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About this blog

Senator Tom O'Mara's ( R- NY 58th ) weekly column. 

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Take Back New York Sets The Stage For 2022

Take Back New York Sets The Stage For 2022

To kick off the 2022 session of the State Legislature – one that I believe represents one of the truly pivotal sessions in modern history, with New York at a crossroads in so many areas – my colleagues and I in the Senate Republican Conference have put forth a comprehensive set of goals to help grow local and state economies, focus on the financial challenges facing many middle-class families and small business owners, and make public safety an urgent priority.   It’s called “Take Back New
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

3
Governor Hochul About To Uproot The Future For Many Farmers

Governor Hochul About To Uproot The Future For Many Farmers

In early September, a New York State Wage Board, established under a 2019 law known as the “Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act,” will finalize its recommendation on one of the key provisions of that three-year-old law – and its decision could forever impact New York agriculture as we have known it.  Specifically, the Farm Wage Board will issue a final report on September 6 and recommend lowering the mandatory overtime pay threshold for farmworkers from the current 60 hours to 40 hours, a
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

3
Keeping An Eye On The Future Of New York's Family Farms

Keeping An Eye On The Future Of New York's Family Farms

In case you haven’t noticed over the past 18 months, there’s a lot to keep an eye on in state government. If we have learned anything, in fact, we better have learned that the need for aggressive and vocal legislative oversight in New York State government has never been more critical. The perfect storm of a government under one-party control, which automatically diminishes legislative checks and balances, and the fact that the Legislature’s current Democrat leaders have willingly, alm
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

2
The Plague Of Lawlessness Keeps Spreading Statewide

The Plague Of Lawlessness Keeps Spreading Statewide

On the evening of Friday, March 30, Chemung County Sheriff’s Investigator Mike Theetge, in pursuit of a suspect in a retail theft operation at a Target store in Big Flats, just two miles from my home, was struck and thrown by the getaway vehicle being used in the crime. Investigator Theetge, 35 years old, suffered a skull fracture and brain bleeding. As of this writing, he remains hospitalized in critical condition. First and foremost, please keep Mike and his family in your prayers. The ou
What In The Name Of Justice Is Going On?

What In The Name Of Justice Is Going On?

Coming off the approval of a new state budget that blows through a one-time windfall of $13 billion in federal aid, increases spending by an unprecedented $18 billion, and raises taxes by more than $4 billion, I’m not expecting this state government under one-party control to take a breath. The relentless pursuit of a so-called progressive agenda will continue while the Legislature’s Democrat supermajorities continue to exert their political leverage over a scandal-plagued Governor Andrew C
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

1
An Alarm Sounding Louder Than Ever

An Alarm Sounding Louder Than Ever

Here we go again. The ink on the new state budget is barely dry and the Albany Democrats are already eyeing their next tax hike opportunities That’s right. New York’s out-of-control Democrat supermajorities just enacted a $212-billion state budget that blew through a one-time $13-billion windfall of federal aid, increased state government spending by $18 billion, and raised taxes by nearly five billion dollars. Already, it’s not enough for them. Already, it’s being made clear
Not So Fast On The End Of The Nursing Homes Tragedy

Not So Fast On The End Of The Nursing Homes Tragedy

During a rare question-and-answer session with reporters at an event at Yankee Stadium last week to announce a new vaccination program, Governor Cuomo continued to defend his administration’s actions on the spread of COVID-19 in New York’s nursing homes, where the pandemic has already taken the lives of nearly 16,000 seniors. Some viewed the governor’s latest eye-popping comments as a victory lap – that the governor was pounding his chest and declaring himself absolved of any and all wrongd
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

1
Have We Turned The Page To A New Governor?

Have We Turned The Page To A New Governor?

