Senator Gallivan’s Weekly Voting Report for the Week of May 27, 2013

In An Effort To Keep The Community And Citizens Better Informed About The Business Being Undertaken By Their Elected State Government, Senator Gallivan Will Publish Important Legislative Votes Following Each Week’s Legislative Session

The New York State Senate approved several measures this week that address issues of particular importance to the citizens and institutions of Western New York, reported Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R-C-I, Elma).

Some of the provisions include: new economic incentives for dairy farms that make energy efficient improvements, mandate relief from school districts’ transportation costs, assistance for small business heating expenses in rural communities, and a new program to assist veterans looking for private sector employment.

Senator Gallivan supported each of the following:

S.1081A – By establishing the Dairy Farm Improved Energy Efficiency Loan Fund, this bill would provide grants and low interest loans to help assist dairy farms with the purchase of high efficiency lighting, pumping and cooling equipment and other energy management systems.

Senator Gallivan is a co-sponsor of this legislation.

S.2146 – Creates the Dine: Pride of New York Program, an initiative to promote locally grown or manufactured food products by providing designations and promotional resources to restaurants that source at least 15 percent of its restaurant ingredients from New York Products.

Senator Gallivan is a co-sponsor of this legislation.

S.3141 – As part of Governor Cuomo’s local government mandate relief package of 2011, the State enacted legislation that permitted school districts to allocate their transportation resources based upon statistical patterns of ridership. This law was in response to a growing number of school districts complaining about the cost of providing more seats per bus than what was necessary to meet the transportation needs of their students. This bill would make the law permanent in New York State.

S.3471 – Small businesses, particularly in rural communities like those across Western New York, often use petroleum products to heat their businesses. The volatile nature of petroleum costs have put additional strains on the bottom line for many of these employers. This legislation would lower the energy costs on many small businesses in New York by providing for a full tax exemption for businesses that utilize petroleum products for heating purposes.

S. 4402 – The men and women who serve this country are among the highest skilled and most qualified citizens seeking to enter the workforce, but a lack of understanding between the military and private sectors, in terms of skills, experiences, and qualifications possessed by military veterans, has been a detriment to many veterans seeking private sector employment. This bill would establish an internet database through the New York State Division of Military and Veterans Affairs designed to help job-seeking veterans translate their military experience into a commercial value.

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