Dear Friends, 

I am incredibly proud of the work my colleagues and I, under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, accomplished in Albany during the 2022 legislative session including passing legislation to prevent gun violence, strengthen reproductive rights, build on our commitment to education, address flood resiliency, protect the disabled, and benefit consumers. I look forward to discussing these actions with you at an upcoming town hall. A virtual meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 21 at 6 p.m. and an in-person meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 22 at 5 p.m. at Joe Curtis Five Islands Park, located at 99 Le Fevres Ln, New Rochelle. 

Additionally, I look forward to seeing you at one of my upcoming mobile office hours, which will be held at Grinton I. Will Library, located at 1500 Central Park Ave, Yonkers, on Wednesday, June 15 and Wednesday, July 20 from noon to 3 p.m. 

Below, you will find information about the 2022 legislative session. 

As always, if there is anything my office can assist you with, please email me at smayer@nysenate.gov or call (914) 934-5250.

Warm regards, 

Shelley B. Mayer

State Senator 

37th District

Floor Remarks on Gun Violence Prevention

In response to the heartbreaking gun violence in Buffalo, Uvalde and the deadly shootings that continue to plague our country, New York took action. We adopted legislation to require a permit for those over the age of 21 to purchase a semiautomatic weapon; update the criminal code to make the threat of mass harm a crime; require microstamping of ammunition; strengthen measures to prevent those with criminal backgrounds from obtaining guns and ammunition; allow health care providers to file extreme risk protection orders; and strengthen regulations for high capacity ammunition feeding devices and body armor. All of these bills have since been signed by Governor Kathy Hochul

I am hopeful Governor Kathy Hochul will also sign Alyssa’s Law, named for Alyssa Alhadeff who was murdered at Parkland High School in 2018. In an emergency situation at a school, such as an active shooter, timing is critical and can mean the difference between life and death. Panic alarms are one tool that can be used to improve emergency response. Under this bill, panic alarms must be considered when developing safety plans.

Urging Governor Hochul to sign Alyssa’s Law at Nyack High School

with Alyssa’s cousin and advocate Jayden Turner, Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski, and Assemblyman Mike Lawler. 

Many constituents, even those who have never interacted with an elected official before, reached out to me after the shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde to express their frustration and to see what they could do to take action. It is important to recognize we still have a long way to go and that we must create change at the federal level of government. If you’re looking for ways to become more involved, I encourage you to watch the webinar “Where Do We Go From Here: Learn How You Can Help Change Laws & Stop the Epidemic of Gun Violence” that I co-sponsored with Moms Demand Action and New Yorkers Against Gun Violence on June 5.

We are committed to protecting women’s rights in New York. When the Supreme Court of the United States threatened those rights, I was proud to

co-sponsor legislation in the New York State Senate to protect the rights of New York State abortion providers and their patients, which was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul today in New York City. 

The package protects the rights of individuals seeking abortion care or gender-affirming care in New York State; expands the eligibility of the Address Confidentiality Program to protect New Yorkers who fear for their safety after seeking reproductive health care; provides certain legal protections for New York-based abortion service providers, including prohibiting medical misconduct charges for performing reproductive health care; forbids New York State from cooperating with out-of-state legal cases involving abortion except in limited circumstances; prohibits medical malpractice insurers from taking adverse action against a healthcare provider in New York State for providing legal reproductive services; and directs the Commissioner of Health to study the impact of limited service pregnancy centers. 

Education: 

• S.8276A/A.9600: Signed by the Governor on May 13, this legislation limits the ability of school districts to use APPR reviews to determine tenure decisions in response to COVID-19 related disruptions continued during the 2021-2022 school year. 
• S.7619/A.9025: Signed by the Governor on March 26, this legislation allowed voters concerned about voting in-person due to COVID-19 outbreaks to request an absentee ballot for school district elections in 2022.
• S.8802/A.9973: Continues to allow approved multidisciplinary evaluation programs to employ a certified school psychologist to conduct a multidisciplinary evaluation of a preschool child, infant or toddler having or suspected of having a disability.
• S.8803/A.9988: This bill would amend the state constitution to eliminate the 5% debt limitation for small city school districts' capital projects and align them with all other independent school districts. This legislation must pass again during the 2023 legislative session and then be presented to voters for approval in the general election. This bill would benefit White Plains, New Rochelle and the City of Rye. 
• S.7700/A.8689: Signed by the Governor on February 24, this legislation broadens the composition of the New York State 250th Commemoration Commission and authorizes the commission to submit letters of support for grant applications for commemoration-related projects.

