Harckham Has 17 Sponsored Bills Passed in the State Senate During July Session

Albany, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham had 17 of his sponsored bills approved in the State Senate during its July session, including landmark legislation that protects Class C streams and fragile drinking water supplies, authorizes use of opioid overdose drugs in public accommodations and tracks Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses—all of which received bipartisan support.

Also passed in the recent State Senate session, which took place from July 20 to July 24, were a number of bills Harckham sponsored to benefit different municipalities and public school districts around the 40th Senate District, with issues that ranged from permitting parkland to be used for renewable energy projects and leasing space on sports field fences to implementing a residential parking system.

“I am incredibly grateful to Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and my colleagues in the Senate for all of the support they have shown to the legislation that I have sponsored,” said Harckham.

“The passed legislation will provide direct benefits to constituents in the 40th Senate District and across the state,” continued Harckham. “These bills will protect residents’ clean water for drinking and recreational use; authorize municipalities to embark on solar energy projects within their boundaries that will save them money and create jobs; provide lifesaving overdose drugs in public venues; and ensure that food left unsold by supermarkets can be directed to our hungriest neighbors. My intention is always to help municipalities and school districts accomplish their goals, and be mindful of local priorities that need to be met.”

All told, the State Senate has passed 31 of Harckham’s bills in 2020, with bipartisan support, having passed 40 of his bills last year. (The 2020 session was abbreviated because of the Covid-19 pandemic.) Among freshman legislators Harckham ranks first in most bills passed in 2020, and second among all legislators in most bills passed. (State Sen. Kevin Parker, representing parts of Brooklyn, was first.) In 2020, Harckham sponsored 55 bills and co-sponsored 41 others.

Other notable bills Harckham sponsored that were passed in the Senate’s July session include; authorization of a study for improvements on State Route 9A in the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining; proper reimbursement for telehealth treatment of Substance Use Disorder; and state aid penalty waivers for Special Act Schools regarding attendance requirements and learning benchmarks impacted by the Covid-19 health emergency.

It is expected the Senate will reconvene in August.

The 17 bills Harckham sponsored that were passed in the Senate are:

S.4176A: The Excess Food Act requires supermarkets to make excess food available to qualifying entities

S.5612A: Protects Class C streams and waterways

S.6415: Tracks and reports on Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses

S.7131: Grants the Carmel Central School District the authority to establish insurance reserve funds

S.7367A: Establishes a New York City watershed road salt reduction task force, pilot plan and test program

S.7740A: Helps to implement a residential parking system in Croton-on-Hudson

S.7741: Authorizes the Town of Mount Pleasant to adopt a local law to impose a 3% hotel / motel occupancy tax

S.7845: Allows the Town of Yorktown to lease space on certain sports field fences

S.801C: Provides that Special Act Schools will not experience financial harm for reduced enrollment or inability to operate for the full 180 session days due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the 2019-2020 school year

S.8256A: Permits the Town of Southeast to convey a parcel of its parkland through alienation in exchange for another property within the town

S.8259: Amends the Good Samaritan Law to authorize the use of opioid overdose reversal drugs in public accommodations

S.8540: Designates a portion of the state highway system as the “Putnam County Workers Memorial Bridge”

S.8541: Includes Casse Lake, Gilead Lake and Kirk Lake in the Town of Carmel as inland waterways for the purposes of waterfront revitalization

S.8542: Includes Journeys End Lake in the Town of Yorktown as an inland waterway for the purpose of waterfront revitalization

S.8609A: Properly reimburses peer recovery advocates in Substance Use Disorder treatment program for telehealth services

S.8635: Allows exemptions from requirements for the alienation of parkland for certain renewable energy generating projects

S.8795: Authorizes a NYS Department of Transportation study for proposed improvements on State Route 9A in the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining.