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About this blog

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

Entries in this blog

Governor Hochul Ignores New York Agriculture

Governor Hochul Ignores New York Agriculture

It wasn’t long ago in this column -- in early September in fact – that I asked the question, “Will Governor Hochul turn her back on farmers?”  I asked it after 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.   Following the Wage Board’s action, Governor Hochul was given 45 days to send down the
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
NY Not Addressing Root Causes Of Ongoing Economic Uncertainty

NY Not Addressing Root Causes Of Ongoing Economic Uncertainty

I was pleased recently to have New York’s leading small business association, the National Federation of Independent Business of New York (NFIB/NY), reaffirm my commitment to the future of small business and revitalizing our state and local economies overall.  As part of the organization’s 2021-2022 legislative review, I was one of seven state senators to earn a 100% rating on how priority issues were addressed for small business owners across New York.  The NFIB/NY “Voting Record” can
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

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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
NY's Spending Spree Already Proving Unsustainable

NY's Spending Spree Already Proving Unsustainable

It didn’t take long and it’s not good news for future taxpayers.  In April, when Governor Kathy Hochul and the Democrat legislative majorities in the Senate and Assembly finished stocking up what would become New York’s largest-ever state budget, many of us warned about its irrational spending.  Remember that the final 2022-2023 budget rang in at over $220 billion, hiking New York government spending by at least $8 billion over last year while simply ignoring the overriding need for ma
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

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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
The Albany Mindset Refuses To See What's Happening

The Albany Mindset Refuses To See What's Happening

The extreme Albany Democrat mindset refuses to see what’s happening all around us and that it can happen anywhere.  Every day.  On the night of Thursday, July 21, in the city of Rochester, two police officers were ambushed and shot, an attack which took the life of Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz, a 29-year veteran of the police force.   Rochester Police Chief David Smith would later say, “I was asked by the media, ‘How dangerous is it out there for the officers of the Rochester Poli
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

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The Worst Of NY's COVID Response Belongs To Two Governors

The Worst Of NY's COVID Response Belongs To Two Governors

In the end, when the retrospectives of New York’s COVID-19 response have been completed – and, eventually, they will be – what transpired within the state’s nursing homes and the loss of more than 15,000 lives will finally be granted the total, transparent scrutiny it demands.  Sadly, at the moment, this desperately needed assessment and examination appears not to be a priority for Governor Kathy Hochul, despite her reassurances a few months back that her administration would be reexamining
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

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Opioid Crisis Remains Major Area Of Concern

Opioid Crisis Remains Major Area Of Concern

We were reminded not long ago, as part of the most recent National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, of just how serious and deadly the opioid crisis remains across our region, state, and nation.  The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has noted the dramatic impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on opioid addictions. According to the CDC, nearly 84,000 Americans overdosed during the latest 12-month period.  It is a stark reminder of an ongoing crisis that continues
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Keep Turning The Page This Summer

Keep Turning The Page This Summer

Numbers help tell every story.  For example, many studies have helped make the case that children who read during the summer months make greater academic gains in the following school year than children who do not.   In fact, statistics on the “summer slide” jump right off the page, including that:  Students can lose up to 25 percent of their reading level over the summer;  Children who don’t engage in summer reading lose approximately two months of instructional time, or rou
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Step Outside And Grow The Economy

Step Outside And Grow The Economy

Among numerous other designations, the month of June is recognized as National Great Outdoors Month.  It is worth some attention here in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes. At a time when we need to stay in pursuit of every possible ray of hope, it is one bright spot in an otherwise cloudy and unsettled economic future.  The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) gets right to the point, “Outdoor recreation is an economic force.”  It’s a point well taken and one that governmental lead
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Taking Back NY Is More Important Than Ever

Taking Back NY Is More Important Than Ever

To kick off the 2022 session of the State Legislature – one that we believed represented one of the truly pivotal sessions in modern history, 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. It was called “Take Back New York” and w
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
God Bless America And God Bless Our Troops

