Making Peninsula Residents Proud

As her first legislative session neared its close in Albany on June 19, Senator Anna Kaplan returned to the peninsula on Monday, June 10, to share her accomplishments with her supporters.

“I’m so grateful to represent such a diverse district and I’m appreciative of the support I have received from people in all parts of the community, representing different neighborhoods, cultures, religions and backgrounds, because I do my very best to try and represent everyone to the best of my ability,” noted Kaplan, who is the first Jewish Iranian-American immigrant elected to the Senate.

Since being sworn in to her first term as New York State senator in January, Kaplan is proud of everything she’s been able to achieve this session. She has helped obtain funding for local schools and opioid initiatives, institute property tax caps, create stricter gun control and protect our precious children and environment. Some of the highlights follow.

• To keep the growth of property taxes under control, she helped pass a permanent 2 percent property tax cap.

• She obtained record funding of $22 million for local schools, with our district getting an 8.3 percent increase in state aid to schools, compared to the statewide average increase of 3.6 percent and the average increase on Long Island of only 3.9 percent.

“Every dollar brought back from Albany to support the schools helps decrease the local tax burden, so bringing back expanded funding was my top priority in the budget,” she said.

• Significant new funding and initiatives to fight the opioid crisis on Long Island was secured, including funds for opening Nassau County’s first recovery community center, Thrive Nassau, in the district. Other initiatives will help people seeking recovery get the treatment and help they need, including 28-day inpatient rehabilitation programs, and the removal of numerous cost barriers that prevent people from getting help.

• Kaplan’s first bill on commonsense gun-control legislation, which passed through the Senate in January, closed a loophole in the background check process for gun licenses. She has cosponsored several other commonsense bills, like banning 3D-printed “ghost guns,” banning bump-stocks, strengthening and lengthening the background check process, and ensuring safe storage of firearms.

• For the environment, she helped pass a ban on offshore drilling off the coast of Long Island, closed a loophole that allowed oil and gas companies to dump hazardous waste and funded record amounts in the budget for the environmental protection fund ($300 million) and clean water infrastructure improvements ($3 billion).

• She also helped pass the Child Victims Act, which was stalled for many years under the Republican majority in the Senate.

“My first session has been a very productive one, and I’m proud to say that I have delivered on the vast majority of the promises I made during my campaign, including bringing back record school funding, passing a permanent 2 percent tax cap, passing commonsense gun-safety legislation, protecting women’s rights and getting justice for victims of childhood sex abuse,” said Kaplan. “As session draws to a close, I’m looking forward to spending more time in the district, meeting with constituents and developing a legislative agenda for the year to come.”