Against the backdrop of cruel federal cuts to essential programs, services, and projects that would benefit Upstate families and businesses, Senator Samra Brouk (SD-55) announced a summary of her record of accomplishments on behalf of constituents in the 55th Senate District. 

“We continue the fight in the state legislature to bring resources and services to the Rochester community, offering real help to families through education, healthcare, childcare, and support for those struggling with mental health needs. I will continue to defend my community from the actions of our federal administration, because people deserve to live, love, and thrive without fear.” – Senator Samra G Brouk

Senator Brouk serves as Chair of the Senate Committee on Mental Health and serves on the Senate Committees on Health, Children and Families, Local Government, Agriculture, and Elections, and is a member of the Legislative Women’s Caucus and the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus. Senator Brouk represents the residents of New York's 55th District in Monroe County, including East and West Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Perinton, Fairport, Pittsford, East Rochester, and the eastern portion of the City of Rochester.

Committed to better health and quality of life for all community members:

Through hard-won state budget investments and legislation, in 2025 Senator Brouk expanded access to life-saving health and mental health services:

Mental Health

• Senator Brouk’s Student Lifeline Act (S1865B) was enacted into law to include the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number on student ID cards and provide a direct connection to culturally competent mental health support and care. 
• Senator Brouk’s Senate Bill S7622 was signed into law to expand access to mental health care by allowing licensed mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and psychoanalysts to continue to diagnose and offer treatment plans to patients.  
• Senator Brouk’s legislation to expand New Yorkers’ access to Licensed Creative Arts Therapy (LCAT) services and address the mental health workforce shortage both passed the Senate. S1001 requires more insurance policies to cover outpatient care provided by LCATs while S6025 authorizes LCATs to bill Medicaid directly for their services.  
• Legislation to establish an improved statewide mental health crisis system, Daniel’s Law (S3670), passed the Mental Health Committee in 2025 with bipartisan support, and the FY’26 budget allocated $6 million to establish Daniel’s Law pilot program and $2 million to create the Behavioral Health Crisis Technical Assistance Center within the Office of Mental Health to assist localities with Daniel’s Law implementation. 
• Senator Brouk’s bill S8210A was signed by the Governor to retire the term “emotionally disturbed person” and adopt compassionate language for people experiencing a mental health crisis.

• Senator Brouk’s bill S3278, which improves access to youth mental health care by allowing school psychologists to assist children outside of a traditional setting passed the Senate.

   

Health Care

• While we continue to oppose disastrous federal cuts to future Medicaid budgets, the state legislature fought hard to protect state Medicaid reimbursement funding to support local Rochester hospitals, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, and home care services.

• Senator Brouk advanced legislation (CINERGY) to improve daily life for Rochester and other Upstate non-profit nursing home residents, which passed the Senate and Assembly, but was vetoed by the Governor.

   

Maternal Care

• To improve maternal health outcomes, the FY’26 budget allocated $250,000 for the Doula Expansion Grant Program to support the Medicaid doula program created by Senator Brouk’s legislation, $7 million total for other maternal health grants, and funding to establish a Birth Allowance for Beginning Year (BABY) Benefit granting new parents a one-time lump sum benefit of $1,800 for public assistance upon the birth of their child.
• Senator Brouk’s legislation S802 was signed into law, expanding access to guidance for incorporating maternal depression screenings into routine prenatal care.
• Senator Brouk allocated a grant to the Rochester Rochester Public Library system to fund a community Lactation Pod at Lincoln Branch Library in honor of National Breastfeeding Month.

• Senator Brouk’s legislation S7545 to mandate more written information about episiotomy to maternity partitions passed the Senate and Assembly, but was vetoed by the Governor. 

   

In case you missed it: Senator Samra’s Brouk’s 2025 Session Wrap Up Video

In case you missed it: Senator Samra’s Brouk’s 2025 Budget Floor Remarks

Helping families, children and students prepare for a bright future  

In January, Senator Brouk hosted her 5th Annual Rochester Community Budget Forum, drawing input from across the district on how the state budget can better help meet community needs. (Stay tuned for notices about the 2026 Budget Forum!)