Under disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo, beginning in March 2020, we witnessed an unleashing of state government by executive order unlike ever before.  Cuomo utilized at least one hundred Executive Orders that allowed him to unilaterally change hundreds of state laws, as well as implement rules and regulations and make spending decisions, without legislative approval or local input. Any semblance of legislative checks and balances was abandoned. The same was true for local decision ma
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

1
New York's Family Farms Facing Yet Another State Imposed Crisis

New York's Family Farms Facing Yet Another State Imposed Crisis

In the near future, a New York State Wage Board, established under a 2019 law known as the “Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act,” will revisit one of the key provisions of that law – and its decision could forever impact New York agriculture as we have known it.  Specifically, this Wage Board could decide, without legislative approval, to lower the mandatory overtime pay threshold from the current 60 hours to 40 hours.  In other words, the future of farming in New York State still han
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

1
Taking Back New York To Get More Urgent

Taking Back New York To Get More Urgent

The month of March could end up marking a critical turning point in the future direction of New YorkState.  The Senate and Assembly Democrat supermajorities controlling the state Legislature will soon unveil “one-house budget bills” likely seeking to expand the already $216-billion Executive Budget proposal put forth by Governor Kathy Hochul in January.  I’ve previously noted in this column that, if enacted, the governor’s proposal by itself -- already nearly $5 billion higher than the
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

1
Will Governor Hochul Turn Her Back On Farmers?

Will Governor Hochul Turn Her Back On Farmers?

To no one’s surprise last week, a New York State Wage Board established under a 2019 law known as the “Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act” finalized its recommendation to lower the mandatory overtime pay threshold for farm workers from the current 60 hours to 40 hours.  If left to stand by Governor Kathy Hochul, it will change the face of New York State agriculture as we have known it for generations.  Listen to the warnings, governor. Stay at 60.  Grow NY Farms, a coalition of
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

1
Rescuing New York Now More Urgent Than Ever

Rescuing New York Now More Urgent Than Ever

To kick off the 2023 legislative session – one that we believed represented a pivotal session with New York at a crossroads in so many areas – the Senate Republican Conference put forth a comprehensive set of goals to help rebuild and strengthen local and state economies, focus on the financial challenges facing many middle-class families and small business owners, and make public safety a top priority. At that time back in early January, I said, “New Yorkers across the Southern Tier and Fi
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

1
A Budget Disguised As Fiscal Discipline Threatens Local Schools

A Budget Disguised As Fiscal Discipline Threatens Local Schools

One of the most controversial actions of Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed 2024-2025 state budget is her move to cut education aid to more than half of New York State’s school districts outside of New York City. If enacted, the governor’s proposed education cuts would fall most heavily on certain regions, including many small, largely rural school districts across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes. Here's a few of the most staggering cuts to schools in the 58th Senate District: Hammondsport
On The Brink of Making It Worse For Farmers

On The Brink of Making It Worse For Farmers

We need to keep close watch on the future of our family farms.   A key action of the 2019 legislative session was the approval of controversial legislation (S6578/A8419, Chapter 105 of the Laws of 2019) known as the “Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act,” sponsored by two New York City legislators and pushed hard as a “progressive” hallmark by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Throughout the year prior to this law’s enactment, I joined many opponents, including the New York Farm Bureau, to warn a
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Valor Glass Vials Holding Hope For Today, And A Future Warning

Valor Glass Vials Holding Hope For Today, And A Future Warning

The headline of the week, the start of COVID-19 vaccinations across America, might at first appear unrelated to the state comptroller’s announcement last week of divesting the New York State Pension Fund of investments in fossil fuel companies. Under the surface, however, there’s a connection between the two that’s critical to the future of manufacturing in New York.    We have been hoping and praying for a COVID-19 vaccine. The fact that starting this week we’re on the doorstep of wid
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Relief For Farmers Now, But Long Term Threat Remains

Relief For Farmers Now, But Long Term Threat Remains

It was a relief last week when New York’s newly created Farm Labor Wage Board chose not to immediately lower the state’s current 60-hour overtime threshold for farm workers. The relief is only temporary, however. The three-member Board made it clear that it will revisit the potential change next November with an eye toward moving ahead on a lower, likely 40-hour threshold. A lot can happen between now and next November, but make no mistake this is where we stand: farmers and their advo
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Approaching The New Year With Hope