Protection for People with Disabilities: 

• S.7377/A.9162: Establishes the Statewide Group Home Families Working Group to give more voice to residents of group homes and their families and guardians into the policies of the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. 
• S.7513/A.8671: Requires that the private duty nurse (PDN) reimbursement rates for PDNs caring for medically fragile adults (those over the age of 21) be increased to equal the PDN reimbursement rates for PDNs caring for medically fragile children. This legislation was included in the enacted New York State Budget in April. 

Consumer Protection: 

• S.16D/A.431C: Prohibits selling diet pills and supplements for weight loss and muscle-building to minors.
• S.9432/A.8659B: Requires the MTA to establish a vegetation management policy that will enhance communication with residents living adjacent to MTA train routes.
• S.7714/A.8745: Signed by the Governor on Jan. 24, this legislation amends a law passed last year to clarify that transit cards do not qualify as gift cards. 
• S.9121/A.10490: Provides the credit card industry with one additional year to comply with consumer protection legislation regarding credit card rewards that was signed into law last year.

Violence Prevention: 

• S.6363A/A.8102A: Requires the court, during order of protection proceedings, to order search and immediate seizure of firearms when defendants/respondents willfully refuse to surrender such firearms.
• S.6443B/A.8105A: Requires judges, during order of protection proceedings, to question defendants/respondents as to whether they own or possess guns.
• S.244B/A.887C: Requires lodging facilities to provide human-trafficking recognition training programs to all employees.

Labor & Employment Protections: 

• S.6828A/A.9268A: Requires the Department of Labor to notify claimants applying for unemployment benefits within 30 days whether the claim has been approved or denied.
• S.5557A/A.7383A: Allows former NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection police officers to transfer their service credit from the NYC Employees’ Retirement System when they take a job with a police department which is in the NYS Police and Fire Retirement System.
• S.7811/A.8727: Amends a law passed last year that extended prevailing wage to hauling work to specify that the provisions apply to public works worksites. 

Flood Resiliency:

• S.7582B/A.9216B: Requires that the New York State Building Code be revised to incorporate enhanced measures for flood mitigation and flood safety that account for the increased likelihood of flooding due to climate change. 
• S.7530/A.4245: Permits funds from the Environmental Protection Fund to be used for Climate Smart Communities projects that involve acquisition of real property for flood mitigation purposes. This legislation was included in the enacted New York State Budget in April. 
• S.8135/A.9249: Creates the $41 million Hurricane Ida unreimbursed damages fund. This legislation was included in the enacted New York State Budget in April. 

Streamlining State Regulations: 

• S.4784A/A.9628: Allows acknowledgements and proofs by any officer in active service of the armed forces who is authorized to act as a notary.
• S.8663/A.9409: Enables religious corporations to hold virtual and hybrid meetings.
• S.4367B/A.6960A: Relates to the public’s ability to observe public bodies at meetings held partially remotely. This legislation was included and enacted in the New York State Budget. 
• S.4687B/A.6863: Ensures the public’s ability to provide comments during virtual and hybrid meetings. This legislation was included in the enacted New York State Budget in April. 

Local: 

• S.8985/A.10427: Expands the list of counties that stenographers can reside in while working for the Westchester County District Attorney.
• S.7691/A.8759: Signed by the Governor on Jan. 24, this legislation authorizes Westchester County to waive certain fees for veterans' organizations. 
• S.8986/A.10145: Clarifies a law passed last year authorizing the city of New Rochelle to sell, convey and alienate certain land, to take advantage of economic development opportunities related to development of the Armory site and create dedicated parkland at that site. 
• S.8662/A.9745: Implements a residential parking system in the Sutton Manor neighborhood of New Rochelle.
• S.8939/A.10045: Implements a residential parking system in the city of Rye on Mead Place.
• Extend occupancy taxes applicable to hotels and similar locations for the communities of Rye Brook (S.7683/A.8666), North Castle (S.8040/A.9612), Port Chester (S.8041/A.9116), Tuckahoe (S.8042/A.9089), Harrison (S.8043/A.9758), and Mamaroneck (S.8045/A.9110). 

Office of State Senator Shelley B. Mayer

222 Grace Church Street, Suite 300

Port Chester, NY 10573

Phone: (914) 934-5250

Email: smayer@nysenate.gov