Dear Constituent:

I thought that you would be interested in an op-ed piece that was recently printed in the Riverdale Press. The op-ed is about this year’s successes in Albany. In addition, on the back of this newsletter is a survey that I have created to assess the quality of the MTA Express Bus Service. As you know, I was an outspoken opponent of the MTA takeover. I hope that you will take the time to fill out this survey and return it to my office.

We enacted much of our reform agenda. We democratized the Assembly’s internal rules, including the elimination of empty seat voting, a reform I strongly supported.

Members can no longer check in at the beginning of the day and automatically be recorded as a yes on every vote. Now they must be there to vote. As a result, there is more accountability, and more members listen to debates and cast votes based upon that debate.

Perhaps the Senate will pass similar reform in the future.

The Assembly led the way in passing important legislation to reform public authorities like the MTA. This is especially important given the many recent scandals in such authorities throughout the state.

We also enacted major reform of procurement lobbing that requires lobbyists to register and file information if they lobby state agencies, the Legislature, the courts or state or local authorities concerning expenditures of more than $5000.

I achieved a number of successes as chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. As part of the open Assembly-Senate budget conference committee meetings (another reform), I restored $3.1 million to New York City school prevention programs and millions of dollars to community-based substance abuse treatment programs. And to combat the rising use of methamphetamine, I secured $300,000 for education and prevention initiatives throughout New York State.

My committee achieved legislative successes as well. Combating the spread of both the use and the manufacture of methamphetamine was my top committee priority this year. I authored a comprehensive bill to address the increasing use of the drug and the spread of homemade meth labs in New York, especially in rural areas.

Since, unlike other illegal drugs, meth is manufactured from legal substances (such as pseudoephedrine, an active ingredient in such popular over-the-counter decongestants as Pediacare, Sinutab, and Sudafed), it has been hard to prosecute those who manufacture it. The bill creates stiff penalties for the manufacturing of meth by making it a crime to possess a combination of the legal ingredients even if the meth itself is not found.

Penalties are enhanced if children are found around these labs. The bill also has education, prevention and environmental components.

Another bill I passed allows a substance known as Narcan to be legally used to counteract overdoses from heroin and other opioids. The drug has the potential to save many lives.

Among the several other bills I authored that passed both houses of the Legislature was one that creates a proxy form to allow people to specify their wishes regarding the disposition of their remains after they die. This bill will help avoid much grief and confusion during a sensitive and important time for families and loved ones who may be at odds over who will be in charge of one’s burial (or cremation).

I also sponsored a consumer protection bill that requires cell phone companies to obtain specific permission from a customer before listing their number in a directory. This will help prevent unwanted calls – and the resulting unwanted charges.

This year the State Legislature proved that good work can get done and get done on time. A good and on-time budget, procurement lobbying reform, public authorities reform, the passage of emergency contraception legislation, enactment of comprehensive methamphetamine legislation, several major capital grants I secured for community organizations, internal Assembly rules reform – these are only some of this year’s accomplishments.

We shouldn’t spend too much time patting ourselves on our backs, because there is unfinished business and more reform needed. But what a contrast to last year’s Albany disappointments. What a difference a year makes!

Jeffrey Dinowitz represents the Riverdale-Kingsbridge area in the New York State Assembly.

Point of view is an occasional column open to all readers.