Dear Friends,

I hope that with diminished COVID numbers, and some warm weather, you

are enjoying your summer and spending time with family and loved ones!

I am happy that I was finally able to see my siblings, nephews, cousins and of course, all my grandchildren together! 

I continue to be a strong advocate for abortion and women’s health rights here in New York in the face of the Dobbs Supreme Court decision. On August 9,

I authored a letter, together with 31 of my New York State Senate Democratic colleagues, urging the FDA to remove burdensome regulations and improve access to the abortion pill mifepristone. Existing restrictions are not justified given the safety and efficacy of this medication. 

As Chair of the Senate Education Committee, I continue to be focused on recovery from COVID, as well as supporting our students on their continuum of learning towards good-paying and rewarding jobs. The need for effective pathways from elementary and high school to college and onto well-paying careers has been one of the greatest educational challenges of our time.

P-TECH, or Pathways in Technology Early College High School Program, is an excellent option for some students here in New York State. I encourage you to read my post featured on the Albert Shanker Institute blog about P-TECH. 

In other news, I am pleased to share that after much work, the Legislature passed and Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation to ensure our students are properly educated about the Holocaust. I worked hard with my colleagues Senator Anna Kaplan and Assemblymember Nily Rozic to get this bill to the finish line. More on this and other topics is available below. 

As summer comes to a close, home gardens across our district are blooming! Submit yours to my home garden showcase, Blooming in the ’Burbs, by Monday, August 29. And don’t forget to submit your child’s summer reading log! Each child who submits a form by September 1 will receive a Certificate of Achievement. More information available below.

Warm regards,

Rye Town Administrator Debbie Reisner, Director of Grounds and Facilities Vic Federico, Assemblyman Steve Otis, Rye Town Supervisor Gary Zuckerman, Rye Town Administrator’s Office Staff Jeni Wallace, Senator Shelley Mayer, Rye Brook Youth Soccer Club President Tony Paterno

I was thrilled to announce $325,000 in state funding awarded to the Town of Rye for Crawford Park with Assemblyman Steve Otis on August 2. 

The $200,000 I secured through the State and Municipal Facilities Program (SAM) will be used to improve the ball fields, which are used for football, baseball, softball, volleyball and softball. The project includes adding ADA compliant bleachers, sport benches, a chain link backstop and water bottle filling station, and will increase youth access to healthy outdoor recreation.

The $125,000 secured by Assemblyman Otis will be used to reconstruct the one-mile trail that circumnavigates the park – increasing accessibility and addressing safety concerns of visitors. 

Thank you to Town Supervisor Gary Zuckerman and the Town of Rye for your continued commitment to making Crawford Park a hub for all residents and surrounding community members to enjoy.

Blooming in the 'Burbs

I know how much planning, ingenuity, hard work and creativity go into

every home garden, whether it fills an entire yard or blooms in pots and window boxes – which is why I want to see your home garden! Now through

August 29, I will be accepting submissions to Blooming in the ’Burbs, a

multi-category gardening showcase for residents of Senate District 37. 

Our gardens are a great source of beauty, but they also contribute to the health of our community and our planet by reducing soil erosion, absorbing carbon dioxide and other pollutants, releasing oxygen, and attracting the pollinators that are so important for our food supply. Submit photos or videos of your garden to one or more of the following categories: 

• Sustainable Garden: Gardeners committed to a healthy planet can showcase their native, pollinator-friendly, pesticide-free plants and flowers.

• Yard-to-Table Garden: Gardeners who grow their own food can take this opportunity to show off the fruits—and vegetables, herbs and spices—of their labor.

• Flower Garden: Flower lovers can demonstrate their botanical skills through creative use of colors, textures and season-specific plantings.

• Gardeners of the Future: This category is for gardeners under age 18 to showcase their home gardens. 

Submissions will be featured on my Facebook and Instagram pages in September. The top gardens in the Sustainable Garden, Yard-to-Table Garden, and Flower Garden categories will receive an award. Each Gardener of the Future will receive a certificate.

For more information, call (914) 934-5250 or email pjdegenarogov@gmail.com.

