Recapping the 2024 legislative session

In June, legislators from across New York returned home to their districts after concluding the 2024 legislative session. I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss some of the highlights and priorities of the New York State Senate Majority.

This legislative session was very productive. I am proud to be a part of the State Senate Majority that continues to deliver real results to make New York more affordable, improve quality of life, protect New Yorkers rights and improve public safety across our state.

One of the bills we passed to make New York more affordable was the Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act (S.4786A). This was sponsored by the chair of the Health Committee, Sen. Rivera, and would allow the NYS Department of Health to create partnerships directly with drug manufacturers to help significantly lower the cost of drugs for consumers by helping to secure more generic alternatives. We know the costs of prescription drugs continue to climb, and improving the availability of generic alternatives will help all New Yorkers make ends meet. We also passed the New York Junk Fee Prevention Act (S.7783B), sponsored by Deputy Majority Leader, Sen. Gianaris, which would eliminate hidden junk fees and ensure that New Yorkers know the true cost of what they are buying before they buy it.

On the topic of improving quality of life, we passed a bill sponsored by my colleague, Sen. Hinchey, that would require accurate meter readings so that customers do not get overcharged for estimated bills. This legislation will hold utility companies more accountable and protect ratepayers from unfair utility costs. We also passed numerous bills to protect access to reproductive health care, including the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Grant Program (S.348C), sponsored by Sen. Cleare, and the Hospital Transparency Act (S.1003A), sponsored by Sen. Hinchey. As part of our continued commitment to improving safety and reducing gun violence, the Senate Majority passed many pieces of legislation to strengthen gun safety measures. This includes more funding for antiviolence education in schools (S.4598A) by Sen. Bailey, creating a 10-day waiting period for firearm purchases (S.4818) by Sen. Gianaris and expanding the list of who can petition for extreme risk protection orders (S.8589) by Sen. Scarcella Spanton.

Finally, I’m proud to say we passed my bill to end exorbitant late fees for property taxes. This bill (S.967A) passed both the Senate and Assembly and is now headed to the governor’s desk. State law currently sets the minimum interest rate a municipality can charge for delinquent property taxes at 12% annually. My bill would remove the 12% minimum, thus allowing municipalities to set significantly lower rates based on the prime rate. Doing away with these exorbitant interest rates will keep people out of cycles of debt that can be difficult to escape and help keep neighborhoods vibrant by keeping homes on the tax rolls and reducing the number of zombie properties.

I’m thankful to all my colleagues in the State Senate Majority for their hard work during the 2024 legislative session.