Education

• The FY’26 budget increases funding to public school Foundation Aid by over $100 million dollars for a total of $26 billion.
• Recognizing the value of getting high school students the skills they need, Senator Brouk has long championed investments in public school’s Career and Technical Education programs. The FY’26  budget increases the aidable salary for BOCES staff for the first time in 30 years beginning in the 2026-27 school year. This will allow school districts to hire more qualified teachers to meet the increased student demand for these important programs.
• Further, Senator Brouk’s legislation S379A to help fund high school student participation in robotics competitions passed the Senate.
• This budget created the community college New York Opportunity Scholarship to give tuition coverage to those aged 25-55 seeking degree programs that lead to employment in workforce shortage areas.

• Recognizing the importance of early intervention services for our youngest learners in Monroe County, Senator Brouk co-sponsored legislation (S1222A) that passed the Senate (but not the Assembly) this year that would result in changes to reimbursement to better meet the needs of infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities.

   

Childcare

• Senator Brouk’s legislation S757 to amend state law to standardize presumptive eligibility for qualified parents seeking childcare assistance was signed into law.
• Senator’ Brouk’s legislation to expand access to childcare by standardizing regulations (S4929) for group family day care homes/family day care and day care centers passed the Senate, but was vetoed by the governor.
• The FY’26 budget increased the Empire State Child Tax Credit: for children under four, parents will receive up to $1000 per child, and $330 per child for those between 4 and 16.
• The budget includes an additional $400 million in childcare this year, for a total of $2.2 billion statewide to increase access to childcare for families.

• The budget also allocated $50 million for a Housing Access Voucher Pilot Program to expand access to housing vouchers for individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of facing homelessness.

   

Transportation

• To improve local public transportation programs, Senator Brouk fought for a $5 million increase to Upstate non-MTA public transportation (STOA funding) for a total of over $349.4 million, including a 4.88% increase for Rochester.

Community based outreach and grant funding is at the heart of our Office’s Work

Senator Brouk is a proud member of the Rochester community where she was born, and is committed to her office being a reliable resource for families and individuals in our community. Her office assists with matters pertaining to state agencies, and can help connect constituents to different resources in our region. She prioritized finding new ways to connect with our community, and will continue this work in 2025:

• Connected more than 1,100 constituents to state and local resources.
• Attended more than 1,000 meetings with local and statewide advocates, organizations, and individuals to learn more about the challenges that exist for New Yorkers

• Funded municipal and emergency services projects (like Penfield Ambulance, Pittsford Town and Village sidewalk improvements, Webster Fire and Egypt Fire, Irondequoit and Pittsford Library capital improvements); community-wide investments (for organizations such as The Family Justice Center/Willow Domestic Violence, Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, Rochester Museum & Science Center, Heritage Christian Services, Center for Youth, Connected Communities, Al Sigl, and Lollipop Farm), and programmatic grants (for organizations such as Irondequoit Food Cupboard, Parent Leadership Training Institute, NAMI-Rochester/National Alliance on Mental Illness, Ibero, Rise Up Rochester, Lifespan, and the Restorative Hub at RCSD)

   

Additionally, Senator Brouk continued her community service by hosting hundreds of community members at her 4th Annual Community Baby Shower. Participants enjoyed a panel discussion on the importance of doulas and maternal health, received supplies such as diapers, formula, and clothing, and interacted with 40+ community organizations who offered important resources. 

In case you missed it: Senator Brouk’s 2025 Community Baby Shower video

We honored RMAPI CEO Aqua Porter as a 2025 Senate Woman of Distinction and nominated Betsy Crumity to the New York Veterans Hall of Fame.

Other community event highlights for 2025 included our 5th Annual Youth Mental Health Roundtable, our Second Annual Youth Mental Health Advisory Board program, a Red Cross Blood Drive in Penfield, participating in Halloween in the Hallway at School 45, hosting mobile office hours in local libraries and community centers across the district and delivering more than 40 proclamations in celebrations for community leaders.