District 92 | News You Can Use

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we reckon with the awful history six million Jews systematically murdered by the Nazi regime, in addition to millions more Roma, Slavs, and other minorities, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, intellectuals, and political dissidents. The day takes on a greater sense of gravity this year, with with war ongoing between Israel and Hamas following the horrific attacks of October 7th, and acts of antisemitism on the rise worldwide. This year’s theme, the Fragility of Freedom, could not be more timely.

It is crucially important that we teach this history to the next generation, so that it may never again be repeated. Westchester County is fortunate to be home to the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center, which has arranged for Holocaust survivors to speak with local school groups and has preserved their stories in video testimonials. I encourage you to visit the Speakers Bureau on their website and listen to what these people and their experience have to tell us. The memories they share are difficult, but important to hear. They contain the lessons that equip us to stand up to antisemitism and other forms hatred wherever we encounter it, so that our world may be more safe, peaceful, and free for all.

Budget Update: 
Hearings Are Underway

The Legislature’s joint legislative budget hearings opened this week in Albany. As a member of the Assembly’s Committee on Transportation, I had the opportunity to question the Commissioners of Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transit Authority, and Department of Motor Vehicles. During my allotted time, I raised a number of priority needs for our district, including:

• Catching up investment in Region 8 (the Hudson Valley) in DOT’s Capital Plan
• Red-light cameras to improve safety for highway workers and pedestrians
• Maintenance of MTA train lines, overhead bridges, stations, and elevators
• Protection of the Hudson Line from flooding and slope failure, in both the short and long terms
• Maintenance of the pedestrian pathway on the Cuomo Bridge
• Seeking federal funding to keep tolls to a minimum

In 2023, I led a successful effort to add $100 million to the budget for local road repairs. I will continue to push for maintenance, strategic planning, and the funding that goes with it as the budget process continues.

Hearing Schedule

The Legislature’s joint legislative budget hearings will continue through February 14. If you would like to follow these proceedings, livestream links are available on the Assembly and Senate websites, as well as on the Legislative Channel on cable systems throughout the State.

Westchester Forum

Thank you to the local organizations and residents that participated in Thursday’s budget forum with the Westchester Assembly Delegation. We received testimony from nearly 50 individuals on a wide range of issues, including housing, education, healthcare, criminal justice, the environment, and the arts. The livestream from our hearing can be viewed here on my official Facebook page.

New Legislation Supporting 
Reproductive and Maternal Health

I am pleased to share that the Legislature has passed the following bills to protect and expand reproductive and maternal health care in New York State:

• A.2656 – Permits pregnant women to enroll in the state health insurance exchange at any time without penalty
• A.1965A – Requires certain health and casualty insurers to provide coverage for prenatal vitamins
• A.0733A – Ensures that inquiring patients have access to information about which healthcare facilities in their area provide the care they need
• A.6168 – Provides access to doulas in maternal health care facilities during pregnancy and birth
• A.7060 – Allows doulas to be present in the operating room during cesarean section procedures
• A.4927A – Asks healthcare providers to provide written documentation on why a cesarean section is medically necessary
• A.2870B – Develops new standards for maternal depression screenings, diagnosis, and treatment protocols
• A.8207 – Requires Department of Health to convene a maternal care and birthing standards working group to develop recommendations for culturally competent maternal health care

This package builds on our continued efforts to safeguard women’s rights and improve our health care system. Last year, we provided legal protections to healthcare practitioners providing reproductive healthcare, including through telehealth. We expanded access to contraception and abortion medication to students at state colleges and universities. And, we passed the Equal Rights Amendment for a second time—giving New Yorker’s the opportunity to vote on this amendment to the State Constitution in the November 2024 general election.