God Bless America And God Bless Our Troops

From Arlington and Gettysburg to Woodlawn and Bath and hundreds of other national veterans’ cemeteries and monuments across this land, Americans will gather once again to observe Memorial Day.  The nation’s long-standing Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in the nation’s capital is highlighted by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, on which the following words are inscribed, “Here rests in honored glory an American solider known but to God.” 
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Spreading The Word About Lyme Disease

Spreading The Word About Lyme Disease

May is officially designated as Lyme Disease Awareness Month because, according to the Lyme Disease Research Foundation, it is the “most commonly reported tick-borne disease in the United States.”  Several years ago, when I was serving as a member of the Senate Task Force on Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases, as well as chairing the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, the Southern Tier was identified as a hotbed for Lyme disease, according to data released by the state Department of Hea
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
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
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
Watch Your Wallet Heading Into A New Year In NYS Government

Watch Your Wallet Heading Into A New Year In NYS Government

Following the November 2018 elections, when New York State government fell under total, one-party, Democrat control, then-Governor Andrew Cuomo exclaimed that he felt “liberated” without a state Senate Republican Majority left standing in his way.   The former governor’s feeling was no doubt shared by the longstanding Assembly Democrat majority and, of course, the newly crowned Senate Democrat leadership. And, indeed, liberated they have been, especially when it comes to spending taxpa
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Nourish NY Emerges As A Highlight Of Effective Government

Nourish NY Emerges As A Highlight Of Effective Government

One of the most positive state-level actions heading into this holiday season was the recent enactment of a new law I helped co-sponsor and strongly supported to make the “Nourish New York” program a permanent fixture of New York government moving forward.  It is the product of legislation (S4892/A5781, Chapter 631 of the Laws of 2021) that received overwhelming bipartisan support in the state Senate and Assembly, where it was unanimously approved earlier this year, and was recently signed
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Need For Balance, Common Sense ON New York's Energy Future

Need For Balance, Common Sense ON New York's Energy Future

The cost of a gallon of gas keeps climbing.  The warnings keep coming over significantly higher home heating costs this winter and who knows how many winters to come.    All of this, as well as the fast approaching start of a new legislative session in January, helped make for good timing on last week’s listening session in the Southern Tier on a piece of legislation that, if it’s enacted, could reach into the wallets of everyday New Yorkers and cut into the bottom lines of New York employe
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Upending And Uprooting The Fabric Of Our Community

Upending And Uprooting The Fabric Of Our Community

New York State governors continue to be full of surprises. Governor Kathy Hochul is the latest.   Early last week, she abruptly announced that the Southport Correctional Facility in the Southern Tier, the Willard Drug Treatment Campus and the Rochester Correctional Facility in the Finger Lakes, two North Country facilities, and a prison in the mid-Hudson Valley are slated to close on March 10, 2022.  Six correctional facilities in total impacting and uprooting more than a thousand stat
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Never Tire In Honoring America's Heroes

Never Tire In Honoring America's Heroes

This week’s Veterans Day observance could not arrive at a more important time for our nation -- as a reminder and as a reflection.  If there is a single national day of honor on the calendar that can and should serve to unite us, it’s this one.  Veterans Day offers a chance to pause to remember the fundamental greatness of the United States of America and those who have made it so, and then to keep pushing forward – pushing forward to find solid ground again during a time that has upended s
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
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
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
Dark Spots In Governor's Vision For NY's Energy Future

Dark Spots In Governor's Vision For NY's Energy Future

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has now put forth one of her administration’s most ambitious public policy proposals to date and, in doing so, gave all of us a good look at her administration’s vision for addressing one of our state’s most urgent short- and long-term challenges: energy.  With that in mind, it’s fair to say at this juncture that the Hochul administration is squarely following in the footsteps of the Cuomo administration – which only continues to raise serious and troubling qu
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
Honoring The Memory Of The 11th Day

Honoring The Memory Of The 11th Day

The years keep passing, twenty now, and Americans of all ages will never forget. Two decades later, we can never forget. Throughout this 20th Anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks that forever altered our nation and the world, we will, in the words of former President George W. Bush, pause to “honor the memory of the 11th day.” There will be solemn observances at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Washington, at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania,
Senator Tom O'Mara

Senator Tom O'Mara

0
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
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