DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY CONFERENCE Key Legislative Accomplishments 2009-2010

Date: To: From: December 27, 2010 Majority Conference Members Majority Communications and Majority Counsel & Program Staff

To accompany the full legislative wrap-up document for the 2009-10 session, we wanted to make sure Senators had a short summary of key achievements in reform and priority issue areas. This document includes summaries and notes regarding priority bills signed or vetoed by Governor David A. Paterson (GDAP). Key accomplishments for women and communities of color are also included.

Key reform accomplishments: Senate Rules Reform Authorities Reform Ethics Reform Pension Reform Matrimonial Reform Rockefeller Drug Law Reform Managed Care Reform Empire Zone Reform MWBE Reform Property Tax Reform (legislation passed)

Key issue-area accomplishments: Affordable health insurance for businesses and workers Protecting healthcare jobs and quality Passed legislation to ensure diagnosis and treatment for autism Innovations, new federal funding in education Dignity for All Students New NYHELPs low-interest student loan program Green Jobs, energy efficiency and renewable energy Bigger Better Bottle Bill, E-Waste recycling Historic hydrofracking moratorium passed State parks kept open Foreclosure protections for homeowners and neighborhoods New legal protections for domestic violence survivors Equal access to courts & justice for low-income New Yorkers 1300 new police officers on the streets Leandras Law Domestic Workers Bill of Rights A vote on basic labor rights for farm workers Wage protections/Employee misclassification Private-sector jobs as an alternative to welfare First welfare grant increase in decades New protections for seniors and New Yorkers with disabilities

KEY REFORM ACCOMPLISHMENTS SENATE RULES REFORM Historic rules changes to make Senate operations more fair and more transparent, expand public participation and improve legislative functioning In full effect w Senate approval

AUTHORITIES REFORM Tough new rules for out-of-control public authorities to protect taxpayers and improve state services, historic reform after decades of abuse Signed by GDAP 2009

ETHICS REFORM Strongest-in-a-generation improvements to ethics laws and campaign finance reporting and enforcement Vetoed by GDAP, override prevented by Senate GOP

PENSION REFORM Added a new tier to public workers retirement plans to save billions for taxpayers Signed by GDAP 2009

MATRIMONIAL REFORM No-fault divorce, post-marital income guidelines and interim counsel fees to make divorce proceedings less complicated and more fair Signed by GDAP 2010

ROCKEFELLER DRUG LAW REFORM Historic reforms to reduce recidivism, increase access to treatment for addiction and save money for taxpayers

Signed by GDAP 2009

MANAGED CARE REFORM Tough standards to make HMOs more responsive and accountable to patients and health care providers Signed by GDAP 2009

EMPIRE ZONE/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REFORM New job-creation and economic development initiatives make better use of public incentives to create and retain jobs Signed by GDAP 2010 (budget) Small Business Revolving Loan Fund reformed in 2010 budget to provide $50 million in new credit to hard-pressed small businesses

MWBE REFORM Legislation and budget initiatives to boost fair access to contracts and credit for minority- and women-owned businesses Signed by GDAP 2010

PROPERTY TAX REFORM Property tax cap passed twice Legislative package included direct relief to hardest-hit taxpayers through efficient circuit breaker credit; cap on local property tax levies that would be 2% this year; bill package to reduce mandates on schools and local governments Legislation has not passed Assembly

NOTE: KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR WOMEN AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR INCLUDED AFTER ISSUE-AREA ACCOMPLISHMENTS

HEALTHCARE & INSURANCE front-line impact: More affordable health insurance for small businesses and workers Local hospital services and jobs protected Passed legislation to require insurance coverage for kids and families struggling with autism Nurses and families empowered to deliver and decide on care

HEALTHCARE ACCESS Making healthcare more affordable and accessible for small businesses and workers, more efficient for taxpayers Family Health Plus Employer Buy-In Expansion Signed by GDAP as part of 2010 health budget Prior approval of health insurance rates for individuals and small groups signed by GDAP Age 29, freelancers coverage signed by GDAP Protecting healthcare services and jobs key budget priority in 2009 and 2010

INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR AUTISM Historic legislation to require insurance coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism in children and adults, vetoed by GDAP

HEALTHCARE QUALITY Nursing Care Quality Protection Act requires public reporting of staffing and care quality, signed by GDAP Family Health Care Decisions Act allows families to make key decisions for incapacitated patients, signed by GDAP
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EDUCATION front-line impact: More innovation to boost student achievement and hold schools accountable for performance Charter cap lifted, hundreds of millions in new federal funds delivered with more on tap Dignity for All Students to stop bullying and harassment More low-interest student loans through NYHELPS

CHARTER SCHOOLS/RACE TO THE TOP/FEDERAL FUNDS Charter cap increased, more innovations added to boost student achievement and unlock $700M in federal funding for all of NYs public schools signed by GDAP New federal funding this fall to prevent teacher layoffs and keep local schools strong

DIGNITY FOR ALL STUDENTS Teaching tolerance and preventing harassment to allow all students to learn Passed both houses and signed by GDAP 2010

NYHELPS Broad access to lower-interest student loans signed by GDAP in 2009 budget

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY front-line impact: More workers doing energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements on homes and businesses Recycling electronic waste including computers & fax machines; bigger, better bottle bill reducing waste stream Passed legislation to keep New York City, Syracuse & agricultural watersheds protected from hydrofracking damage State parks kept open

ENVIRONMENT Historic achievements in environmental protection and energy efficiency, including Green Jobs, E-Waste recycling and the Bigger, Better Bottle Bill all signed by GDAP State parks funding included in 2010 budget bills approved by GDAP Hydrofracking moratorium passed by Senate and Assembly, vetoed by GDAP with historic protections for NYC watershed

