of bills on nearly every topic to help you, your families, and our State: from mandating additional services be provided to Veterans, to preventing your State property taxes from increasing, eliminating co-pays for insulin and prenatal vitamins, and protecting the mental health of children on social media platforms. Oh yeah, did I mention passing a historic change to Tier 6? This will guarantee more money in the pensions of our governmental employees (A.9133).

I also passed 32 bills during this legislative year, the highest amount of any elected official in NYC! These bills are designed to help you and our community. One area of legislation I am particularly proud to have championed was taking care of our governmental employees, the men and women who work for our towns, cities, and State. This includes transportation workers, firefighters, all school employees, engineers, police officers, hospital workers and nurses, and so many other hard-working individuals. For example, I passed:

• A.7681-granting FDNY members the ability to receive pension credit for time served in the NYPD cadet program
• A.8918-establishing a twenty-year retirement plan for members of law enforcement
• A.9399-solidifying lifetime healthcare coverage to the spouses and domestic partners of active and retired FDNY firefighters, EMT’s, and fire inspectors
• A.9649-allowing current and future employees in NYC BERS retirement system to join or transfer into NYCERS retirement system
• A.10111-increasing the special accidental death benefit for dependents of NYC uniformed employees by 3%, also known as “The Widows COLA Bill”

During the State Budget I secured a salary enhancement for members of the NYPD, added 20 new crimes to the hate crimes statute, and worked to pass the law to authorize law enforcement to padlock and shut down illegal cannabis stores. I also made sure to take care of our children by securing $13 billion for NYC public schools. I also fought for our nonpublic schools and provided record funding of $75.5 million for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, a historic $5 million for arts and music education, and $105 million for security grants.

As promised, I will never forget about our retirees. I stopped the proposal to cut Medicare benefits, and prevented the elimination of the IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount) reimbursement. In addition, as Chairwoman of the Committee on Governmental Employees, I brought A.7866 to the table for a vote. This bill would prohibit public employers from diminishing health insurance benefits provided to retirees and their beneficiaries - solidifying the recent court ruling against the NYC government and forbidding retirees from being forcibly switched to Medicare Advantage. After intense negotiations and effort, I'm very happy to report that the bill passed my committee!

In addition, I was honored to collaborate and be the prime co-sponsor on bills that safeguard community healthcare, extend benefits to Veterans, defend consumers and so much more like:

• A.1633- requiring broader community engagement and notice when a hospital or unit seeks to close
• A.4611-removing the requirement that a Veteran must have served during wartime to be granted certain benefits
• A.4938-making it illegal to sell lithium-ion batteries for devices, like e-bikes, unless the battery is certified by a nationally accredited testing lab
• A.9011-establishing a maximum temperature for all school facilities to ensure the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff
• A.9827-requiring that utility companies provide an explanation of why they want to raise the consumer rate and a summary of how the proposed revenue will be spent

Of course, I also passed a few bills that were inspired by conversations I had with you! I have always believed that the best legislation comes from the community - so when we talked on the boardwalk, saw each other while getting coffee, or when you called my office about an issue you were facing, those conversations stuck with me. I turned the needed solutions to those problems into laws. Those bills include:

• A.2866-protecting consumers by establishing standards for hurricane windstorm deductibles and creating uniformity in insurance policies for triggering weather events
• A.9036-enacting a moratorium on dumping in Jamaica Bay
• A.9549-guaranteeing that NYC construction permits for residents of Breezy Point will not expire as they continue to rebuild their homes following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy
• A.10344-extending the nation's first-ever Commission to Prevent Childhood Drowning to improve water safety in New York State

If you’re interested in seeing the full list of the 32 bills that I passed, please visit my official Assembly webpage assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Stacey-Pheffer-Amato. With the 2024 Legislative Session over, my district-wide Mobile Office Hours will be starting soon, and I look forward to talking to all of you and continuing to resolve any concerns you have. I am proud of the team I put together to serve our community and as always, do not hesitate to contact my office by phone at 718-945-9550 or by email at amatos@nyassembly.gov. It is a pleasure to serve you and I look forward to representing you for many more years to come.