Archive: News

Governor Andrew Cuomo Wednesday signed into law legislation that expands equal pay laws to prohibit unequal pay on the basis of a protected class for all substantially similar work (S5248B/A8093A), and forbids employers from asking prospective employees about their salary history (S6549/A5308B). Cuomo also called on U.S. Soccer to pay the women's national team the same as the men's national team. The Governor signed the measures, a key component of his 2019 Women's Justice Agenda, at the ticker-tape parade celebrating the world champion U.S. Women's Soccer Team. These actions build on common sense measures championed by the Governor this year, including rape shield protections for victims of sex trafficking, enhancing workplace sexual harassment laws and funding a community college program that will help single moms move out of poverty.

"There is no rationale why women should not get paid what men get paid. These are women's soccer players, they play the same game as the men's soccer players, and they play it better - so if there is any economic rationale, the men should get paid less than the women," Cuomo said. "New York will continue to lead the way forward and stand in solidarity with women and girls in every corner of this state. By signing this legislation, we are not only doing the right thing, we are also doing the moral thing and equal pay for equal work is now the law in the State of New York."

Senator Pam Helming announced Tuesday that legislation she co-sponsors, which would ban the sale of kratom to individuals under the age of 21, passed the Senate this year. Nearly identical legislation Helming wrote, which would ban the sale of kratom to individuals under the age of 18, passed the Senate unanimously last year. However, neither of these bills came up for a vote in the Assembly. These bills would amend the public health law to define and regulate kratom as well as direct the New York State Department of Health to conduct a study on the benefits and risks of kratom.

"For nearly three years, I have spoken with officials in law enforcement, emergency services, public health, education, prevention and treatment services, and other areas, as well as individuals and families struggling with addiction. The addiction crisis continues to plague our communities and devastate our families, and we must work together as a community to find solutions to address this problem. Since learning about the possible risks of kratom during the two Tall Cop Says Stop presentations in our community, I have heard growing concern over the potential risks of using kratom because of its similarities to heroin and opioids. It is important that we regulate and control its sale to minors until we know more about its potential dangers. This bipartisan legislation shows that we take the addiction crisis seriously and want to stop it from spreading. With one-party control of our state government, I was hopeful that this would be the year the Assembly brought this important legislation to the floor for a vote. I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for passing this critical legislation in the Senate urge the Governor and our counterparts in the Assembly to support it next year," Helming said.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced more than 300,000 New Yorkers have received training through the Citizen Preparedness Corps. Established in 2014 under the leadership of Cuomo, the Citizen's Preparedness Corps provides the tools and resources necessary for preparing New Yorkers for any type of disaster so they respond accordingly and recover as quickly as possible to pre-disaster conditions.

"Through this comprehensive training, New Yorkers across the state can learn to respond effectively in a crisis," Cuomo said. "No one can predict when the next disaster may happen, but with this training, we can ensure families and communities are prepared for any emergency."

Lansing Town Supervisor Ed LaVigne says the first lottery to fill subsidized apartments in the Milton Meadows project was held Wednesday, but it's not too late to apply.  That is just one of the projects that, after years of discussion, is now starting to fill out the  Town Center area in South Lansing.  In addition to the 72 unit Milton Meadows project, Salt Point Brewery is poised to close on 3 1/2 acres closer to State Route 34B, and the old Egan's Market building behind the Rogues Harbor Inn may be turned into a sort of health and fitness mall.

The road from 34B to Milton Meadows has had its first coat of pavement applied, and a sidewalk leads to the new development.  LaVigne says the final paving will be completed after the buildings are complete.

"They won't put the top coat on until the buildings in the back are done," he says. "That way they don't beat up the road with heavy machines."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that $350 million is now available through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act and the Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grant Program for municipalities with infrastructure projects that protect public health or improve water quality. The Governor also announced that New York's Health Commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, has accepted the New York State Drinking Water Quality Council's recommendations for maximum contaminant levels in drinking water for PFOA, PFOS and 1,4-dioxane, and has directed the Department to begin the regulatory process for adopting these enforceable standards. The levels of 10 parts per trillion for PFOA and 10 parts per trillion for PFOS are the most protective in the nation. The standard of 1 part per billion for 1,4-dioxane is the nation's first-ever level set for that contaminant. Once adopted, the Environmental Facilities Corporation and the Department of Environmental Conservation will closely coordinate with the Department of Health to help fund and remediate water systems that test above the new maximum contaminant levels.