ENERGY Strong strides forward on energy efficiency, Green Jobs (GJGNY) and renewable energy (NYPA Clean Energy Initiative) signed by GDAP PACE and on-bill financing bills passed by both houses and still in negotiations w GDAP

PROTECTING NEW YORKERS IN THE COURTS AND ON THE STREETS front-line impact Homeowners and neighbors empowered to fight foreclosures and require repairs Domestic violence survivors strengthened with new tools for law enforcement and new services for families More equal access to justice for low-income New Yorkers 1300 new police officers added across the state Leandras Law

FORECLOSURE PREVENTION Strong protections for homeowners and neighborhoods that are making a real difference in the real world Signed by GDAP or included in 2009 and 2010 budget

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Historic 15-bill package to increase safety and improve services for survivors, toughen penalties for perpetrators Some signed some vetoed by GDAP

CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES & INDIGENT DEFENSE Strong funding and new dedicated structures to ensure more equal access to justice included in 2010 budget

LAW ENFORCEMENT 1300 new police officers on the street statewide included in 2009 budget

LEANDRAS LAW Protecting children from drunk drivers, signed by GDAP

PROTECTING WORKERS, CREATING OPPORTUNITY front-line impact: Basic wage & hours protections for domestic workers Stronger wage protections for all workers Private-sector jobs as an alternative to welfare for thousands of long-term unemployed New Yorkers The first welfare grant increase in decades New protections for seniors and New Yorkers with disabilities A vote on labor rights for farm workers for the first time in 70 years

WORKERS RIGHTS Domestic Workers Bill of Rights provides basic wage & hours protections passed both houses and signed by GDAP Wage Theft Protection Act passed both houses and signed by GDAP Farmworkers Bill of Rights debated on floor of Senate in 2010, basic labor protections denied farm workers since New Deal era labor laws enacted Employee Misclassification bills passed both houses signed by GDAP

EMPLOYMENT AND SUPPORT FOR LOW-INCOME NEW YORKERS Transitional Jobs, Green Pathways Out of Poverty, Healthcare Access and Wage Subsidy programs funded with stimulus matching grants in 2009 and 2010 budgets Welfare grant increase included in 2009 budget

SENIOR/DISABILITY ACCESS Historic smart growth legislation to coordinate planning and infrastructure investments to strengthen access to jobs and transportation, seniors and people with disabilities, signed by GDAP Protected EPIC drug benefits for low-income seniors in 2009 and 2010 budgets

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KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR WOMEN 1. Divorce Reform

Broke a forty-year logjam to reform divorce laws in New York; no-fault divorce, post-marital income guidelines and interim counsel fees will make divorce proceedings less complicated and more fair. 2. Domestic Workers Bill of Rights

Worked with workers, employers and families to pass first-in-the-nation basic wage & hours protections for domestic workers, previously excluded from federal and state fair labor standards created in the 1930s. 3. Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises

Passed the first comprehensive legislation to expand opportunities for womenowned businesses throughout the state and increase competition and diversity in the States procurement. 4. Womens Health

Protected womens access to reproductive health services by increasing penalties for clinic violence. Improved maternal health care with more access to midwives, solid coverage of childbirth expenses and prenatal vitamins. Protected and enhanced medical rights and services, including breast reconstruction surgery after mastectomy, sexual assault services, rights to breastfeed children. 5. Domestic Violence

Stood with domestic violence survivors to pass a historic 20-bill package to increase safety and improve services and protections for survivors and toughen penalties for perpetrators. Includes: strengthening orders of protection, ensuring domestic violence survivors cannot be discriminated against by employers or landlords, and creating new criminal offenses to ensure that strangulation can be prosecuted effectively. 6. Sexual Assault Services

Restored funding for rape crisis centers, ensured social service recipients receive information about sexual assault services and educated college students about stalking.

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7.

Dignity for All Students

Protects students from bullying on the basis of gender or gender identity. 8. Sex Trafficking

Survivors of trafficking often have prostitution charges on their criminal records. Vacates convictions for those who have escaped their traffickers. 9. Safer, More Affordable Child Care

Increasing the number of children cared for by high-quality providers increases affordability for families. 10. Equality Day

New York now officially commemorates women getting the right to vote.

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Key Accomplishments for New Yorks Communities of Color Senate Democrats fought hard in the majority for the interests of New Yorkers of color, whose voices had been too often unheard in prior decades. In just two years, we achieved significant results: Significant increase in diversity on the bench -- more judges of color a personal priority for Conference Leader Sampson as Judiciary Chair and as Leader Landmark legislation to support minority- and women-owned businesses by increasing access to contracts and credit Strong support for to boost jobs, income and workers' rights including the domestic workers' bill of rights, green jobs, targeted employment programs as alternative to welfare and the first public assistance grant increase in decades Historic legislation to protect families facing foreclosure and improve neighborhoods hit by the housing crisis New environmental justice initiatives to toughen enforcement of health and safety laws and protect communities of color Rockefeller drug law reform to reduce recidivism, increase access to treatment and save money for taxpayers First legislative leaders of color in the history of the State of New York

More innovations added to boost student achievement and unlock $700 million in federal funding for all of New Yorks public schools. New federal funding this fall to prevent teacher layoffs and keep local schools strong. Dignity for All Students Act to prevent bullying and harassment to teach tolerance and allow all students to learn. Bill specifically targeted towards curbing bullying based on race, gender, and sexual orientation. Prisoners of the Census new law that will ensure that incarcerated New Yorkers are counted as residents of their home communities (as opposed to the upstate towns where they are incarcerated) when state and local legislative districts are redrawn in New York next year.

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