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KOLB, ASSEMBLY MINORITY CALL FOR CIVIL CONFINEMENT
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Assemblyman Brian M. Kolb (R,C-Canandaigua) and members of the Assembly Republican conference gathered in Albany on Sept. 20 to again call for passage of civil confinement legislation. The conference also displayed petitions bearing the signatures of more than 15,000 New Yorkers statewide who favor a civil confinement law. Assembly Republicans launched the petition drive in May.
Civil confinement would allow courts to order the worst sex offenders held in secure mental-health facilities beyond their prison release dates if, upon extensive evaluation and a unanimous jury verdict, it is determined they could strike again. Under current law, Level 3 sexually violent predators are released into communities once their sentences are finished despite the strong possibility they will claim more victims.
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OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH |
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I would like to take this opportunity to remind the women in our lives to schedule their annual mammograms. The Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline and Support Program, which has volumes of information and expert staff available to answer questions, is available to help women find centers offering this service.
The hot line, in existence for 25 years, is a project of the Adelphi University School of Social Work on Long Island, and it's funded by the state Legislature and Health Department. The hot line receives nearly 3,500 calls each year from concerned women and men throughout New York state and attracts 400,000 visitors to the program Web site. Questions about breast cancer, mammograms and protection from the disease are answered by breast cancer survivors. The most effective ways to battle breast cancer are early detection and diagnosis.
We all have very special women in our lives who mean so much to us: wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and countless others. Please, take this opportunity to remind and encourage these women to have mammograms. Many people assume they cannot afford mammograms, but the hot line and other services like it offer ways for people to be helped at little to no cost for New Yorkers in need.
Early detection is the best defense we have against breast cancer. When discovered early, a large percentage of women survive this dreaded disease. I recommend that individuals make appointments for testing as soon as possible.
For more information and to locate an accredited mammography facility nearby, call the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline and Support Program toll-free at (800) 877-8077. Callers with limited income can also find out about low-cost and free mammograms.
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SPECIAL SESSION NEEDED IMMEDIATELY |
Last week I joined my colleagues from the Assembly minority in calling on Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to immediately convene a special session of the Assembly so we could pass legislation to ease the burden of increasing costs of heating and motor fuel.
Buses we rely on to take our children to school now cost more to operate, and that unforeseen problem will burn funds that weren't allocated in existing school budgets. Farmers' tractors and other machinery are now more expensive to run, and the trucks carrying their produce are operating at higher costs, which directly affect the cost of food - for consumers, farmers and shippers alike. Everyone is affected by the price of motor fuel, so this is truly an urgent state matter.
Our gasoline is taxed at seven different intervals: four times by the federal government through a federal excise tax, a petroleum business tax, a petroleum testing fee and an oil spill fund fee; New York tacks on a 4 percent sales tax, counties add a 4 percent tax and there is an additional excise tax. So every time the cost of fuel goes up so does the tax burden on consumers. We need to provide immediate cost relief by suspending or capping these taxes.
Governor Pataki has put forth a comprehensive energy proposal. The Senate met in September to discuss and, ultimately pass, their recommendations for addressing the energy needs of New York residents. At this point, Speaker Silver has done nothing to address the needs of our communities or protect us from heating fuel costs that may rise more than 30 percent this winter. My colleagues and I have devised legislation similar to the Senate's that includes short-term relief and long-term energy solutions for our citizens.
Though it would have been beneficial for the Assembly and Senate to meet at the same time, Speaker Silver did not act and is stalling action with bureaucratic hearings. Now, with Senate legislation waiting for an Assembly counterpart, the time has come for us to return to Albany and reach an agreement to address these important issues.
We have called on Speaker Silver to take action and call for a special session. It is important for New York businesses but, more importantly, for New York residents. Our main objective as state representatives is to ensure New York is a safe, sound and comfortable place to live, work and play. Please join me in urging the Assembly Democrat Majority to call us back to Albany and finish the task at hand.
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