Legislative Update: 

Holocaust Education Bill Signed Into Law

New York has taken an important step forward in addressing increasing hatred and acts of antisemitism by strengthening the existing requirement in the NYS Education Law that the Holocaust be taught in NYS schools.

On August 10, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation to ensure schools are properly educating students about the Holocaust; to require museums publicly acknowledge the origins of art pieces that were stolen from Europeans during the Nazi era, primarily from Jewish families; and to require the New York State Department of Financial Services to maintain and update a list of financial institutions that waive wire fees associated with Holocaust reparations payments. 

We must never forget the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, and we must ensure the next generation is fully educated about its horrors. I am especially grateful to my colleagues Senator Anna Kaplan and Assemblymember Nily Rozic for their leadership on this issue.

Legislative Update: 

Keeping Seniors in Their Homes &

Supporting First-Time Homebuyers

On August 8, I was pleased to join Governor Kathy Hochul in Yonkers for a bill signing at Dayspring Community Center. The newly signed legislation aims to help keep seniors in their homes and to support first time homebuyers. 

The legislative package included: 

• S.3085A/A.3956A, sponsored in the Senate by Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, allows municipalities to increase the maximum income eligible for New York's real property tax exemption to $50,000 for people age 65 and over and people with disabilities. Previously, the maximum income eligible was $29,000 per year outside of New York City for seniors and people with disabilities.  

• S.8890/A.9135, sponsored in the Senate by Senator Brian Kavanagh, extends the option for local municipalities to provide a property tax exemption for first-time homebuyers purchasing newly constructed homes through 2028. Previously, the option was set to expire at the end of this year.  

• S.9193/A.10271, sponsored in the Senate by Senator Michelle Hinchey, provides greater benefits on a more flexible timeline for senior homeowners in need of emergency repairs by increasing the deadlines for RESTORE projects to 60 days and the maximum cost allowed per project to $20,000.  

Advocating for Workers

In the early days of the pandemic, the New York State Department of Labor received an unprecedented number of applications for unemployment assistance. Many who submitted applications did not hear back for weeks, and in some cases months. To this day, I continue to receive calls from constituents who receive no response from the Department of Labor after they submit their application. 

It is an extremely real and frustrating issue, which is why I sponsored legislation with Assemblyman Chris Burdick to require the Department of Labor to notify unemployment assistant claimants of their approval status within 30 days. It passed both houses during the legislative session and now awaits the Governor’s signature.

Let’s celebrate Labor Day and the workers of New York early by advocating for this bill to be signed into law! Contact the Governor Kathy Hochul’s office to express your support for this bill.

REAL ID

After May 3, 2023, you will need your driver license, permit or ID Card to be REAL ID compliant to board a domestic flight, or to enter military bases and certain federal facilities. Enhanced driver licenses, permits, non-driver IDs

and valid U.S. Passports are already REAL ID compliant and can be used to board a flight. 

You can apply for a REAL ID in-person at a DMV office near you. You cannot apply online, by phone or by mail. To learn more, you can watch the DMV’s YouTube video about how to obtain a REAL ID.

Always a pleasure to see my friends from

the Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle!

Proud to join Pat Quinn at Empire City Casino in Yonkers for the annual Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness for ALS. As his son and founder of the Ice Bucket Challenge Pat Quinn said - “every year until a cure!”

Wonderful to join Jeni Long-Wallace at the Matthew Wallace Foundation Annual Softball Tournament to keep Matthew’s memory alive with the

spirit of giving. I was honored to throw the first pitch! 

Great National Night Out hosted by police departments throughout our district on August 2. I joined the Port Chester, Eastchester, Tuckahoe, and Bronxville departments, and the Yonkers First and Third Precincts for their events!

My Youth Advisory Council is truly committed to the betterment

of our community. Shout out to them for holding their second

annual Cleanup Day in Yonkers last month, and thank you to

Perla Arellano on my team for leading this effort!

It’s important to keep reading skills up, even when school is out. Let me know what your kids read this summer to earn their Summer Reading Program Certificate of Achievement!

The deadline for submissions is September 1.