Assemblywoman Jenne: Omnibus bill protects North Country interests

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne has announced the state Assembly passed legislation early Thursday morning that will make available up to $45 million for repairs caused by flood damage on the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

The bill also grants St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties the permission they needed from the state legislature to extend revenue enhancers.

"We had taken action on these items earlier this year, but we returned to Albany on Wednesday to pass a bill with language that would gain the necessary support of our partners in state government necessary for the legislation to be signed into law," Assemblywonan Jenne said.

"I look forward to the state Senate adopting this legislation so local governments have control over their revenue and money can be made available to those who have suffered flood damage in Western, Central and Northern New York," she stressed.

Assemblywoman Jenne said the legislation that passed the state Assembly covered a number of areas, and she said she was pleased it included language critical to the needs of the North Country.

"I came back to Albany this week to fight to make sure we reached an agreement so St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties would have the revenue extenders they need to support their budgets and so flood relief monies could start flowing to homeowners, businesses and municipalities on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River that have suffered damage as a result of the extraordinarily high water levels. Both those goals were met by this legislation," she said.

"The legislation includes a three-year extension on the revenue extenders for counties. That is clearly a step in the right direction. It was critical to get this settled before our county officials begin their budget talks for the coming year. Our failure to act could have led to unnecessary property tax increases to make up for the lost revenue," Assemblywoman Jenne noted.

"It was also important for us to guarantee relief is available flood victims. The funding in the legislation we approved Thursday represents a compromise with the executive from the funding level the assembly and state senate had previously agreed on, but it will still be beneficial for businesses, homeowners and seasonal property owners with incomes under $275,000," she stressed.

The amended Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence Seaway flood recovery and International Joint Commission Plan 2014 mitigation grant program allocates up to $15 million for repairs to businesses and not for profits suffering flood damage between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, up to $15 million for property owners suffering flood damage to their properties and up to $15 million for infrastructure repairs for municipalities that suffered damages from the flooding on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River as well funding local government flood mitigation or flood control projects in the impacted area.

The $45 million package adopted by the state Assembly is in addition to the $22 million Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has previously allocated to the flood relief effort,

Assemblywoman Jenne’s bill to modify in-service death benefit for veteran correction officers heads to governor

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, D-Theresa, announced that legislation she authored to ensure corrections officers and their families are given the pension benefits they have earned has passed the Assembly (A.5133).

“Correction officers put their lives on the line every day, ensuring the safety of inmates as well as their fellow officers,” Assemblywoman Jenne said.

“It’s an extremely difficult and dangerous job. Correction officers give so much to help keep our communities safe, and we must make sure they receive the death benefit protections they deserve and have earned for their invaluable service,” she said.

The bill would ensure that the families of correction officers can collect the full pension amount upon their passing.

Current law penalizes the families of correction officers working past their initial potential retirement date at the time of their death, according to Assemblywoman Jenne.

This measure remedies this discrepancy so that correction officers are considered retired when they pass away on the job.

Assemblywoman Jenne has been a strong advocate for the profession and has helped increase protections for North Country correction workers.

The North Country hosts state correctional facilities in Watertown, Cape Vincent, Gouverneur and two in Ogdensburg.

The bill has the support of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), with whom she met with to discuss the measure and other issues. The measure will impact approximately 3,200 employees of the Department of Corrections and Community Services.

“Losing a loved one is already extremely difficult. This legislation was simply the right thing to do. It made absolutely no sense to penalize the families of veteran correctional officers willing to continue working past their potential retirement dates. Our prisons benefit from having that experience inside the walls," according to the assemblywoman.

“Penalizing brokenhearted families in their time of loss is unconscionable. These men and women worked hard for their benefits, and their families shouldn’t be shortchanged,” Assemblywoman Jenne stressed.

Assemblywoman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay), who worked for the Department of Corrections and Community Services before being elected to the state Assembly in November, praised Assemblywoman Jenne for leading the effort to protect veteran correction officers.

