Serving his first term in the New York State Senate, representing the Seventh Senate District, Jack M. Martins has been instrumental in bringing fiscal reform to the state. As a former village mayor, Senator Martins earned the reputation of being a fiscal reformer who provided tax relief during difficult economic times when taxpayers needed it the most by reducing government spending and creating greater efficiencies.
Immediately upon taking office in January, Senator Martins began working with his colleagues to get New York on the right fiscal path. The result was a budget that reduced state spending by 2 percent and eliminated a $10 billion deficit without any additional taxes or fee increases.
Senator Martins also has fought to bring tax relief to the residents of businesses across New York State. He supported a tax cap that caps the rate of property tax increases at 2 percent per year. He also co-sponsored legislation to eliminate the MTA Payroll Tax, a burdensome tax unfairly placed on businesses, municipalities, houses of worship, non-profits and schools
Senator Martins had also been a leader in exploring ways to provide relief to school districts and local governments from mandates being handed down from the state and passed on to taxpayers, hidden in the form of higher local taxes. He co-sponsored legislation to reduce unfunded or underfunded mandates imposed on local governments and school districts and was successful in getting mandate relief measures passed and signed into law by the Governor. In addition, he sponsored the School Bus Mandate Relief Act to provide school districts with millions of dollars in savings by allowing boards of education to reduce unnecessary transportation. The mandate relief legislation Senator Martins sponsored also creates the New York State Mandate Relief Council and establishes procedures for repealing unfunded mandates.
Realizing that job creation is a key to New York State’s economic recovery, Senator Martins supported initiatives designed to create jobs such as enhancing the Excelsior Jobs tax credit program and creating the permanent Recharge NY to provide low-cost power to help businesses create and retain jobs.
Senator Martins was also at the forefront of enhancing safety by supporting the comprehensive Juvenile Sexting and Cyberbullying Prevention Bill and sponsoring a measure requiring camp directors to report suspected child abuse. He was also instrumental in passing bills to increase penalties for certain sex offenders who fail to register or report a change of address and increases the penalty for criminal sale of a controlled substance to minors under the age of 14.
In his first legislative session, Senator Martins also worked to enact legislation to increase accountability and reduce unregulated rate increases by the Long Island Power Authority. Senator Martins was also proud to co-sponsor landmark insurance reform legislation, requiring insurance companies to cover screening, diagnosis and treatment for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Senator Martins also supported a bill that requires insurance companies to cover the cost of supplemental screening for women who are at a greater risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Senator Martins is chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Local Government. With a background in local government, Senator Martins is attuned to the issues facing the towns and villages within the Seventh Senate District.
Prior to his election to the New York State Senate, Senator Martins served as the Mayor of his hometown, the Village of Mineola, where he worked to put the village back solid fiscal ground after years of years of neglect and mismanagement by instituting solid financial practices such as balancing the budget in each of his years as Mayor, implementing a debt management plan to pay down the debt he inherited from prior administrations and encouraging downtown revitalization and business development to grow the village’s tax base. His efforts were recognized in 2005 by Vision Long Island when they awarded his planning leadership the prestigious Smart Growth Award in recognition of the village’s successful Master Plan development.
Senator Martins resides in the Village of Mineola, where he and his wife Paula are raising their four daughters. He holds a degree from American University and a Juris Doctorate from St. John's University School of Law.
Senator Martins represents the Seventh Senate District, which includes the incorporated and unincorporated communities within the Town of North Hempstead, and parts of the Town of Hempstead including the Villages of Floral Park, Stewart Manor, South Floral Park, Bellerose and Bellerose Terrace as well as parts of Elmont, Franklin Square and Hicksville.
