Issues: Youth

Albany, NY -- At the State Capitol on Wednesday, Padma Lakshmi, host of Bravo TV’s Top Chef and co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America, joined Senate Majority Coalition Leader Jeffrey D. Klein and members of the Senate’s Independent Democratic Conference to kick-off a Teen Health Awareness Campaign.  The campaign focuses on reducing adolescent obesity, educating students about the health consequences of short and long-term alcohol and substance abuse, and raising awareness among young women and health professionals about endometriosis, an often undiagnosed but debilitating disease.  March is Endometriosis month.  At the press conference, Senator Klein was joined by seventh graders from JHS 141, a middle school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx.

(Albany, NY)-Senator Malcolm A. Smith, the chairman of the New York State Senate Committee on Social Services, sponsored a public hearing on the Future of Youth Development / Delinquency Prevention (YDDP) and the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). Also overseeing the meeting were Sen. James Sanders Jr. and Sen. Jack Martins.

Testimony was given by several city and state representatives who cited the importance of the programs touting how they give youngsters a sense of responsibility, purpose and pride. They also voiced concerns that increasing the minimum wage, as proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, would reduce the availability of space for potential participants.

Critical funds for programming to help at-risk youth will be made a priority in Senate budget resolution. 

Kennedy says Senate’s proposal includes funding for Operation SNUG, which combats gang violence, and the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, which assists youth in the Family Court System.

Kennedy: Now we must ensure resources for at-risk youth remain in the final negotiated budget.  

Senator Krueger issued the following statement on the City Human Resources Administration's new ad campaign on teen pregnancy:

As someone who has spent decades in the fight against poverty and the fight to make sure women have equal rights to have or not have children, I am appalled at the ill-targeted and pathologically mean-spirited ad campaign put forward by the New York City Human Resources Administration, supposedly intended to reduce teen pregnancy.

ALBANY, N.Y. – With Sen. O’Brien’s yes vote, the State Senate passed legislation yesterday closing a loophole that allowed those convicted of crimes against children and sexual and drug-related crimes to serve as bus monitors.

“With this simple, common-sense legislation, we’ve made concrete gains in protecting our children from potential predators,” O’Brien said. “It was an unfortunate loophole, since existing restrictions on people convicted of those types of crimes only applied to bus drivers. I was proud to stand with my colleagues and update our laws to keep children on school buses safe.”

Following Governor Cuomo’s budget presentation at City Honors, Leader Stewart-Cousins visits Buffalo to outline Senate Democrats’ budget proposal to curb gang violence. 

Senators Kennedy and Stewart-Cousins lead push to reinstate funding for Operation SNUG programs in state budget. 

Kennedy and Stewart-Cousins: In Communities across the State, Operation SNUG Helped Snuff out Gang Activity Until Funds Ran Dry. It’s Clear this Anti-Violence Effort is Needed Once Again.  

Kennedy wants downstate Assembly member to withdraw legislation to ban youth football. 

WNY youth football players and coaches join Kennedy to rally against proposed youth football prohibition. 

Kennedy: Buffalo is a football city, and youth football is a part of our history. It’s about more than just the X's and O's. It teaches qualities like discipline, leadership and teamwork – those lessons last a lifetime.