“As a former correction officer, I’ve seen firsthand just how difficult the duties of this job are. Every day, correction officers risk their lives to protect our communities. Their families deserve to be protected too if their loved one dies while still on the job. I commend Assemblywoman Jenne and our colleagues in the state Senate for their work on this legislation,” he said.

The legislation has also passed the state Senate and now heads to the governor's desk for his approval.

NYSCOPBA President Michael B. Powers said the legislation was important for the state's correction officers and sergeants.

"On behalf of the members of NYSCOPBA, I would like to thank Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Assemblywoman Addie Jenne for recognizing the need for this critical legislation," he said.

"Working without adequate death benefit protections for their loved ones places an even greater stress upon the men and women of NYSCOPBA working in our state’s prisons. With this legislation, retirement eligible, correctional officers and sergeants are now one step closer to knowing that their hard earned and well-deserved pensions will remain with their beneficiaries in the event of an untimely death," he added.

"NYSCOPBA applauds the efforts of the Assembly, specifically Assemblywoman Jenne and her staff, and we now call upon Governor Cuomo to sign this important piece of legislation into law," Mr. Powers said.

Assemblywoman Jenne: Legislation investing in America’s manufacturing industry passes state Assembly

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, D-Theresa, says legislation she supported to strengthen both the state and national iron and steel manufacturing industries (A.8427-A) passed the state Assembly in a Wednesday vote.

She said the the New York State Buy American Act takes into account trade the trade relationships with Canada to help ensure the North Country economy is protected.

“The United States and our North Country economies were built on manufacturing, and while times have changed the need for these industries has not. We must ensure that American manufacturers – especially in New York – can continue to thrive and create good-paying jobs,” she said.

The bill requires that certain state agency contracts use American-made iron and steel on road surface and bridge works when the project exceeds $1 million. The bill ensures tha taxpayers money is reinvested here at home.

The bill is cognizant of valuable trade ties with Canada, a large and beneficial factor in the North Country economy, Assemblywoman Jenne stressed.

Changes to the original bill were made, including establishing a workgroup with members appointed by the governor, Senate and Assembly to analyze and determine the impact the act will have on reciprocal international trade agreements.

“While reinforcing American industries is a great step toward a prosperous future, remembering the mutually beneficial ties we have across the border is just as important. This measure boosts manufacturing here while protecting our important trade relationships with our friends and neighbors to the north.”

The North Country has seen the loss of several hundred manufacturing jobs over the past few decades, and American manufacturing jobs have declined by 5 million since the year 2000.

The New York Buy American Act requires that contracts over $1 million awarded by the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Office of General Services (OGS), the Dormitory Authority (DASNY), the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the Bridge Authority, the Thruway Authority and the State University of New York (SUNY) Construction Fund, for the construction or reconstruction of surface roads and bridges, utilize American steel and iron unless certain conditions justify an exemption.

By supporting state and national manufacturers, the bill ensures that taxpayer-funded projects reinvest in our economy to create more decent- paying jobs.

The workgroup will also study the possible expansion of the act to include other American-made products such as cement, concrete and aluminum, as well as report on the act’s impact on the capital plans of the DOT, MTA and Thruway Authority.

'This legislation is a good step in offering protections to manufacturers in this country so our state dollars are supporting manufacturing jobs here in the North Country, New York State and around the United States," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

"It is clearly critical for the health of our economy and our national security to ensure we continue to have these important manufacturing jobs in New York State while taking into account the unique relationships and partnerships we have with Canadian businesses and manufacturers," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

Ronald P. McDougall, president of the Jefferson-Lewis-St. Lawrence Counties Central Trades and Labor Council, AFL-CIO, praised the state Assembly for passing the legislation.

"It is certainly a start that is very important to our economy. We have a major union employer in the community where I serve as mayor, and this could be a real good thing for Cives Steel, a major employer in Gouverneur. It also offers an opportunity for other positive ramifications," Mr. McDougall said.

Assemblywoman Jenne supports legislation offering more protection for volunteer firefighters

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, D-Theresa, helped pass legislation (A.711-B) Tuesday that would provide volunteer firefighters who develop certain forms of cancer with enhanced disability benefits.

