Dear Friends:

I hope you're enjoying the warmer weather and the first signs that spring is on the way.

The past few weeks have been filled with undue disruptions as the Governor's Office deals with a series of controversies including multiple women alleging Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed and assaulted them. This week's Times Union report of the Governor groping a young woman was the last straw for me. These allegations come on top of reports suggesting the withholding of information on nursing home deaths and construction safety issues on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. The Governor's actions have undermined his ability to lead during these budget negotiations and have caused serious distraction during this important time of our recovery from COVID, and he must resign. We have a state budget due in less than 20 days, and I do not see how New York State can be led during this crisis by this Governor. Click here to read my full statement released on Thursday, March 11th.

On Friday, March 5th, I joined the Senate Majority Conference in passing S.5357, to reassert our system of legislative checks and balances over the Governor's decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new law revokes the Governor's authority to issue any new directives; requires five days' notice to the Legislature or to local elected officials before the extension or modification of current directives; requires the Governor to respond publicly to comments from the Legislature or local elected leaders if a directive is extended, among other measures. With improved knowledge about COVID and increased distribution of the vaccine, it is critical that the basis for the Governor’s orders is shared with the legislature, that answers to our questions are provided, and that our system of checks and balances is restored without undermining the Governor’s ability to respond quickly to emergencies. 

As the state receives an increased supply of the COVID-19 vaccines, distribution increases locally, and more & more people are getting a shot in their arm. As of Saturday March 13th, 4.3 million New Yorkers have received at least 1 vaccine dose, and over 2.2 million New Yorkers have completed the vaccine series. More than twenty percent of New Yorkers have received one dose and more than ten percent are fully vaccinated. The latest updates on who is eligible for the vaccine and where & how to book an appointment are included below.

In more good news for this week, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan COVID-19 Relief Package. President Joe Biden signed the bill on Thursday, March 11th. The legislation will bring an estimated $12.5 billion to New York State, local governments, public schools, direct stimulus checks to individuals earning less than $75,000 annually, monthly child tax credits, and more. My personal thank you to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. I worked closely with his office in my fight for more education funds for our schools. 

As always, if there is anything my office can assist you with, please don't hesitate to email me at [email protected] or call (914) 934-5250.

Warm regards,

As of Saturday, March 13th, 4.3 million New Yorkers have received at least one vaccine dose, and 2.2 million have received both doses. Click here to track the status of the state's vaccine distribution.

Beginning on Wednesday, March 10th, New Yorkers 60 years of age and older were eligible to receive the vaccine at all vaccine distribution sites. Beginning on the same day, pharmacies were permitted to vaccinate New Yorkers who are 60 years of age and older and teachers. Beginning on Wednesday, March 17th, public facing essential workers from governmental and nonprofit entities will be eligible to receive the vaccine. Click here to look through the list of eligible categories for the vaccine including essential workers, those 60 years old and over, and those with comorbidities.

A list of non-state-run vaccine providers in Westchester County is available here. Supply is limited and each site has its own protocols for signing up or registering for a waitlist. Please continue to be patient and check back as often as possible for any new openings. Click here for the Westchester County COVID-19 Dashboard to track positive COVID-19 cases and vaccine allocations throughout the county. The mobile friendly version of the dashboard is available here.

New Yorkers can use the Am I Eligible website to determine if they are eligible and make an appointment at a New York State-run vaccination site. Please check back daily for new appointments. If you have made an appointment for the vaccine, please fill out the New York State COVID-19 Vaccine Form, available here, and bring it with you to your appointment.

When the pandemic first began in 2020, the Legislature granted Governor Andrew Cuomo powers to respond quickly to the then-unknown threats to public health of COVID-19. One year later, I believe it is time to reassert our system of legislative checks and balances and increase transparency surrounding the Executive Chamber's decision-making during the pandemic.

On Friday, March 5th, the State Senate and Assembly adopted S.5357/A.5967, to establish new Legislative checks on the Governor's authority during the pandemic by:

Allegations that important information was withheld from a Department of Health report for potentially political reasons, construction safety issues on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, as well as serious accusations against the Governor personally, underscore the importance of restoring institutional guardrails on the Governor's authority.

On Friday, March 5th, I was pleased to join Assemblymembers Nader Sayegh and J. Gary Pretlow with the Yonkers Council of PTA/PTSAs for a Q&A with Yonkers Public Schools students at Yonkers Middle High School. Thank you to everyone who participated and made their voices heard advocating for additional resources for sports, arts, mental health support and after school clubs!

On Monday, March 8th, I was glad to meet with local reproductive health advocates during Planned Parenthood’s Annual Day of Action. It is particularly good to see young women using their voices to advocate for themselves and their peers. My colleagues and I are committed to doing more to support family planning, enhance sex education, and combat maternal mortality.

This week, I had the honor of meeting with the Consul General of India to New York, Randhir Jaiswal, as well as the Deputy Consul General, to discuss support for the Indian-American community in New York and areas of collaboration to strengthen the partnership between India and our state. Thank you to my friends Sivadasan Nair and Dr. Jayasree Nair, from the Indian American Cultural Association of Westchester, for arranging the meeting and all of their work to strengthen the Indian-American community in Westchester.

The Westchester County Department of Civil Service announced that it will hold the Police Officer Civil Service Exam for English and Spanish speaking officers on May 15, 2021. The deadline to apply to take the exam is March 29, 2021. Underrepresented populations are encouraged to take the exam and pursue a career in law enforcement. Under Civil Service Law, municipalities in Westchester County which do not administer their own Civil Service Exam must choose officers from the pool of candidates who take the county Civil Service Exam when filling new or open positions within their local police departments. To find out more about the exam and apply, click here.

The City of Yonkers and the New York State Department of Health, in partnership with the healthcare tech company Ro, are working together to ensure that homebound seniors receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Yonkers seniors or their caregivers can apply at COVIDvaccinedrive.com to schedule a home visit with a certified health professional to receive the first and second doses of the Moderna vaccine. The program is free and serves seniors who are 65 years and older living in the following zip codes: 10701, 10703, 10704, and 10705. To find out more or to schedule an appointment, click here.