Archive: News

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WFP-125AD, Tompkins/Cortland) reacted Monday to the Education component of the end-of session agreement in Albany, saying she is pleased that there are improvements in the evaluation issue for school districts and teachers, but some important parts of the Nolan bill passed in May by the Assembly fell off the table during negotiations with the Governor and Senate.  She vowed to keep fighting to support public schools and the children they educate.

"I am pleased with the progress made with teacher evaluations which will be taking into account factors such as poverty, disability, and language barriers in assessing a student's performance.  Other improvements include more than $8 million in new funding to the State Education Department which will allow for more exam questions and answers to be released, and teachers will now be allowed to discuss the exams with their colleagues. Additionally, the legislation creates a committee to review Common Core exams to ensure these tests are fair, accurate and appropriate for each grade level," said Lifton.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released two audits Monday revealing more than $70 million in questionable Medicaid claims and payments. DiNapoli’s auditors found the state reimbursed providers for excessive services, including 41 dental exams for one patient over three years and identified about a dozen providers that should have been kicked out of the system for wrongdoing.

“New York’s Medicaid billing system is failing to catch waste, fraud, errors and abuse. Millions are pouring out the door for double billings, questionable procedures and to crooked providers,” DiNapoli said. “While the state is attempting to control costs, it needs to take a hard look at the failures of its billing system. State Health Department officials need to address system shortfalls immediately and recover any overpayments as soon as possible.”

As part of its ongoing commitment to community health and safety, Tompkins County government has launched its new Public Access Defibrillator program, installing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in all County facilities, and training more than 100 County staff to operate the devices and perform CPR for those who suffer sudden cardiac arrest.

An AED is a portable device that checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm.  AEDs are used to treat sudden cardiac arrest, a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating.  When that happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs.  According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 people in the US suffer sudden and unpredictable cardiac arrest each year, and fewer than 10% survive; however, immediate CPR and early defibrillation with an AED can more than double a victim's chance of survival.  Communities with comprehensive AED programs that include CPR and AED training for rescuers have achieved survival rates of nearly 40% for cardiac arrest victims.

This week, Tom Reed announced his legislation to assist victims of natural disasters. The bill, known as the National Disaster Relief Tax Act, is aimed at offering assistance to the victims of federally declared disaster areas, in order to rebuild homes, communities and lives.

"We are fighting everyday for neighbors impacted by floods and natural disasters," said Reed.

This bill makes it easier for individuals to recover financially after catastrophic losses. Under the bill, individuals will be able to to deduct losses to their property that are often not covered by insurance, and ensures that state and county disaster payments are not taxable.

The Lansing Town Planning Board voted last week to recommend a temporary rule change that would allow the Gorges Classic Soccer Tournament to use soccer fields next to the RINK over Labor Day weekend.  One of the conditions under which the fields were allowed restricts commercial use and caps players' age at 18 years old. Tournament organizer Ibe Jonah asked last month that the age restriction be lifted for a weekend to enable his event, which includes player over 30, 40 and 50 years old, to use the fields.  But Dennis Read, who lives next to the fields, expressed concerns about changing the conditions and about accountability when outside groups use the fields.

"With somebody coming in and using it on a one or two day basis I feel there is nobody to turn to for that," he said.  "I am not opposed to the idea of there being a soccer tournament (there)." he said.  I am more concerned that people think that restrictioon doesn't make much sense, so let's find a way around it.  And I'm afraid people will say, 'a lot of people came to this tournament so let's put some bleachers in.'  Then the next year it will be, 'OK let's put a scoreboard up.'"

This week, Tom Reed called for the "real reform" of social welfare programs, as new studies reveal that these programs are actually discouraging recipients from returning to the workforce due to administrative failures.

"If you have a disability, and want to work, you should have the ability to do so. We need to encourage self-sufficiency, not punish it," said Reed. "I care about the people enrolled in Social Security Disability Insurance, and they shouldn't have to be concerned that their benefits will evaporate if they start to advance in the workforce."

Albany – New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the unsealing of a one-count indictment charging Richard L. Cook III, 57, a resident of Atlanta, Ga., with the crime of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony, in Albany County Court. Cook is charged with stealing over $200,000 in pension payments from the New York State and Local Employees Retirement System paid to his deceased mother, Yvonne Powell, a New York State pensioner who died in 2009.

"Mr. Cook thought he could get away with defrauding the state retirement system of over $200,000.  He was mistaken," DiNapoli said.  "I will continue to protect our retirement system from fraud, whether the perpetrators are in New York or Atlanta, Georgia, where Mr. Cook lives.  I thank Attorney General Schneiderman for his hard work and partnership in combating corruption across the state."

In honor of a great American heroine, New York State Senator Mike Nozzolio announced last week that the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly have enacted legislation, which he sponsored, that would permit the Harriet Tubman Home to have signage installed along the New York State Thruway.

Harriet Tubman, one of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad resided in Auburn, New York and her historic home is open to the public.

State Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton sent a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo Wednesday urging that the Cayuga Power Plant be closed.  The letter was signed by a coalition of 70 Albany legislators she leads.  Lifton said closing the plant and all coal-fueled plants will benefit New Yorkers by creating new economic opportunities and shutting down a health hazard.

"We urge you to commit to ending coal bailouts and create a state transition plan that provides community and worker assistance tied to coal plant closures, including a comprehensive and thorough decommission and environmental clean-up plan that includes local labor," her letter concludes.  "We stand ready to help you chart a new bold path that enables New York to be a national, renewable energy leader and that provides 1) new 21st century economic development opportunities for our communities and family-wage jobs for New Yorkers."

The United States Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday on the case of King v. Burwell, in which it was determined that everyone who purchases healthcare through a public exchange is eligible for federal subsidies in order to offset the cost of that purchase.

"I am disappointed by the ruling," said Congressman Tom Reed. "Obamacare has been flawed from the very beginning, and as a Congress we need to make every effort to repeal the law."

But U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell disagreed.

Former TCAT Accounting Assistant Pamela Johnson pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a Class C Felony, for embezzling nearly $248,000 from TCAT from 2010 through 2014.

Tompkins County Judge John C. Rowley acknowledged in a court proceeding today that Johnson will pay $247,785.05 in restitution, which has already been recovered by the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office, from proceeds of the sale of her property.  The money is now in the District Attorney's trust account and will be released to TCAT in the very near future. Judge Rowley said that in the coming weeks he will review whether Johnson will pay roughly $37,000 for a special forensic audit and attorney fees associated with the crime.

The Lansing Town Planning Board Monday voted to recommend acceptance of an Agricultural And Farmland Protection Plan by the Lansing Town Board.  The current 57 page document outlines recommendations to protect and encourage farming, especially in the northern half of the Town.  Two major recommendations are to appoint a committee to steward agriculture-friendly measures and make recommendations to the Town Board, and to create an enormous new AG zone that would permit agriculture-friendly uses and prevent uses that would erode farming in the community.

"It's the only time that I know of in Lansing's history where you've done a thorough analysis of your agriculture activity," Cornell Cooperative Extension Agriculture Program Leader Monika Roth said.  "A lot of the farm operations that you have are pretty solid and I see a future for them, especially with the good land that they have."