Release: Senate Passes a Series of Senator Avella’s Legislation Aimed at Bettering the Lives of New Yorkers

Bills focus on good government, social services, public safety, quality of life, fraud protection and early learning provisions 

(ALBANY, NEW YORK) – This week the State Senate passed a series of legislation, authored by Senator Avella, dedicated to expanding public safety, creating an early learning program, advocating for noise reduction, preventing fraud when paying off tax liens, and minimizing the potential for miscalculations in child support payments.

The bills which passed through the Senate include: 

·         S4898: Mandates the New York Transit Authority to produce annual reports concerning actions to reduce noise.

·         S7089: Requires that the Metropolitan Transit Authority provide the public with a pledge to customers; this ensures that riders are provided with more information and that their interests in utilizing the public transport system are protected.

·         S6903-C: Enhances public safety and directly protects animal caretakers, those interacting with wild animals, bystanders and the animals themselves by preventing direct contact between wild animals and members of the public.

·         S680: Relates to method of payment on delinquent real property taxes, sewer rents, sewer surcharges, water rents, or any other charges that are made a lien; payments must be made in certified check or money order to prevent fraud

·         S6961: Establishes the Early Learning Council with the purpose of securing public and private support for early learning program for children up to the age of five.

·         S6784: Amends an inconsistency in existing social services law to ensure that an accurate method is used when calculating the amount of child support payments by the Supreme Family Court

·         S725A: Increases the terms of office of members of the legislature to four years

Three of the bills, S4989, S7089 and S6961 have already passed the Assembly and will now be delivered to the Governor for his signature.