Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Dear Friends:

I hope you had a happy and healthy holiday season and start to the New Year.

The beginning of January marks the Legislature's return to session. Our first day of the Legislative Session is on Wednesday, January 8th. I look forward to hearing Governor Andrew Cuomo's State of the State Address that day. To watch the address live at 1:30 PM, click here.

The holiday season was filled with sadness for many of us as we learned of several anti-Semitic incidents and the horrific attack on a rabbi and his family celebrating the 7th night of Hanukkah in Rockland County. The increasing incidents of hate in our communities and here in Westchester require that speak up, vociferously, in our private and public worlds. We cannot sit silently without condemning these acts of hate. In the aftermath of the Monsey stabbing, I was glad to gather with colleagues and community members at several events in a display of solidarity with people from all different faiths and backgrounds. Read more about these events in the section below.

Thank you to Governor Andrew Cuomo for signing into law two important bills that I co-sponsored and voted for during the 2019 Legislative Session. The Call Center Jobs Act protects good paying jobs in New York by penalizing companies that move New York jobs to another country. The Elevator Safety Act requires licensing of every individual who is engaged in the design, construction, inspection, maintenance and repair of elevators and other automated moving people devices. Thank you also to our allies in organized labor for advocating for both of these bills. Read more about these two new laws in the section below.

During this holiday season, I have also been working with my colleagues to assist individuals affected by the closing of the Doral Arrowwood Resort in Rye Brook. The abrupt news will have a lasting impact on the community, including the loss of 275 local jobs and almost $2million in combined annual tax revenue for the Village of Rye Brook & the Blind Brook School District. I am working with the NYS Attorney General's Office and the Department of Labor to assist the affected individuals. Read more about this developing situation in the section below.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if there is an issue my office can help with or a community event you would like me to know about. You can call 914-934-5250 or email smayer@nysenate.gov.

Kind regards,
Shelley B. Mayer
Repairing the World, Fighting Hatred
Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, Senators Shelley Mayer, Toby Stavisky, Anna Kaplan, Kevin Thomas, John Brooks, Jim Gaughran and others gathered at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck for a Shabbat service to reject anti-Semitism and hatred.
Just over a year after the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, our communities were horrified by the news of a man storming into a rabbi's home and stabbing five people as they celebrated the 7th night of Hanukkah in the hamlet of Monsey in Rockland County.

This attack on the Jewish community comes during a rising tide of anti-Semitic incidents in New York and nationally. We must stand together and in a unified voice condemn every act of anti-Semitism. Hatred has no place here, and every act of hate will meet the full force of our laws.

In response to the Monsey stabbing attack, I attended a Light Over Darkness event organized by the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Rockland County on December 30th at the Jewish Community Center in West Nyack. During this difficult time, the gathering was an uplifting event filled with community members of all faiths and backgrounds.

On Friday, January 4th, my colleagues and I joined Senator Anna Kaplan at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck for a Shabbat service attended by people of all faiths to reject anti-Semitism and hatred in all of its forms. I am heartened by the showing of community and solidarity during these times. People from all backgrounds and faiths must demonstrate the value of our diversity and vociferously state that hatred has no home in our communities. We will not sit quietly when it is shown, and we will demand that our laws be enforced to the fullest extent.
NEW YORK CALL CENTER JOBS ACT
& ELEVATOR SAFETY ACT
SIGNED INTO LAW
During the historic 2019 Legislative Session, I was proud to co-sponsor two important bills to protect New York Jobs and improve public safety. The bills passed both chambers of the legislature and were signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

NY CALL CENTER JOBS ACT ( S.1826C/A.567C ) requires the Department of Labor to publicly track all call centers that move New York jobs to another country. The companies that do so would then face severe penalties including repaying any grants awarded in the past five years and prohibition from receiving future state benefits, such as contracts and loans, for an additional five years. 

