Senate Republican Leader Dean G. Skelos, Senate Independent Democrat Conference Leader Jeff Klein along with Senator Joe Robach released a revenue forecast by the Senate Finance Committee that estimates additional General Fund revenues above the Executive’s projection. The Senate report, supported by Joe Robach, projects revenues of $265 million more than the Executive’s estimate for Fiscal Year 2015, and $88 million more for the remainder of state fiscal year 2014.

The revenue projection, based on an economic forecast by the Senate’s nationally recognized fiscal consultants IHS Global Insight, shows that the total two-year General Fund revenue surplus is $353 million.

The revenue forecast report cites strong stock market growth in 2013, as well as improved business growth, as factors in projecting additional revenues over the two fiscal years.

“The additional state revenues should be used to further reduce taxes to create more job opportunities for all New Yorkers,” Joe Robach (56th Senate District) said. “The state’s fiscal condition is stronger as a result of three consecutive early budgets that kept state spending under control and lowered taxes. The new budget should build on that record.”

The revenue forecast report is posted on the Senate web site at — http://www.nysenate.gov/report/economic-and-revenue-review-sfy-2014-15

As members of the New York State Senate, we are deeply offended by Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s recent assertion that the children in New York City are more deserving and more in need of early childhood education than the 4 and 5-year-olds in the communities we represent.

We know Mayor DeBlasio has a lot on his plate, but he may be interested in learning a few facts about the rest of the state.  All four of the big city school districts, including Rochester Syracuse and Buffalo, are poorer than New York City, and 70 percent (471) of the school districts across the state – - serving more than 1.2 million students – - are less wealthy than the one he represents.

In addition, 20 percent of the school districts in New York State have a greater percentage of students with higher needs than New York City, and many of those districts are worse off than the worst parts of New York City.  Meanwhile, the City of Rochester has the fifth highest poverty rate among all U.S. cities.  In fact, during legislative budget hearings we heard testimony from many Upstate mayors about the difficulties their cities are facing.

We have a responsibility to provide every student in this state with the same opportunity to learn and to succeed, not just the students in New York City.

For more information about this statement from Senate members, please contact the office of Joe Robach.

The New York Senate, supported by Joe Robach, passed the “Public Assistance Integrity Act” which would prohibit welfare benefits from being used to purchase alcohol and tobacco, or to be used at liquor stores, casinos and strip clubs in New York.

Parts of the Public Assistance Integrity Act were also added to Governor Cuomo’s Executive Budget Proposal. The provisions added would make it illegal to use EBT Cards at liquor stores, strip clubs and casinos.

When people sign up for welfare, they are issued an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which works like a cash card at any ATM or like a debit card at a store. The card accesses two separate accounts: Food Stamps and Cash Assistance. Food stamps are tightly regulated – but Cash Assistance is not.  Public records and investigative reports by the news media have shown widespread abuse of the EBT cards. Cards are used to buy beer, cigarettes and lottery tickets, or at liquor stores, strip clubs and casinos.  The Senate crafted the Public Assistance Integrity Act to address that issue.

That taxpayer money is designed to go toward helping families in need purchase things like toothpaste, toilet paper, diapers, school supplies and clothes.

New York faces an important deadline: By Feb. 22, the state must show the federal government how it will prevent welfare fraud and abuse from EBT cards. If it doesn’t, New York stands to lose more than $120 million in federal Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF).

The State Senate voted, along with Joe Robach, to pass the Public Assistance Integrity Act overwhelmingly – three times, in fact. To date, the state Assembly has refused to take it up.

For more information about this or any other senate initiative, please contact the office of Joe Robach.

Joe Robach and the NYS Senate are hosting a poster contest for local students to celebrate Earth Day.  Since the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, over 20 million Americans have participated, helping to improve the quality of air we breathe and the water we drink. In addition, landmark legislation has been passed to help support this effort, such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Joe Robach and The New York State Senate take this opportunity to celebrate the great strides New York has made in helping to improve our environment. From expanding the bottle bill to promoting green energy, New York is helping to make a difference.

To celebrate and honor Earth Day this year, Joe Robach and the New York State Senate are sponsoring a poster contest for children in grades K – 6. The theme of the Earth Day celebration is “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” All entries will be displayed on Joe Robach’s website, with the winning poster being featured. Students are encouraged not only to be creative in their project, but also to convey a real commitment to making the environment a better place.

For more information, contact Joe Robach.

Joe Robach (56th Senate District) wants residents to take precaugtion during the extreme weather conditions.  When exposed to cold temperatures, your body begins to lose heat faster than it can be produced. Prolonged exposure to cold will eventually use up your body’s stored energy. The result is hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature. Body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well. This makes hypothermia particularly dangerous because a person may not know it is happening and won’t be able to do anything about it.

