Hey There Farmingdale!

So what did you think about the beginning of this semester? Well for me, it’s been downright crazy! Between the snow, class cancellations, projects and work, I already feel like I’m ready for spring break. Well as some of you may already know, Governor Cuomo had visited our school on February 5th to discuss with us his 2015 Opportunities Agenda. I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to attend this meeting.

Governor Cuomo had spoken about many different things that are effecting New York state, especially those of us on Long Island. The first thing that was discussed was how far NYS has come since he has been Governor. The unemployment rate has dropped significantly, our credit rating has risen, upstate is rebuilding, & taxes are at the lowest rate in 50 years. The most important topics that were discussed in depth were Economic Opportunity, Education, Public Safety, Government Reform & Fairness for All. This year Governor Cuomo wants to cut the taxes on small businesses from 6.5% to 2.5%, which is the lowest rate in 100 years. He also is planning on revamping JFK, LaGuardia, Stewart and Republic airports as well as make Republic & Stewart airports STARTUP-NY tax-free zones. Education was another thing that was discussed and the major points were in reference to teacher evaluations and making sure that the people who are teaching “our future” are sufficient and effective. Governor Cuomo has also proposed to make NYS the first state to have an universal Pre-K program and to begin implementing a program for 3 year-old children as well.

As for Public Safety, Governor Cuomo suggests creating an online STORM system to coordinate federal, state, and local emergency response efforts as well as investing $50 million in snow plows & emergency vehicles and GPS systems. Another big topic was Fairness for All and two of his major points were in regards to sexual assault & homelessness. The Governor suggests that the full 10-point Women’s Equality Act to be passed. Being that New York State is now being investigated for sexual assaults more than any other state, his proposal is to extend the protections that was mandated last fall. Those mandates were 1. there has to be affirmative consent by both parties in the relationship and 2. a women is ensured the right to law enforcement. In regards to the homelessness problem, it is worse than ever before and in order to overcome this problem, the Governor proposes that there will be a 20% increase ($403 million) to aid in the fight against homelessness.

This meeting was very informative and very interesting, especially since this is the first one that I have been to and I am excited to see what is in store for us this coming year. If you’d like to learn more about this proposal, visit https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-brings-2015-opportunity-agenda-long-island to learn more!

Your Friendly-Neighborhood-Rambassador,

Kaitlyn M.