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!

Senator Joe Robach announced today that Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed legislation (S.3469A/Chapter 341) to stop the sale and use of deadly bath salt-type drugs that have been connected to recent deaths of young party-goers in New York City.

The new law, sponsored by Senator Griffo, would further curb the use of bath salts by adding new compounds used to make these types of drugs to the state’s banned substances list. It classifies these compounds as Schedule I stimulant controlled substances and imposes criminal penalties on those who sell, use and/or possess these drugs. The law makes it a felony to sell the substances to a minor or on school grounds.

According to Senator Joe Robach, the Senate passed the bill unanimously at the conclusion of the legislative session in June. It is common practice for the Governor to determine when a bill is sent to him and request that it be delivered for his consideration.
Bath salts are a commonly-used term for man-made stimulant drugs that are similar to methamphetamines. These drugs can stimulate both the nervous system and the cardiac system and can cause heart attacks, seizures, permanent brain damage and severe hallucinations. Reports have shown that an individual’s behavior on bath salts can sometimes lead to suicide or the harm of others.

In 2011, the state enacted a law that banned the sale or distribution of any product containing Mephedrone and MDPV, which were being marketed at the time for recreational use as bath salts, and classified these stimulants as controlled substances.

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

Senator Joe Robach announced that the  New York State Senate has passed a bill that would require those who violate Buster’s Law by abusing animals be added to a registry of animal abusers. The bill (S2305A) would also require those convicted under Buster’s Law undergo a psychiatric evaluation and would ban them from ever owning a pet again.

Senator Joe Robach supported Buster’s Law, enacted in 1999, which made animal cruelty in New York State a felony. The law was named after a cat that was doused in kerosene and lit on fire in 1997. This legislation expands on that law to include the animal abuse registry.

The animal abusers registry would contain the names and addresses of persons convicted of violating Buster’s Law in New York State and will be compiled by the division of criminal justice services. By maintaining the registry with current information and providing easy accessibility to the public, those involved in the sale or adoption of animals can refer to the registry before allowing an individual to take ownership of an animal.

The bill has been sent to the Assembly.  For more information on any Senate bill, contact the office of Joe Robach.

Joe Robach and members of the Senate Majority Coalition recently announced a series of industry-specific public hearings on regulatory reform as part of the coalition’s bipartisan effort to identify and eliminate the most costly government regulations that strangle business and job growth and drive up local taxes. The Administrative Regulations Review Commission and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business will convene 10 public forums in September and October.

Each public forum will be industry-specific and will give Senators the opportunity to hear from businesses and local officials and learn which rules, regulations and mandates affecting their industry are the most useless, most costly, and should be eliminated.

The public forum dates, places and industry to be discussed, are as follows:
September 11 Buffalo Medical Technology/Health
September 19 Watertown Agriculture
September 20 Syracuse Manufacturing
September 25 Long Island Construction
September 26 New York City Insurance
September 26 New York City Banking/Financial Services
September 27 Hudson Valley Small Business
October 2 Saratoga Hospitality/Tourism
October 9 Corning Manufacturing
October 15 Rochester Biotechnology
Senator Robach will host the Senate Forum/Hearing on Biotechnology in Rochester.
In regards to the hearing, Senator Joe Robach stated, “The highly skilled nature of bioscience jobs, and the growing demand for them, has surpassed the wage growth of private sector jobs, so it is our best interest to do whatever we can to help biotechnology thrive in Rochester and Upstate New York. There are many ways to do this, but it starts by eliminating the bureaucracy and red tape.”

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

The New York State Senate, along with Joe Robach, gave final legislative passage to legislation to ensure individuals with autism are able to receive insurance coverage for applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy as intended under New York State’s autism insurance reform law.

The Senate legislation, supported by Joe Robach, is in response to regulations implemented by the New York State Department of Financial Services which have dramatically limited the number of ABA practitioners where individuals with autism can receive therapy which is covered by insurance.

Under New York’s autism insurance reform law, which Senator Fuschillo authored, insurance companies must provide coverage for the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, including applied behavioral analysis (ABA), one of the most widely used autism therapies. Additionally, insurance companies cannot terminate coverage or refuse to renew, adjust, amend, issue, or execute a policy solely because the individual has been diagnosed with or received treatment for autism spectrum disorders. The law was designed to help families who were spending tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket each year on treatments and therapies for their loved ones with autism that many insurance companies refused to cover.

The law directed the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), in consultation with the Departments of Health and Education, to promulgate rules and regulations as to what qualifications a provider must have in order to qualify for coverage, but clearly specified that certification by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board would be sufficient to receive coverage for ABA services. Instead, DFS implemented regulations requiring ABA practitioners to be licensed in order to qualify for insurance reimbursement, even though no such license exists in New York State.

As a result, only behavior analysts who have another type of state license, such as a physician or psychologist, and performs ABA therapy within the normal scope of their duties can currently qualify for insurance reimbursement. This significantly limits the number of available providers where families can go to receive insurance-covered ABA therapy and forces many to still pay for this therapy out of pocket, contrary to the law’s intent.

The bill (S4862B) would establish a state license for behavior analysts and allow those behavior analysts who are already certified by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board to immediately be licensed upon their filing an application with the state and paying a licensing fee. This would greatly expand the places where individuals with autism could access the care they need and have it covered by insurance, as the law intended.
The bill will be sent to the Governor for his consideration.

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

The New York State Senate, along with Joe Robach passed a measure to deter terrorist recruitment and punish those who seek to employ others for their criminal plans. The bill (S1520) would complement law enforcement’s efforts to expose groups who actively seek to engage in terrorist activity by creating a new crime to prosecute those who recruit others to assist them.

“Active  recruitment for terrorism is a growing trend which requires an immediate response,” Joe Robach (56th Senate District) said. “As law enforcement actively seeks to unearth these groups and defeat their heinous schemes, we have a responsibility to hold accountable those who solicit individuals for terrorism. There’s no question that as long as extremists are able to attract new recruits the fight will never end.”

Terrorist organizations and their membership are in a perpetual search to recruit new members. This bill makes it a Class C felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, when someone with the intent of committing a crime recruits, solicits, requests, commands, importunes or otherwise attempts another person to engage in terrorist conduct.

The bill will be sent to the Assembly.   For more information on this or any other Senate initiative, contact the office of Joe Robach.

The New York State Senate, along with Joe Robach, passed legislation that would increase the fines for littering on highways and the lands next to them. The bill (S.2311), supported by Joe Robach, doubles the fines for littering.

“Littering not only impacts the appearance of the roadways, it also can pose driving hazards, and trash is very costly to remove,” said Senator Joe Robach. “Stiffening the fines for those who are caught throwing trash on the highways should help to serve as a deterrent, and help to clean up the roadways in our state.”

The fine for a first offense would be $700 and $1,400 for a second offense.

The bill will be sent to the Assembly.  For more information about this or any Senate bill, contact the office of Joe Robach.