Bills focus on childcare, pollution, elections
A truth mandate for political candidates, new standards for technologists who treat people with sleep disorders and money to help childcare providers renovate and expand their businesses are among the proposals submitted by Beacon and Philipstown’s state representatives during the legislative session that began Jan. 8.
Sen. Rob Rolison, a Republican whose district includes the Highlands, has introduced 34 bills; Jonathan Jacobson, a Democrat whose Assembly district includes Beacon, has introduced 64 and Dana Levenberg, a Democrat whose Assembly district includes Philipstown, has introduced 32.
Here are summaries of a few of the bills. To become law, legislation must be approved by a committee to be sent to the full Senate or Assembly for consideration; be approved by the Senate and Assembly before the session ends June 12; and be enacted by Gov. Kathy Hochul by the end of the year.
You can learn more about the bills at nysenate.gov/legislation or nyassembly.gov/leg using the bill number provided and sign up for updates.
Assembly Member Jonathan Jacobson (D)
- Allows local Board of Election employees to retain their jobs while running for office, as long as both election commissioners approve. According to Jacobson, in rural areas, the change will improve the ability of boards to recruit and retain employees. A version of the bill has passed in the Senate and been approved in the Assembly by the Election Law and Rules committees. A1015
- Bans the use of sewage sludge and wastewater as a fertilizer or soil amendment and sets a fine of up to $10 million for each violation. Citing the Sierra Club, Jacobson says the state Department of Environmental Conservation found high levels of perflouroakyl substances (PFAS) in the sludge of eight treatment plants in 2017 but did not test properties where the sludge was spread or inform landowners. Maine has passed a similar ban, he said. A2738
- Adds New York Stewart International to the list of airports required to pay supplement wages for baggage handlers, cleaners, food service workers and other hourly employees covered under the Healthy Terminals Act. Enacted in 2020, the law mandated a $4.54-per-hour supplement for employees who work at least 30 hours a week at Kennedy and LaGuardia for health insurance premiums. A5025
Assembly Member Dana Levenberg (D)
- Requires that candidates for elected office attest to the biographical information provided to voters, including work and military histories, and academic accomplishments. This “will allow for early identification of candidates that are misleading the public, or who do not qualify for office they are pursuing based on residency requirements,” said Levenberg. A3653
- Allows people without an associate degree but a certificate from a training program to work as polysomnographic (sleep) technologists and authorizes the state to accept out-of-state certifications. New York has more than 100 accredited centers to treat people with sleep disorders but issued only 15 licenses for technologists in 2022 and 14 in 2021 as degree programs decreased, according to Levenberg. A5337
- Grants volunteer firefighters and ambulance corps members who have attended 25 percent or more of emergency calls the previous year an exemption from fees the state charges for custom license plates for those professions. Volunteers are charged $43.75 to register and ambulance corps members pay $15 annually to renew plates. Levenberg says the waiver would help understaffed volunteer departments recruit and retain members. A5673
Sen. Rob Rolison (R)
- Appropriates $250 million to create a tax credit that childcare providers can claim for money spent to improve or expand their businesses. Rolison says the credit would create more childcare slots and reduce waiting lists. S968
- Establishes the Safer Communities Grant Program and appropriates $300 million over 10 years to help police agencies recruit and retain detectives and investigators and process evidence in homicide, kidnapping, non-fatal shooting, rape and sexual assault cases. The program’s goal, said Rolison, is to improve clearance rates for serious crimes. S996
- Renews for another two years the 3.75 percent of sales tax charged that Dutchess County receives — an increase of 0.75 percent first approved in 2003. The current two-year extension expires on Nov. 30. Dutchess collects 8.125 percent on most purchases, with 4 percent going to the state and 0.375 percent to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. S5492