"This legislation is long overdue. We know our volunteer firefighters are being exposed to more and more chemicals when they enter burning buildings due to changes in building materials and furniture. We have a moral obligation to offer protections to the brave men and women who risk their lives to answer the fire calls, as well to ensure their families are protected when they respond to a fire scene," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

"The vast majority of our communities in the North Country simply don’t have the financial resources necessary to respond to emergencies without the selfless service of our volunteers. This legislation is another no-brainer, offering increased protections to our volunteers, and I'm proud to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it," she added.

A series of studies conducted over the last several years found that firefighters have an increased rate of cancer. When a firefighter responds to an interior fire, there are often carcinogens
burning in that fire. These carcinogens come from the burning of everyday products.

Assemblywoman Jenne said the legislation was necessary because there are currently no adequate protections to compensate volunteer firefighters for a risk that studies have shown exist solely because of their willingness to volunteer as interior firefighters in an effort to save lives and property in their communities.

The gap coverage disability benefit will help volunteer firefighters offset some of the expenses that are linked to battling serious forms of cancer, she noted.

'We have to do better for our volunteer firefighters. We can not and should not force our volunteers to incur large out-of-pocket expenses when they are being treated for cancers that can be tied to their service," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

The benefit is limited to volunteers who have served for at least five years as an interior fire-fighter and have been diagnosed with an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in any part of the body or a malignant growth or tumor affecting the lymphatic or hematological, digestive, urinary, prostate, neurological, breast or reproductive systems or melanoma.

The volunteer would be eligible for a lump sum payment between $6,250 and $25,000, depending on severity. This amount may be drawn from a pool of $50,000, which is available if there is more than one cancer diagnosis over the volunteer firefighters' lifetime.

The bill would also provide a volunteer firefighter that is totally disabled a monthly benefit of
$1,500 payable for up to 36 consecutive months. A volunteer firefighter's family would be eligible for an accidental death benefit in the amount of $50,000.

The legislation also passed the state Senate this week and now moves to the governor's desk for his approval.

"I see and hear about the great work our volunteer firefighters do on a regular basis, and I have been pleased to be able to support several pieces of legislation over the past few years that offer necessary protections to these brave men and women," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

Assemblywoman Jenne: Legislation to assist flood victims passes assembly; measure also approved by senate

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, D-Theresa, announced  legislation (A.8013-A) she co-sponsored to establish a flood recovery and mitigation grant program to help those recovering from the recent flooding along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway passed the Assembly Monday.
 
“We have seen the damage flood waters have had inflicted on homes, businesses and municipal facilities on the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River this spring," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

"I have seen first hand some of that damage in the River District and spent time working with volunteers and National Guard members  to fill sandbags in Chaumont. This legislation is absolutely vital to combat rising water levels and the damages they can cause to surrounding communities. I will continue advocating for more proactive legislation that helps curb the impact of flooding in the North Country,” she added.

The legislation would establish a $90 million flood recovery grant program to help communities rebuild after flooding. The program allocates up to $15 million for homeowners, $25 million for businesses, farms and nonprofits and $25 million for local municipalities. 

The legislation also allocates $15 million for flood mitigation activities to help prevent future flooding and $10 million in disaster relief for municipalities still recovering from the impact of a previous natural disaster. Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties are both eligible to receive funding.

"This year's flooding has demonstrated the need to allocate more funding for shoreline stabilization efforts on the shores of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario.  The legislation I cosponsored program that I cosponsored would assist communities to do just that," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

The bill would also establish an interagency response to assist in the allocation and distribution of state and federal resources and develop a comprehensive multi-agency flood response plan to respond to future water level increases that may occur.

To support homeowners who face costly and substantial repairs to their properties after flooding, the bill authorizes a reduced property tax assessment as well as a state deduction in income tax for those who use a distribution from an eligible retirement plan to aid in restoration efforts.

The measure also passed the state Senate on Monday and now will be sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo.