Senator Samra Brouk Announces 2024 Year in Review Summary

ROCHESTER, NY -  As 2024 draws to a close, Senator Samra Brouk (SD-55) reflects on her constituent services and legislative achievements in the 55th Senate District and Albany. 

“This year, my office secured critical funding for our district and made historic advancements for our state,” said Senator Samra Brouk (SD-55). “I am proud to share that seven of my bills were signed into law, directly impacting the livelihoods of our students, mothers, and working families. My office looks forward to continuing our legislative advocacy and investing in our community in the coming year.”

Senator Brouk serves as the Chair of the Senate Mental Health Committee and sits on the Health, Children & Families, Veterans & Military Affairs, Internet & Technology, Consumer Protections, and Cities 2 Committees. Additionally, Brouk serves as a member of the Legislative Women’s Caucus and the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian (BPHA) Caucus. In 2023, Brouk was appointed a Chair for the BPHA Caucus’ People's Budget. 

The 55th Senate District includes the eastern portion of the City of Rochester, Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Perinton, Pittsford, and East Rochester.

Passing Legislation for Young People, Mothers, and Families:

Senator Brouk had several pieces of legislation signed into law this year, centered on maternal health, mental health infrastructure, and access to health services. Overall, Senator Brouk had 20 bills passed through either the Senate or both houses, 8 passed through both houses, 12 passed only through the Senate, 7 signed into law, and 1 included in the state budget.

Below are the 7 bills that were signed into law:

• S1865B Student Lifeline Act requires states 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline be printed on college student ID cards.
• S2039B Maternal Depression Screenings directs the commissioner of health to publish guidelines for incorporating routine maternal depression screenings, referrals, diagnosis and treatment into perinatal and postpartum care and provide training and materials on issues related to maternal depression.
• S4667A Presumptive Eligibility utilizes a presumptive eligibility standard for child care assistance, and helps eliminate administrative burdens and delay in families receiving care.
• S8080 Doula Directory enacts necessary clarifications to establish and maintain the Community Doula Directory, first signed into law in 2023. 
• S8348A Oral Disease Awareness Campaign promotes public awareness of the importance of good oral health, including the impact of oral disease, and the availability of oral health services in the community.
• S8714A Rochester Regional Peace Officer gives peace officer status to certain security officers employed by Rochester Regional Health.
• S9787 Peer Definition creates a clear and succinct definition of Peers as the Office of Mental Health seeks to expand Peer Services.

Serving the Community:

Senator Brouk is proud to secure resources for our community. Her office prioritizes the needs of constituents in the district by listening to their concerns and finding solutions for their problems. In 2024, Senator Brouk and her staff helped the community in several different ways, including:

• Helping over 1,800 constituents and holding over 650 meetings with constituents, community leaders, organizations, and others.
• Funding 38 grants for the community totalling over $6.3 million dollars. These grants supported mental health services and programs such as counseling and outreach, equipment for first responders, infrastructure improvements for our roads and sidewalks, community violence intervention programs, and much more.
• Celebrating our community by awarding over 30 proclamations, attending ribbon cuttings for new businesses and facilities, and participating in landmark parades, including the Labor Day and Pride parades.

Key Policy Achievements and Community Investments:

This year, Senator Brouk continued to host successful programs that have the power to shift policy and secured funding to combat the historic disinvestment in our city. Senator Brouk knows that investing into our community can uplift and empower our most vulnerable community members. 

Policy Achievements:

• Earlier this month, The Daniel’s Law Task Force released their recommendations for a new statewide model of mental health crises response that would mobilize trained mental health providers and peers as first responders, instead of law enforcement. The Task Force stems from proposed bill S2398, aka Daniel’s Law, which would establish a statewide emergency and crisis response council, following the death of Daniel Prude in 2020.
• Senator Brouk’s 2nd Youth Mental Health Advisory Board cohort started their work in November this year. The board is made up of 28 local high school students who will lend their voice to shape meaningful mental health legislation for young people.
• The 3rd Annual Community Baby Shower was a huge success, helping over 150 local families. Senator Brouk will host her next Community Baby Shower in Spring of 2025. 
• Senator Brouk passed Medicaid and Child Health Plus, which will now allow children ages 0-6 to remain continuously enrolled without their parents needing to redetermine their eligibility. With this policy in the state budget, we will be able better support families in our district and across the state. 

Community Investments:

• Senator Brouk awarded Willow Domestic Violence Center was awarded $2.2 million dollars, along with a $2 million dollar award from Assemblymember Sarah Clark, totalling $4.2 million dollars in grant funding to create the Family Justice Center at Skyview, slated to open in late 2025. The FJC will provide support services for survivors of domestic abuse and their families.
• The office secured over $1.5 million in grant awards for first responders. The funding will provide each department with lifesaving equipment to keep the community safe. 
• Following our Investing in Our Future Report, Senator Brouk worked with colleagues to secure $50 million in additional Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) Funding for communities statewide, including the City of Rochester.  
• Senator Brouk helped secure an additional $25 million in temporary assistance funding to support anti-poverty efforts in Rochester. 
• This year saw the initial rollout of the Statewide Medicaid Doula Benefit, and to help grow the community doula provider list we invested $250,000 for the Community Doula Expansion Grant Program. 
• The state budget once again saw increased funding for the Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran Peer to Peer Services program, with an $8 million investment statewide, and $192,400 specifically for Monroe County.
• Our district made continued investments in our roads and transportation systems, with increases to programs like PAVE NY, CHIPS, Pave or Potholes, Extreme Winter Recovery, Upstate STOA, and an investment for Rochester’s Intermodal Station. 

Looking towards 2025:

2025 is quickly approaching, and Senator Brouk remains committed to expanding mental health services, improving maternal health outcomes, reducing poverty, and hearing from constituents on the issues that persist in the community, to fund the causes, programs, and organizations that make the district a better place to live. Some priorities for 2025 include:

• Senator Brouk is committed to the passage of Daniel’s Law. Recommendations from the Daniel’s Law Task Force included a new statewide model of mental health crises response that would mobilize trained mental health providers and peers as first responders instead of law enforcement, and the need for a standardized statewide health-led crisis response. Senator Brouk remains dedicated to improving our state’s crisis response model and ensuring the safety of all community members. 
• Supporting youth mental health. Although Senate Bill 8715 was vetoed after passing both the Senate and Assembly, Senator Brouk is fighting for the inclusion of medicaid for License Creative Art Therapist in the FY25 state budget.
• Continuing to improve the state’s mental health infrastructure by building up the workforce and ensuring more New Yorkers receive the timely help they need, through increased Cost-of-Living-Adjustments, reimbursement rate increases, and more

Senator Brouk would like to thank all the members of her community for a successful 2024, and hopes that everyone has a safe, happy and healthy 2025.