It is our responsibility to fight to keep good paying jobs in New York and end taxpayer-funded subsidies for corporations that cut New York jobs. This law rebalances the scales, ensuring that public subsidies for economic development actually supports local jobs. Thank you to our allies in organized labor, especially the Communications Workers of America ( CWA ), for fighting for New York jobs.

ELEVATOR SAFETY ACT ( S.4080C/A.4509 ) requires all individuals engaged in the design, construction, inspection, maintenance and repair of elevators and other automated moving people devices to be licensed by New York State.

In order to receive a license, the individual will need to meet qualifications, complete numerous hours of training, and participate in continuing education. This new law will help protect the public from defective elevators and limit the serious injuries--and potential death--that can occur due to a defective elevator.
DORAL ARROWWOOD CLOSING:
STANDING UP FOR WORKERS, RESIDENTS, & TAXPAYERS
State Senator Shelley Mayer joins the NYS Department of Labor for a Rapid Response Informational Session for Employees of Doral Arrowwood on Tuesday, January 7th.
On December 24th, the 114-acre Doral Arrowwood hotel and conference center in Rye Brook announced that it would close its doors on January 12, 2020 after decades of service. I am terribly concerned about the loss of 275 local jobs, almost $2 million in combined annual tax revenue for the Village of Rye Brook and the Blind Brook School District, the security of the property, and the many couples who had planned to wed at the center and have yet to see their deposits returned.

The staff at Doral Arrowwood was notified of their imminent layoffs on December 24, 2019. State law requires that employers provide a minimum of 3 months notice when they are laying off employees, barring extraordinary circumstances. I am advocating on behalf of the employees to the Department of Labor (DOL) that they be given a full 3 months pay, as the law requires.

Additionally, I spearheaded a letter jointly signed by Assemblyman Steve Otis, Rye Brook Village Mayor Paul Rosenberg, Westchester County Legislator Nancy Barr, and Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District Interim Superintendent Colin Byrne to NYS Supreme Court Justice Gretchen Walsh, who is overseeing certain financial elements of the case, to urge her to persuade the relevant parties to reverse or modify their decision and keep the property operational for an additional 3 months. To read the full letter to Judge Walsh, click here.

On Tuesday, January 7th, I joined the NYS Department of Labor for an informational session with the employees of Doral Arrowwood to learn about their rights to unemployment, healthcare, and other benefit options after they are laid-off. The DOL will also host a Job Fair for the employees in February to assist with the transition.

If you need help with an issue related to the closing of Doral Arrowwood, please contact my District Office at 914-934-5250 or email smayer@nysenate.gov and we will do our best to assist you.
PIZZA PARTY WITH THE YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL
On Monday, January 6th, I was glad to host a pizza party with my Youth Advisory Council (YAC) to discuss the upcoming Legislative Session, priority legislation, our upcoming Albany visit, and much more.

High school and college-aged students interested in joining the YAC are encouraged to call 914-934-5250 or email the YAC coordinators, Perla Arellano (arellano@nysenate.gov) or Vincent Fields (vfields@nysenate.gov).

YONKERS GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM GOES STATEWIDE THIS MONTH
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins; State Senator Shelley B. Mayer; Assemblymember Nader Sayegh; Yonkers Police Commissioner John J. Mueller; Jimmy Nolan, Jr. and the Nolan family; and other elected officials and community leaders commemorate the Yonkers' Gun Buyback Program model going statewide in January 2020.
Just before the holidays, I was glad to gather with Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, County Executive George Latimer, the Yonkers Police Department, and other elected officials representing the City of Yonkers, together with the family of Michael Nolan, to celebrate the signing of statewide gun buyback legislation based upon the successful program of the Yonkers Police Department. 

S.2449/A.2685 is modeled on the successful City of Yonkers’ Gun Buyback Program, and authorizes the New York State Police to establish guidelines and regulations to encourage the creation of gun buyback programs throughout the state. The new law also creates a statewide gun buyback fund to assist municipalities with the cost of the program.
STATE SENATOR SHELLEY B. MAYER | Stay Connected