"We're proposing the most protective levels in the nation for three emerging contaminants to ensure we are regularly testing and fixing water systems before they ever rise to a public health risk in any part of the state," Cuomo said. "New York State will continue to lead in the absence of federal action by ensuring all residents have access to clean drinking water and by investing in critical projects to assist municipalities in treating these emerging contaminants."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced yesterday the first round of funding for the $15 million Future Grid Challenge, a program to help solve technical challenges utilities face with energy transmission and distribution when integrating renewable energy resources into New York's electric grid. Modernizing the grid supports the Governor's nation-leading mandate for 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and a carbon-free power grid by 2040 as included in the historic climate legislation that was just passed by the legislature, the New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

"New York is leading the fight against climate change and prioritizing more resiliency and reliability during extreme weather events," Cuomo said. "These investments will add renewables such as wind and solar to create a grid of the future that serves the needs of communities across the state and drives us toward a clean, fully carbon-free power grid."

Cayuga Operating Company LLC (Cayuga) filed a deactivation notice with the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) and the New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC) on Friday, June 28 announcing its intentions to retire its Tompkins County coal-fired power plant in the next 90 days, based on stricter new State air emission regulations designed to eliminate coal in New York and deteriorating market conditions.

The 309-megawatt (MW) facility, which is located in Lansing, currently employs 44 people, including 34 members of the IBEW Local 10 Union. Employees and Union leadership were advised of the decision to deactivate on Friday. Company representatives also notified local and State officials, including the New York Department of Labor and other State agencies.

On June 28, 2019, the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office participated in a joint detail focused on Commercial Motor Vehicle enforcement. Multiple teams were stationed throughout Tompkins County with the intention to focus on vehicles used for transporting goods or paying passengers.

During this detail, 31 trucks were inspected and documented. Total violations reached 151, which included violations for logbooks, hazardous materials, medical cards, licensing, oversized/over length vehicles, load securement issues and possession of illicit drugs within the commercial motor vehicle.

Tompkins County’s Shared Services Panel conducted the second of three public hearings, as municipal officials work to develop the County’s 2020 Shared Services Plan.

At the June 27th session, two municipal leaders once again brought up two potential shared services ideas that had been initially discussed during Panel deliberations two years ago, Enfield Town Supervisor Beth McGee urged examination of centralized code enforcement as a County function, rather than through individual towns. Both Supervisor McGee and Ithaca Town Supervisor Bill Goodman also expressed support for the idea of centralized information technology services for municipalities—which could cover a wide range of services and support. Mr. Goodman noted that such services fall under the umbrella of shared “back-office” administrative services, which had been explored two years ago and identified at that time as a possible focus for further study.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed into law legislation banning the gay and trans panic legal defense (S3293/A2707), fulfilling his pledge to ensure nobody uses this abhorrent legal defense strategy in the State of New York. The Governor signed the measure, a key component of his 2019 Justice Agenda, on WorldPride and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. The Governor also vowed to double down next legislative session on his campaign to legalize gestational surrogacy, which the Assembly failed to take up this year.

"The gay and trans panic defense is essentially a codification of homophobia and transphobia, and it is repugnant to our values of equality and inclusion," Cuomo said. "This defense strategy isn't just offensive - it also sends a dangerous message that violence toward LGBTQ people is somehow OK. It's not, and today we're sending this noxious legal tool to the dustbin of history where it belongs."

Geography will no longer factor into the cost of riding a bus in Tompkins County starting in late summer.

At its regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, TCAT's Board of Directors unanimously agreed to the crux of a new fare structure, effective Sun., Aug., 25, the start of TCAT's fall service period.

Fares will cap at $1.50 for a single adult ride and at 75 cents rides for seniors, youth 17 and under, and persons with disabilities for all riders who will continue to enjoy the existing "the more-you-buy, the more-you-save" volume discounts.

Senator Pam Helming announced Wednesday that legislation she co-sponsored to review insurance coverage for the treatment of Lyme and tick-borne diseases has passed both the Senate and the Assembly unanimously. As a member of the Senate Task Force on Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases, Helming has been a strong advocate for those suffering from Lyme and tick-borne diseases and their loved ones and has fought for measures aimed at prevention, treatment, and awareness of these illnesses.

Currently, health insurance companies are not required to cover long-term treatment for those who suffer from chronic Lyme and tick-borne diseases. This bill (S.4571/A.6146) calls for a study and report on the adequacy of such insurance coverage. The data gained through the study will help lawmakers make informed decisions about insurance.