Hypothermia is most likely at very cold temperatures, but it can occur even at cool temperatures (above 40°F) if a person becomes chilled from rain, sweat, or submersion in cold water.  Joe Robach and the NYS Senate want you to recognize the signs of hypothermia and what to do in case you, or someone you love, is suffering from it. 

Victims of hypothermia are often (1) elderly people with inadequate food, clothing, or heating; (2) babies sleeping in cold bedrooms; (3) people who remain outdoors for long periods—the homeless, hikers, hunters, etc.; and (4) people who drink alcohol or use illicit drugs.

Warnings signs of hypothermia include:
Adults: shivering, exhaustion;  confusion, fumbling hands; memory loss; slurred speech; drowsiness.  Infants: bright red, cold skin, very low energy

• If you notice any of these signs, take the person’s temperature. If it is below 95°, the situation is an emergency—get medical attention immediately.
• If medical care is not available, begin warming the person, as follows:
• Get the victim into a warm room or shelter.
• If the victim has on any wet clothing, remove it.
• Warm the center of the body first—chest, neck, head, and groin—using an electric blanket, if available. Or use skin-to-skin contact under loose, dry layers of blankets, clothing, towels, or sheets.
• Warm beverages can help increase the body temperature, but do not give alcoholic beverages. Do not try to give beverages to an unconscious person.
• After body temperature has increased, keep the person dry and wrapped in a warm blanket, including the head and neck.
• Get medical attention as soon as possible.

A person with severe hypothermia may be unconscious and may not seem to have a pulse or to be breathing. In this case, handle the victim gently, and get emergency assistance immediately. Even if the victim appears dead, CPR should be provided. CPR should continue while the victim is being warmed, until the victim responds or medical aid becomes available. In some cases, hypothermia victims who appear to be dead can be successfully resuscitated.  For more information, contact the Senate office of Joe Robach.

State Senate Republicans, supported by JOE ROBACH, issued a comprehensive report on state taxes that calls for personal income taxes, business taxes, estate taxes and local property taxes to be reformed, simplified and reduced. The report makes sweeping recommendations for reducing the tax burden on all New Yorkers. The plan recommends enacting a permanent two-percent state spending cap and dedicating surplus revenues to tax reductions.

The report was developed based on testimony at a series of statewide public hearings conducted by the Senate Majority. The report will be shared with the tax reform commissions established by Governor Cuomo for their review.

“It’s unacceptable that New York ranks 50th in business tax climate and first in population loss. Senate Republicans are recommending strong and dramatic actions to improve our business climate, create good jobs, and give families the opportunities they need to stay in New York,” said Joe Robach. “We are proposing a plan to greatly reduce the tax burden on New Yorkers at every level, making it more competitive for businesses to locate and grow here. There is nothing more progressive than empowering the private sector to create good-paying jobs.”

Highlights of the recommendations made in the preliminary Senate report include, among other things:

• Enact a permanent two-percent cap on state spending growth and dedicate every dollar of surplus savings to tax reduction;
• Create an optional simple personal income tax calculation;
• Make inflation adjustments for income brackets permanent so a taxpayer’s tax burden is not increased simply due to normal wage growth;
• Eliminate unfair tax treatment by making all retirement income tax-free to encourage seniors to stay in New York;
• Dramatically reform and reduce property taxes to provide relief for hardworking families;
• Accelerate reductions in the 18-a utility tax surcharge to two years, fully eliminating the surcharge in SFY 2016-17;
• Reform New York’s onerous Estate Tax to protect family farms and small businesses and eliminate the incentive to transfer wealth to other states;
• Reduce corporate tax rates with the goal of elimination;
• Eliminate the corporate tax on manufacturers;
• Eliminate the MTA payroll mobility tax on government entities to prevent double taxation; and
• Eliminate the MTA-region car registration and driver’s license fee increases enacted in 2009.

Over the past two months of public hearings, the committees heard testimony, received written communications and met with New York’s business leaders and stakeholders across the state. There were consistent themes that emerged from job creators: the need for broad-based tax reductions in corporate and personal income taxes, with the inclusion of some of the more important tax credits, and the need for simplicity in the tax code.

The report outlines some of the Joint Committee’s initial findings and outlines a plan that will make it easier for businesses, residents and retirees to stay and thrive in this state.
It will be used to help guide the Senate Republican Conference’s efforts as the 2014 Legislative Session and the 2014-15 State Budget process gets underway.

Joe Robach of the NYS Senate today announced that households across the state can begin applying for heating assistance this winter through New York’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) on Monday, November 18. HEAP, which is overseen by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), is a federally-funded program that provides up to $650 for eligible households to pay for energy costs in order to keep their homes warm during the winter.

For the first time, anyone living outside of New York City who is seeking a regular HEAP benefit, which assists households that pay a high proportion of household income for energy, will be able to submit applications online at myBenefits.ny.gov starting on November 18.

