Assemblyman Slater debates bill at 1:55AM on the last day of legislative session.
Last week, the Legislature officially concluded the 2024 state legislative session. Of the 804 bills passed this year, more than 420 were approved during the session’s final week, many Hudson Valley residents were left wondering what exactly transpired during the session’s final hours.
First, I am deeply disappointed that the Democrat majorities in both the Senate and Assembly failed to tackle the issues that are most important to New Yorkers, including the unending affordability crisis, rising crime and the influx of more than 200,000 illegal immigrants into our state.
There are common sense solutions I have proposed for each of these situations, but the New York City-dominated majority conferences in each chamber are more interested in appeasing the liberal interest groups that fill their campaign war chests and support their campaigns.
While I believe the Legislature should have accomplished more, Democrats and Republicans did successfully work together to address specific problems confronting children and senior citizens.
This spring, I met with a group of school superintendents who pointed to the impact social media has on our children and the need for action, starting with the addictive algorithms social media companies utilize. This concern is also frequently raised by fellow parents across my district, which is why I joined a bipartisan group of legislators to pass the SAFE for Kids Act and the New York Child Data Protection Act. This legislation will protect kids under the age of 18 from addictive feeds and stop online sites from collecting and using data from minors.
Many seniors have little alternative but to bear the high cost of prescription drugs. And for those living on fixed incomes, spiraling energy costs can overwhelm monthly budgets. At the end of the legislative session, I was pleased to help pass, to automatically identify and enroll senior citizens who qualify for the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage program (EPIC) and the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) (A.9369A). These are two highly successful state programs, and streamlining access to these services will greatly expand the number of seniors who receive the financial support for which they are eligible. No senior should be placed in a financially vulnerable position by high drug costs and utility bills.
Finally, I was proud to write and pass the Detective Brian Simonsen Law mandating that cell phone carriers limit or disable services to a stolen device once notified of the theft. The legislation is named in honor of NYPD Detective Brian Simonsen who was fatally wounded responding to a cell phone store robbery in New York City. I was also pleased to co-sponsor and help pass the nation’s first legislation providing oversight of state agencies’ use of artificial intelligence technology (AI). This area is evolving and advancing at an unbelievable rate and we must ensure the AI technology that is utilized by state government has the proper guardrails and oversight to protect personal privacy and truly benefit all New Yorkers.
I believe New Yorkers want a functioning government where Democrats and Republicans can see a problem, work together and offer solutions to help those we represent. While this is too often the exception rather than the rule in Albany, I am proud of the important progress we achieved at the end of the legislative session. Now that I am back in my district office full time, I look forward to meeting with as many of my constituents as possible and continuing my work to best serve you.
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