Approaching The New Year With Hope

Finally. Heading toward the beginning of a new year, the ongoing distribution of more widespread COVID-19 vaccinations appears to be the long-awaited mile marker on this incredibly long and hard road back to public health and economic renewal. First and foremost, make no mistake that reaching this point of potential renewal is the product of personal responsibility, and enormous perseverance and sacrifice on the part of so many. Every single one of you who have heard the public he
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Resetting New York State For The Post-Covid Future

Resetting New York State For The Post-Covid Future

In yet another reminder of these COVID-19 times, the 2021 legislative session kicks into high gear on Monday when Governor Andrew Cuomo delivers New York’s first-ever virtual State of the State address to New Yorkers. Nevertheless, what won’t change about this annual speech is that we’ll get a better sense of the direction Governor Cuomo intends to try to take this state in the months and possibly years ahead. We’re expecting to hear a direction not just to continue steering this state thro
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Budget Adoption Process Kicks Into Virtual High Gear This Week

Budget Adoption Process Kicks Into Virtual High Gear This Week

The 2021-2022 state budget adoption process marks my first as the Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee. It’s shaping up as one of the most consequential state budgets New York has ever faced. After a year when the COVID-19 pandemic has turned everything upside down, the choices made and the direction charted in this new budget could be transformational for the future of local communities, economies and taxpayers. In my view, here’s the fundamental question: Will it be transfo
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Attorney General Report A Beginning, Not The End

Attorney General Report A Beginning, Not The End

To summarize where we stand in our months-long effort to better understand the tragedy that is New York’s COVID-19 nursing home crisis -- and the Cuomo administration’s response to it – we now have a report from the state attorney general. It arrived last week after months and months of repeated requests -- from legislators (including myself), Democrat and Republican, reporters, watchdog groups, and from family members who have lost loved ones in nursing homes – for the most basic of inform
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
One Of the Worst Disasters In State History

One Of the Worst Disasters In State History

It turns out my column’s headline last week -- “Attorney General report a beginning, not the end” – was quite an understatement. In fact, the AG’s report has sparked nothing short of a firestorm since its release on January 28. It revealed, among many findings, that the Cuomo administration was underreporting COVID-19 nursing home deaths by potentially as much as 50 percent – and the findings were based on a review of just ten percent of the state’s nursing homes. After requests for mo
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Governor And Allies Caught Circling The Wagons

Governor And Allies Caught Circling The Wagons

Albany at the moment may best be described by a few lines from All The President’s Men, “It leads everywhere. Get out your notebook. There’s more.” In fact, there was a lot more at the State Capitol last Thursday night when reporters from the New York Post dropped a bombshell scoop detailing a secret virtual meeting of top legislative Democrats and members of Governor Cuomo’s inner circle. The Post obtained an audio recording of the Democrats-only meeting and the story quotes one of th
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
New York Didn't Do Everything Right

New York Didn't Do Everything Right

If you haven’t been following the daily developments on the Cuomo administration’s nursing homes disaster, following are just a few highlights from the past week: Nine Democratic members of the state Assembly, in a letter urging support for stripping Governor Cuomo’s COVID-19 emergency powers, accused the governor with federal obstruction of justice, calling it a “criminal use of power”; Governor Cuomo responded by publicly attacking one of the letter’s signers, Assemblyman Ron Kim
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

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A Critically Important Budget For Future Generations

A Critically Important Budget For Future Generations

Last March, right around this time, we were at the beginning stages of a COVID-19 response that would turn the world and our individual lives upside down in ways most of us never envisioned at the start.  It was also at this time last year that Governor Cuomo and legislative leaders in the Senate and Assembly were negotiating a new state budget. Once the details of the state’s 2020-21 fiscal plan began to leak out, I issued the following warning on March 23, 2020, “We are facing an unpreced
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
It's Time To Go Back To School

It's Time To Go Back To School

Together with my regional legislative colleagues, state Assembly representatives Marjorie Byrnes, Chris Friend, Joe Giglio and Phil Palmesano, we are sending a message to Governor Andrew Cuomo: It’s time.  We believe it is time to allow every local school district throughout the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions we represent -- and, in our view, districts across New York State – to return to full-time, in-person classroom instruction. School administrators and staff are ready. Tea
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
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