Joe Robach (56th Senate District) said “As temperatures begin to drop, I encourage residents who are struggling with their heating bills to check out the HEAP program.  People can apply on mybenefits.gov.”

For the 2013-14 HEAP heating season, the maximum regular benefit a household could receive is $650. Eligibility for HEAP is based on income and household size.  For more information, please contact the Senate office of Joe Robach.

Senate Majority Coalition Co-Leaders Dean Skelos and Jeffrey Klein, with Joe Robach support, announced the creation of the Senate Task Force on Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases to examine state and federal efforts to combat the continued spread of these diseases and make recommendations for a plan to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The panel will work on recommendations for a state action plan to address Lyme and other tick-borne diseases modeled after the “2001 West Nile Virus Response Plan.” That plan was developed by the New York State Department of Health in response to the West Nile Virus outbreak in 1999, and New York needs a comparable plan to move the state forward in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

The Centers for Disease Control recently estimated that about 300,000 individuals are diagnosed with Lyme each year nationally. Lyme is the most commonly reported of all tick-borne illness in the United States. There are 13 states that account for almost all of those cases; many of the cases are in New York.

There are also fears that Lyme disease may, in fact, have broader consequences than the symptoms we generally associate with the illness. According to recent news analysis of state Health Department records, over the past 13 years, Lyme disease was listed as the cause of deaths for nine New Yorkers, outside of New York City. Five of the victims lived in the mid-Hudson Valley. Given the number of cases and severe effects that Lyme and other tick-borne diseases can cause, Joe Robach and the Senate believe New York must take action.

For more information on this or any other Senate initiative, contact the office of Joe Robach.

Governor Cuomo announced the signing of legislation to restore up to $90 million in funding for the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). This law, supported by the Senate and Joe Robach, amends the executive budget which called for reducing the agency’s budget by $90 million as a result of a $1.1 billion federal reduction in aid. This funding will allow the agency to continue its vital mission to provide critical care to New Yorkers with developmental disabilities while reversing decades of mismanagement and overpayments that resulted in a decline of services to this vulnerable population.

Funding for OPWDD was restored by establishing a work group charged with developing a cost savings plan that would yield $40 million recovered through a series of audits. Additional cost savings totaling $50 million will come from program reductions over time. The new law, passed by the Senate and supported by Joe Robach, ensures that if the plan created by the work group fails to deliver these savings, $90 million will be provided to cover OPWDD and Medicaid rate shortfalls.

Senator Joe Robach said, “Today is a great day for every New Yorker. I proud that the Governor signed this Senate legislation to fund the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities and the programs necessary for our disabled. Those with physical and developmental disabilities deserve the proper care to insure that they have the best possible quality of life.”

For more information contact the office of Joe Robach.

Joe Robach, of the New York State Senate, will hold a women’s wellness fair on Saturday in Greece, NY.  The list of participating vendors and organizations that will be represented at Senator Joe Robach’s 6th Annual Women’s Wellness Fair include:

Rochester Hearing & Speech Center
Rochester Sports Nutrition
IWS Medical Massage
Erna’s Hope
Elizabeth Wende Breast Cancer LLC
Volunteers of America
Rochester Eye & Tissue Bank / Finger Lakes Recovery Network
RAC for Women
National Kidney Foundation
NAMI Rochester
doTERRA Essential Oils & b well essentials
Alternatives for Battered Women
HCR Home Care
Vemma
Canandaigua/Rochester VA
Independent Tastefully Simple Consultant
Resolve of Greater Rochester (formally SafeJourney)
Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester
WellCare
NYS Health Department Bureau of HIV/STD Field Services Program
Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning
Mary Kay Cosmetics
Fleet Feet Sports Rochester
Center for Community Health (Breast Health Awareness Project, Cancer Services Program of Monroe County & Rochester Walks)
Highland Breast Imaging
American Heart Association
Perinatal Network of Monroe County
Brighton Pathways to Health
Child Care Council
Made the Same, Inc
Energy on East
Petsaver
Sage Rutty
Unity Health System
Q Dental
Homeopathy and Natural Alternatives
American Red Cross
YMCA
Kraze Fitness

After five very successful years, the Women’s Wellness Fair has become a signature fall event for the Senate and Senator Joe Robach. This Wellness Fair is an educational and interactive event where vendors and exhibitors will educate on all aspects of health, wellness, fitness and lifestyle improvements.

The American Red Cross has once again partnered with Joe Robach and will be conducting a blood drive as a part of the day’s events. Those who wish to donate blood are asked to bring their photo ID with them.

Lastly, goodie bags will handed out to the first one hundred attendees. Goodie bags will include coupons and free products all related to women’s health! The Senate and Joe Robach invite all area residents to stop by!