Should This Be a Law?

Bills focus on senior buses, college aid, housing

Gov. Kathy Hochul has already signed two bills introduced this legislative session by Jonathan Jacobson, a Democrat whose Assembly district includes Beacon. 

One prohibits Central Hudson and other utility companies from charging customers for electric and gas services older than three billing periods. The other clarifies that requirements for supplemental uninsured and underinsured auto insurance apply to police vehicles “principally garaged and used” in New York state and do not apply to self-insurance policies. 

Those bills are among the proposals introduced during this year’s session of the state Legislature by Jacobson and two other local lawmakers: state Sen. Rob Rolison, a Republican whose district includes the Highlands, and Assembly Member Dana Levenberg, a Democrat whose district includes Philipstown.

During the current two-year term, which began on Jan. 4, 2023, Rolison has introduced 52 bills; Levenberg, 40 and Jacobson, 71. Here are some of the lawmakers’ newer bills, which may or may not be passed before the Legislature ends its session on June 6. 

Rolison 

S8460: Creates a grant program in the Office for the Aging to allow municipalities to apply for up to $100,000 to purchase Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible buses to transport seniors. Status: Assigned to Finance Committee 

S8387: Requires the Comptroller’s Office to study the feasibility of automatically returning unclaimed funds, as some states do. New York holds $18.4 billion in funds deposited with the state after the person, estate or business could not be located. To retrieve the funds, people must search online at osc.ny.gov/unclaimed-funds and file a claim. Status: Assigned to Finance Committee 

S8181: Allows prosecutors to charge someone with promoting a suicide attempt and second-degree manslaughter if their conduct “significantly contributes” to a decision by “an incompetent or physically disabled person or a vulnerable elderly person” to take their own life or try killing themselves. Rolison said the legislation was inspired by the case of an autistic Poughkeepsie resident, Bailey Bates, who killed himself in 2017 at age 19 after a woman and an accomplice conned him into exchanging his disability insurance money for a phony check. Former Sen. Sue Serino, now the Dutchess County executive, introduced the legislation in 2018 as Bailey’s Law. 9 Status: Assigned to Codes Committee 

State Legislators

Sen. Rob Rolison (R)
District 39, including Highlands
[email protected] | 845-229-0106
3 Nepture Road, Suite N22, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

Assembly Member Dana Levenberg (D)
District 95, including Philipstown
[email protected] | 914-941-1111
8 Revolutionary Road, Ossining, NY 10562

Assembly Member Jonathan Jacobson (D)
District 104, including Beacon
[email protected] | 845-562-0888
47 Grand St., Newburgh, NY 12550

Jacobson

A8953: Requires that each high school senior complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), an application for the state’s Tuition Assistance Program or a waiver if not attending college. Jacobson cites studies showing that low-income students and their parents are more likely to overestimate the cost of college and have less knowledge of available aid and that first-generation and low-income students are likelier to apply for aid without their parents’ involvement, increasing the likelihood of errors. Status: Assigned to Education Committee 

A8460: Requires that firearms and rifles bought by police agencies at gun buybacks be disassembled and destroyed, with the destruction recorded on video and listed in a log filed with the state Division of Criminal Justice Services. Jacobson cited a New York Times story published in December that detailed how some guns acquired through buybacks in other states are turned over to companies that remove the parts with serial numbers and sell the rest in kits to private buyers. Status: Assigned to Codes Committee 

A9210: Mandates that banks give customers at least 60 days’ notice if their accounts are being closed, honor checks submitted within 30 days after closure and return remaining funds within two months. According to Jacobson, banks in New York closed 1.5 million checking and savings accounts in 2023, citing “suspicious activity,” without notice and “for no apparent reason.” Those closures, he said, can affect credit scores and cause business and personal checks to bounce. Status: Assigned to Banks Committee 

Levenberg

A9608: Prohibits high-risk sex offenders (Levels 2 and 3) from living within 1,500 feet of their victims, and makes a violation a felony punishable by up to four years in prison. Levenberg said that the proposal is inspired by 2011 case in Putnam County in which a Level 3 offender, after serving 16 months in prison, moved next door to two of the victims, who were 8 and 9 years old at the time of the crime. Status: Assigned to Correction Committee 

A9586: Requires that the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision study disparities in the resources offered to male and female prisoners. Citing a federal Bureau of Justice Statistics estimate that 77 percent of women will be rearrested after leaving prison, Levenberg says the agency should examine if its resources meet the needs of female inmates. Status: Assigned to Ways and Means Committee 

A9228: Requires that cities, towns and villages develop a Housing Action Plan for Everyone (HAP-E). Levenberg, who co-hosted a forum on housing in October, said the shortage of affordable housing is affecting “even those in the upper-middle income bracket” and addressing it calls for “more robust housing plans.” Status: Assigned to Local Governments Committee

A9357: Allows school districts to prohibit their buildings from being used as voting locations. School districts do not have the authority to decline the designation of their buildings as polling places by elections boards, according to Levenberg, and “unfettered access” to schools raises safety concerns. Status: Assigned to Election Law Committee