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From Albany

A blog by Senator Tom OMara in Sunday Columns

  • Entries

    15

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    4

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    3,420

About this column

News and commentary from New York State Senator Tom O'Mara

Entries in this blog

From Albany

Time To Make Sure Taxpayer Dollars Are Protected

When we  talk about the need to make New York a more affordable state in which to live, work, do business, and raise a family, that doesn’t limit our focus to how much it costs to buy groceries, purchase a home, pay the utility bill, and all of the other myriad expenses that individuals and families face.  Any strategies to make New York more affordable has to address all of the above, that’s for sure, but it also has to include taking a good, hard look at the cost of government -- especially he
From Albany

Will The Stage Be Set For Another Spending Spree?

We will soon be hearing more from Governor Kathy Hochul on where she intends to take this state in the year ahead. Next week’s State of the State message to the Legislature is traditionally a broad outline of a governor’s priorities and vision for the future. Most importantly, it begins setting the stage for what comes next: the adoption of a new state budget which, in the coming months, will be the tallest mountain to climb. On that note, I look forward to continuing this year in my role as the
From Albany

Will It Be Business As Usual For New York State Government?

Above all else this week, I hope this column will find you and your families, friends, and neighbors across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions well and doing your best to have a memorable and meaningful holiday season. Approaching the start of another new year in New York State government, our focus always turns to looking ahead to the debates that await the governor and legislators -- traditionally difficult challenges on education, economic development, environmental conservation, fisc
From Albany

New York's Energy Plan Fuels Uncertainty

The State Energy Board released a final “2025 New York State Energy Plan” last week that will now serve as the guidepost for the direction of this state’s energy policies and strategies moving forward. The positive news is that the new plan at least acknowledges what many of us have been saying since before the enactment of New York’s current strategy under the “Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act” (CLCPA) enacted in 2019. From the beginning, opponents of the CLCPA, including myself,
From Albany

Renewing The Call For The "PROTECT Act"

I stood with colleagues in the Senate Republican Conference last week to renew our call for what will be one of our top priorities when a new legislative session gets underway in January: Stop ignoring dangerousness. More specifically: Approve the PROTECT Act. We’re targeting a policy set in motion in 2019 under then-Governor Andrew Cuomo and an all-Democrat-majority Legislature that enacted far-reaching bail and discovery law reforms. These so-called reforms have been widely criticized as failu
From Albany

Renewing The Fight For More Responsible Government

Approaching a new legislative session in January, we unfortunately continue to face the same set of challenges and setbacks many of us have fought to address over the past several years in New York State government. From combating crime to job creation to tax relief, one-party control of New York government has not been good for New York. It’s been a disaster. The Albany Democrat agenda for this state has produced billions upon billions of dollars of short- and long-term spending commitments req
From Albany

Think Local At The Start Of This Holiday Season

We began this year with New Yorkers making it clear that issues surrounding affordability were their top concern, and that’s where we’re going to close this year a month from now. The latest statewide poll out of the Siena Research Institute revealed that just 39% of respondents believe New York State is headed in the right direction and concerns over affordability, on many fronts, drive their lack of optimism. It’s a concern confronting every decision-maker and every taxpayer. It impacts famili
From Albany

There's No Delaying, Or Denying, A Change In Energy Policy

Over the past several years, I’ve written in this column numerous times about the concerns, the pitfalls, the shortcomings, and the outright unaffordability set in motion following New York State’s enactment of the “Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act” (CLCPA) in 2019. Slowly but surely over the past several years, those responsible for implementing this mandate-driven energy strategy – namely, Albany Democrats -- have been forced to recognize that it lacks affordability, feasibility
From Albany

Remembering Veterans And Honoring Freedom

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” These words from former President Ronald Reagan have echoed across the many decades ever since and never more poignantly than on the national observance of Veterans Day. Fought for. Protected. Handed on. Travel throughout this region’s communities and it’s striking to reflect on the common landmarks standi
From Albany

The Future Of Farming Under The Spotlight In Albany

The beginning of November reminds us that we are fast approaching a holiday season when one of the time-honored traditions is to gather around the table to share a meal, express thanks, and count blessings in the company of family, friends, neighbors, and sometimes even the community at large. It’s a chance, as well, to reflect on the contributions of farmers and the entire agricultural industry here at home in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions, throughout New York State, and across Ame
From Albany

Let's Hope It's Not Too Late For Taxpayers

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has been on a veto binge over the last several few weeks. Last week I highlighted in this column how the governor had rejected a measure overwhelmingly approved by the Legislature, with strong bipartisan support, which would have directed the state fire administrator to move forward on establishing a specialized electric vehicle emergency response training program for first responders. Turns out that wasn’t the only time Governor Hochul was picking up her veto pen.
From Albany

Will Albany Finally Act To Make Changes To HALT?

It began under former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who pursued a misguided, politically driven penchant for rapidly closing state prisons, which led to overcrowding and set in motion a steady unraveling of New York’s correctional system.  Ever since, New York’s approach to a rising tide of unrest and violence within the state’s prisons has been rife with questionable strategies, shortcomings, and outright failures that led to the breaking point and resulted in correctional officers striking earlier th

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