Dear Constituent, 

Below please find information about this month’s events and initiatives from my office, along with other time-sensitive information and a list of new laws going into effect in September 2025. 

Happy September! 

I send my best wishes to all of the students, teachers and staff heading back to school this week. During this year’s budget negotiations, my colleagues and I worked hard to set our students up for success. We increased Foundation Aid and ensured that all students have access to free school meals. We also passed new laws banning cell phones during school hours and setting limits on classroom temperatures to create safer, more focused learning environments. With more resources, fewer distractions and safer classrooms, we hope to lay the foundation for better schools and brighter futures for every child. Here’s to a happy, healthy, productive school year!

Sincerely,

Assemblymember Dana Levenberg 

My staff hosts mobile office hours to bring the services of the district office to all corners of the district. Stop by for help with anything you might come into the office for: help navigating state agencies, information about state programs, and more. Here are the dates, times and locations for this fall: 

• Thursday, September 18, 1-4 PM: Hendrick Hudson Free Library, 185 Kings Ferry Rd, Montrose, NY 10548
• Thursday, October 16, 1-4 PM: Desmond-Fish Library, 472 NY-403, Garrison, NY 10524
• Thursday, November 20, 1-4 PM: John C. Hart Memorial Library, 1130 E Main St, Shrub Oak, NY 10588

September is Library Card Sign-up Month! Public libraries are a major benefit to our communities, providing everything from a wealth of knowledge and fun, to informative programs, and more. In the latest episode of my podcast series, Building Healthy Communities, I speak with the directors of two local libraries: Dana Hysell of the Field Library in Peekskill and Karen LaRocca-Fels of the Ossining Public Library. If you don't have your library card yet, click here to listen and learn more about the many resources a library card gives you access to. 

Find your local library this Library Card Sign-Up Month at www.westchesterlibraries.org for Westchester residents and discover.midhudsonlibraries.org for Putnam residents.

The Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) is New York State’s higher education  financial aid agency, awarding nearly $1 billion in financial aid to more than 330,000 students each year. HESC is hosting over 23 virtual events throughout the month of September to assist students, families, and school counselors apply to and pay for college. Click here for the full list of events.

Please join me on Friday, September 26 for a special showing of my office’s latest art exhibition, Visionary Voices. Many thanks to our curator, Joyce Sharrock-Cole, for her work in pulling the show together! Visionary Voices is a beautiful, thought-provoking collection of pieces by local artists exploring themes of equality, inequality, and diversity in our state. Click here to RSVP for this showing.

This year’s state budget included STAR program tax relief totaling $2.2 billion across the state. Payments will begin coming soon via direct deposit, credit on your school tax bill, or a check in your mailbox. Click here to get an estimate of when STAR credits will begin arriving in your school district.

There is still time to comment on the latest draft of the New York Power Authority’s renewable energy strategic plan. Click here to do so any time before 5 PM on Monday, October 6, 2025.

The “Old Traditions, New Beginnings” project aims to give seniors the opportunity to connect with others by sharing their stories, memories, recipes, or whatever legacy they would like to impart to the generations that follow. Contributions to this project are now regularly featured in the River Journal and River Journal North. If you are interested in contributing your own writing (250-1000 words) or volunteering to help others share their contributions, please email district95@nyassembly.gov.

New laws go into effect every month. Here is a list of laws going into effect in September 2025:

9/1/2025: Ch. 596 of 2024, A9011-A/S3397-A; Ch. 25 of 2025, A752/S775

Requires policies regarding maximum temperatures in school buildings and facilities to include a plan to remove students and staff from occupied spaces where practicable when the temperature reaches 88 degrees Fahrenheit.

9/1/2025: Ch. 55 of 2025 Part C, A3005-C/S3005-C

Expands eligibility for correction and police officer positions by eliminating the residency requirement for correction officers and increasing the hiring age of New York State police to age 43.

9/1/2025: Ch. 58 of 2025 Part PP, A3008-C/S3008-C

Continues the waste tire management fee through December 31, 2027. Requires businesses to inform customers about the tire recycling program and removes the exemption for tires sold through mail orders.

9/1/2025: Ch. 58 of 2025 Part BBB, A3008-C/S4008-C

Creates a commission to replace the statue of Robert R. Livingston in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall with one of Harriet Tubman. The commission will include the governor and leaders from the Senate and Assembly, Council on the Arts, and Office of General Services, or their designees.

9/1/2025: Ch. 59 of 2025 Part FF Subpart A, A3009-C/S3009-C

Simplifies the parimutuel wagering tax rate system.

9/1/2025: Ch. 189 of 2025 § 5, A785-A/S5539-A

Requires schools safety plans to include a cardiac emergency response plan, including procedures for addressing medical needs, transportation and emergency notification of parents and guardians.

9/6/2025: Ch. 56 of 2025 Part EE, S3006-C/A3006-C

Expands the merit time allowance and limited credit time allowance programs.

9/6/2025: Ch. 59 of 2025 Part F Subpart A, A3009-C/S3009-C

Establishes a 90-day waiting period for the purchase of residential real property by certain institutional purchasers, putting real people ahead of private equity firms and anonymous LLCs in the real estate market. 

9/6/2025: Ch. 59 of 2025 Part F Subpart C, A3009-C/S3009-C

Requires the secretary of state to provide public notice of real property solicitation cease and desist zones.

9/13/2025: Ch. 49 of 2025 §1, A1476/S776

Defines medically fragile young adults as those aged 21-35,  for purposes of residing in pediatric specialized nursing facilities.

9/22/2025: Ch. 99 of 2025 §§2-8, A5686/S820

Provides for the regulation of short-term residential rental units.

9/22/2025: Ch. 133 of 2025, A8147/S7620

Allows licensed medical and health professionals from foreign countries or other U.S. states to provide care to athletes, coaches, and staff during the 2025 Ryder Cup in New York, if appointed by the PGA of America.