Issues: Children

Senator Phil Boyle was joined by members of the community recently to applaud the installation of traffic signals at the Barberry Road / Wagstaff Lane / Montauk Highway intersection in West Islip.  State funding was secured for the installation of traffic lights at this dangerous intersection near West Islip High School after several students sustained injuries in motor vehicle accidents in 2011.

With renewed calls for vigilance and increased public safety following the tragic bombings in Boston and the foiling of a terrorist plot to attack a train traveling across the state between New York and Toronto, the New York State Senate today passed a package of anti-crime legislation including a bill that would require convicted terrorists to serve their full prison sentence.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – As part of the Earth Day 2013 observance, Senator Ted O’Brien encourages all New Yorkers to commit to preserving our natural resources and protecting our environment for future generations.

“New York has been blessed with abundant natural resources and we have a responsibility to serve as stewards for our environment,” Senator O’Brien said. “For New York to have a vibrant future, we must ensure our natural resources are used by sustainable industries for long-term job growth. Our children deserve to inherit a New York that is economically prosperous and environmentally sound.” 

Kennedy secures $800,000 in state budget to preserve the Erie County Mental Health Association’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, says more funding is needed next year. 

CASA program able to serve 200 of the 1000 at-risk children in need of help in Erie County; MHA, with Kennedy’s support, is pushing to expand the program. 

The New York State Senate today passed a bill that would require children under 8 years old not be left alone in a car without supervision of someone twelve or older when the conditions present a significant risk to the health and safety of a child. The legislation, (S.306) sponsored by Senator Jack Martins (R-C-I, Mineola), is intended to keep young children safe when conditions, such as hot and cold weather, present a risk to safety of the child. "Leaving a helpless child behind, alone, in a vehicle for any length of time is dangerous, period,” said Senator Martins. “We owe it to our children to hold irresponsible parents accountable.  This bill does that."