Dear Constituent, 

Below please find information about this month’s events and initiatives from my office, along with a list of new laws going into effect in February. 

Grants Blast Paused

Typically, my start of the month message includes an invitation to join the distribution list for our grants message. If you are currently on that list or were looking to be included, please be advised that this message is on a temporary hiatus, following the president’s attempt to freeze all federal grants and loans last week. A lawsuit filed by our state Attorney General, Letitia James, along with 22 others has resulted in a temporary restraining order prohibiting agencies from implementing that freeze. We have good reason to believe that the states will ultimately win this case. However, efforts to interfere with funds allocated by the previous Congress and administration appear to be ongoing, potentially aided by Elon Musk’s illegal seizure of the Treasury’s payment system over the weekend. My office will resume sending these blasts when we have a better handle on which funding opportunities and sources can be relied upon in light of these new developments.

Call & Write to Your Federal Representatives

On a related note: the United States has long-established laws and procedures that are supposed to guide the disbursement of federal funds. The rule of law is what gives the United States the stability that has allowed us to become the most prosperous nation in history, and the steps that have led to Elon Musk’s associates having access to the nation’s payment system are incredibly dangerous. As taxpayers, we need and deserve transparency about who has access to our money, and the processes by which those funds are disbursed must be consistent and governed by law, not whim. Please join me in calling on our federal representatives to insist they stand up for the security of the money that we have all contributed to the United States Treasury: 

Congressman Mike Lawler: https://lawler.house.gov/contact/

Senator Chuck Schumer: https://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/

Best,

Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg

My office will resume holding mobile office hours around the district in February. Stop by for help with anything you might come into the district office for: help navigating state agencies, information about state programs, and more. Here are the dates and locations for February: 

• Thursday, February 6, 1-4 PM: Desmond-Fish Library, 472 Route 403, Garrison, NY 10524
• Thursday, February 20, 1-4 PM: Briarcliff Manor Library, 1 Library Road, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510

I am once again hosting town halls to share updates from Albany and gather your input as the new legislative session and budget negotiations get underway. I hope you will be able to join me. Two will be focused on affordability issues specifically, while the others will be open to all topics. The schedule is as follows:

Affordability

Thursday, February 6 at 7 PM: Virtual town hall on affordability issues. RSVP at https://bit.ly/AD95VirtualTownHall2025 

Thursday, February 13 at 7 PM: Croton Free Library, 171 Cleveland Dr., Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520

General Interest

Saturday, February 8: 

• 10 AM: Briarcliff Manor Community Center, 3 Library Rd., Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510
• 2 PM: Field Library, 4 Nelson Ave., Peekskill, NY 10566

Saturday, February 15:

• 10 AM: Hendrick Hudson Free Library, 185 Kings Ferry Rd., Montrose, NY 10548
• 2 PM: Desmond-Fish Public Library, 472 NY-403, Garrison, NY 10524

Late last week, Con Ed filed a request to increase its electricity delivery rates again. I know that the current delivery charge increases are already putting a strain on many households. I am working with my colleagues to pass legislation like the New York HEAT Act, which would help us enact a 6% cap on household utility costs. I am also a co-sponsor of A. 1028, which would help constrain costs by requiring utilities regulated by the Public Service Commission to adopt a common equity ratio and rate of return on equity. 

In the meantime, I will be submitting a comment on the current rate case, and encourage you all to do the same. You can click here to read more about the new rate case. You can click the “Post Comments” button on this page to submit a comment on the case.

New laws go into effect every month. Of particular note this month are a number of laws promoting public health and safety; I was proud to support their passage. Here are more details about laws going into effect in February 2025: 

2/6/2025: Ch. 427 of 2024, A5873 / S3340

Requires extreme risk protection orders to be reported to the statewide registry of orders of protection and arrest warrants.

2/9/2025: Ch. 447 of 2024, A7173 / S7544

Directs each state agency to designate a veterans' liaison who will provide information and assistance to veterans regarding benefits and services available within their respective agency.

2/11/2025: Ch. 578 of 2024, A10529 / S7462B

Allows retired employees of the New York state teachers' retirement system, who return to active service and suspend their pension benefit, to elect to combine their service credit earned prior to retirement with the service credit earned after their restoration to active service, provided they have earned at least two years of service credit since such restoration.

2/17/2025: Ch. 601 of 2024, A10215A / S9365A

Enacts the Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act, prohibiting third-party restaurant reservation services from arranging unauthorized restaurant reservations with food service establishments.

2/19/2025: Ch. 603 of 2024, A1057C / S1759B

Requires online dating platforms to notify individual users when they have communicated with someone who has been banned from the platform for fraud.

2/19/2025: Ch. 615 of 2024, A5311 / S1059

Requires the secretary of state to offer online code enforcement training programs for code enforcement personnel, with flexible options for when such training programs may be completed.

2/19/2025: Ch. 618 of 2024, A7091 / S8979

Requires electric vehicle charging stations and electric vehicle capable parking spaces to have handicap accessible spaces that are large enough to accommodate wheelchair accessible electric vehicles, including but not limited to vans and minivans.

2/19/2025: Ch. 621 of 2024, A7348 / S9745

Updates provisions regarding providing notice to respondents in child abuse and neglect proceedings and consequences in family court.

2/19/2025: Ch. 638 of 2024, A10353 / S9733

Requires matrimonial legal actions to take place in a county in which either party or minor children of the marriage resides.

2/19/2025: Ch. 651 of 2024, A4563 / S4636

Expands the adopt-a-municipal park, shoreline, or roadway programs to include lakes.

2/20/2025: Ch. 460 of 2024, A2866 / S4199

Establishes regulations to provide standards for hurricane windstorm deductibles, creating uniformity in the operation of such deductibles with respect to the triggering event.

2/20/2025: Ch. 466 of 2024, A5984B / S7177B

Allows a practitioner in a hospital without a full-time pharmacy to dispense a 3 day supply of buprenorphine and methadone to an emergency room patient for use off premises, in accordance with updated DEA guidelines.

2/20/2025: Ch. 492 of 2024, A9886 / S9550

Lowers the age requirement for hospitals to offer inpatients the influenza vaccine from 65 years old to 50 years old.

2/22/2025: Ch. 520 of 2024, A8378A / S9038A

Modernizes practice guidelines for physician assistants.

2/23/2025: Ch. 537 of 2024, A4667B / S932D

Requires health clubs to accept cancellation of a membership within 10 business days of receiving notice of the cancellation.

2/24/2025: Ch. 233 of 2024, A7395 / S9787

Requires the Office of Mental Health to establish peer service qualification programs to provide for the credentialing and certification of mental health and family and youth peer advocates.

2/24/2025: Ch. 543 of 2024, A8994A / S7739B

Enacts the Detective Brian Simonsen's Law, requiring wireless communication service providers to disable services to stolen wireless phones.