Suzi Oppenheimer's News items

For Immediate Release

Sept 30, 2011

International Walk to School Week is taking off across the Sound Shore with help from the Safe Routes to School Committees from Rye, Rye Neck and Mamaroneck.  With 9 elementary schools in the area, representing over 4500 children grades K-5, that’s a lot of steps taking to the sidewalks during the week of Oct. 3-7. 

With help from the Rye Y and grant funding provided by the United Way of Westchester and NY State Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, Safe Routes “starter kits” were distributed to 9 local grade schools as a way to encourage safe walking and biking to school. Walking safety tips, banners, walking school bus signs, and an array of incentives were included in the kit for children.  Adult messaging such as “Please Put Down the Cellphone” are on lawn signs to appear on school campuses as well as car magnets proclaiming, “Caution.  I stop at Crosswalks.” 

International Walk to School Week takes place twice a year, in the Fall and Spring.  Safe Routes to School is an international program recognized by the CDC as an effective initiative in helping to create healthier communities.

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Good-Government Group Measures Lawmakers' 2011 Productivity

By Dan Wiessner

A recent report looked at how many bills each state lawmaker passed, compared to how many were introduced. Lower Hudson Valley legislators were mostly in the middle of the pack.

Measuring the effectiveness of individual lawmakers can be tricky, not least because many of them do much of their work behind the scenes. Some choose to spread their energy across a number of initiatives while others have laser-like focus on a handful of specific areas.

One way to begin is to look at the number of bills they successfully pushed through each house of the legislature, and how many wound up being signed into law by the governor. The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) did just that earlier this summer, releasing a detailed breakdown of the number of bills introduced and passed by all 212 lawmakers.

"Legislative 'productivity' is more complicated than simple numbers. It’s up to New Yorkers to assess their legislators’ effectiveness and impact," NYPIRG's Bill Mahoney said in the report.

The dozen lawmakers who represent the lower Hudson Valley generally settled in the middle of the pack this year. The most 'effective' legislators were mainly veteran Senate Republicans, two of whom pushed at least 30 bills through both houses.

Meanwhile, local Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer (D-Port Chester) was the most successful Senate Democrat with 13 bills passing her chamber. Those include measures that will allow the town and village of Ossining to consolidate their courts and allow local boards of health to levy steeper penalties to businesses that violate sanitary codes.

These are challenging times for most New York schools. Buffeted by declining state aid and mounting property tax fatigue, school districts are struggling to maintain educational programs with fewer and fewer resources. As chair of the Senate Education Committee, I fought hard to avert devastating mid-year cuts to state education aid in 2009, affording school districts an opportunity to plan for the difficult fiscal year ahead.

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Senator Oppenheimer Named "Champion of Child Care" by the Child Care Council of Westchester, Inc.

The Child Care Council of Westchester, Inc. (“Council”) bestowed its “Champions of Child Care Award” on Senator Suzi Oppenheimer (D-Mamaroneck).  The award was presented to the Senator at the Council’s annual awards luncheon held on June 5, 2009, at the Women’s Club in White Plains, New York.

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          Did you know that an average of 17 people die every day waiting for a transplant of a vital organ because there are not enough donors? Since April has been designated as a month that honors organ donors–"our unsung heroes"–I would like to remind you how you can save a life by becoming an organ donor.          There are currently more than 85,000 individuals nationwide, including many thousands of New Yorkers, who are waiting for organ transplants.

New York took a big step with reforming Workers’ Compensation – but it’s only the beginning.            “There is more to do,” she said. “The Senate needs to work on passing Article 10 legislation, implementing the Brownfields Shovel-Ready Site Program, and pushing for Empire Zone and IDA reforms. These actions will go a long way in showing companies in our state that we mean business.”

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Hoping to bring better awareness to new breakthroughs associated with detecting ovarian cancer, State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer (D-Mamaroneck) today noted that New Yorkers need to learn more about the symptoms of early disease. She said ovarian cancer used to be called the ‘silent killer’ because it rarely revealed symptoms in its earliest, most treatable stages. But ovarian cancer is silent no more.

Reminds families that the use of consumer fireworks is illegal in New York State

While Fourth of July festivities and fireworks would seem to go hand in hand,State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer (D-Mamaroneck) today reminded residents that the use of all consumer fireworks is illegal in New York State. The safest way to enjoy fireworks, she said, is through a community event where trained professionals handle them.