On The Issues

Central Hudson and Rate Increases

The one issue I hear about more than any other is Central Hudson and their seemingly never-ending rate increases.

No More Automatic Increases. About three years ago, I was watching a Central Hudson rate increase hearing, and something astonishing happened. One of the Public Service Commissioners said that he would like to give Central Hudson no increase at all, but if the other Commissioners agreed to give nothing, then Central Hudson would get their entire, original rate request which was over 30%. I thought this was unbelievable, but I did my research and it was true. One would think that the current rate would stay in effect until a new rate was approved if at all. That wasn’t the law then, but it is now.

I went to work, and crafted a new bill (A2740) which would allow the Public Service Commission to grant no increase, and the old rate would stay in effect. The bill was so good that Governor Hochul put it in this year’s (2026) budget which passed. The bill is now law.

No More Late Billing. The first problem was the late, inaccurate billing starting around the end of December 2021. My office had been hearing nonstop from Central Hudson customers with a range of billing problems, including missing or wildly inaccurate bills. One resident received a bill for $700,000! Others had not received a bill for more than four months, 6 months and or even more than a year.

To deal with the situation, I held in-person and online forums to hold Central Hudson accountable; helped hundreds of customers to resolve billing disputes, and arranged for customers to meet with Central Hudson representatives to review their bill.

I also wrote to the Public Service Commission to investigate Central Hudson which they did.

I also wrote legislation to put an end to late billing. In early 2024, I passed legislation which was signed into law by the Governor which did just that. (A8542 of 2024) Now, utilities are required to send out a bill within three months of the end of the billing period or lose the ability to collect for that period. The bill also requires utilities to show the usage records of at the customer’s address – including prior customers – for the past 13 months. The bill went into effect in the summer of 2024, and since then, the late billing fiasco has ended.

More Transparent Rate Increase Requests. One of the problems with the way that utility rates are calculated is that the utility receives a greater rate of return on capital expenditure, such as infrastructure, than it does for other expenses. It was often unclear what projects were being proposed and their benefits to you, the rate payer. In 2025, I wrote another bill requiring utilities to fully explain any capital expenditures included in a rate increase request. The bill passed the legislature and was signed into law at the end of 2025. (A22736)

Fair Utility Rates, Not Big Windfalls. When determining rates, utilities are generally reimbursed on a dollar-for-dollar basis for non-capital expenditures, such as maintenance, salaries and every-day expenses, to do business. Capital expenditures are for longer-term needs such as updating the grid or replacing a roof or building a new structure. Capital expenditures are guaranteed a reasonable rate of return which has been interpreted between 9½% and 10%. But the question to be asked what is proper given the role of utilities?

Capital expenditures should be treated the same way as non-capital expenses once the cost of money is taken into account. Utility bonds currently are generally around 4.35%. Yet despite utilities being almost risk free and low interest rates, utilities are generally being rewarded between 9.5% and 10% rate of return on capital expenditures. For a utility that exists to serve the public interest this makes no sense.

If the utilities are being reimbursed for the cost of money, why should they receive a windfall for borrowing to pay for capital expenditures? Why should utilities receive a windfall for capital expenditures at all?

One standard metric to measure the cost of money is the 10-year United States Treasury note. This rate is considered a reasonable rate of return for those looking to invest with no risk. This bill would redefine how the Public Service Commission treat capital expenditures in a rate increase request by prohibiting a rate increase that entails a return on equity for capital projects that is above the prevailing ten-year treasury rate plus one per cent. The one percent would cover the utilities’ administrative expenses.

Utilities should not make a huge windfall on their capital expenditures. This bill would correct this injustice to consumers.

Making Big Tech Pay its Fair Share. Data centers and chip manufacturers demand a lot of energy, which may require improvements to the grid. I introduced this bill to help ensure that the owners and operators of these facilities bear the cost – not regular utility customers. While this bill did not pass, the essence of the bill was included in A11560 (The Responsible Data Center Act) which I co-sponsored and did pass.

Going Forward: If you are still having a dispute concerning your utility bill, we can help you by making sure you are able to get the information you need and talk directly with a representative from Central Hudson. Please call either my Newburgh or Poughkeepsie office.

Protecting Reproductive Health Care Rights

In 2022, The Supreme Court has once again shown it is out of touch with the majority of Americans in its decision overturning Roe v. Wade, a nearly 50-year precedent that provided Constitutional protections for the right to an abortion.

Thankfully, prior to that decision we took action in New York State. In 2019, I was proud to co-sponsor the Reproductive Health Act which codified Roe v. Wade in New York State. Since then, we took bold action once again to strengthen our reproductive health laws and provide much-needed protections for health care providers by enacting shield laws.

In 2024, the voters passed the State’s Equal Rights Amendment which means that reproductive and other rights stated in the Amendment will be protected regardless if there is a change in who controls the Legislature and the Governor’s mansion. I was proud to co-sponsor the Amendment and voted twice in support of the Amendment. (It had to pass two separately elected Legislatures.)

In 2025, I was also proud to co-sponsor A5480 which protects individuals who provide or receive legally protected health care, from criminal or civil liability or professional sanctions imposed by jurisdictions outside New York State. This protects medical providers who provide medical services which are legal in New York State to out-of-state residents.

A woman’s health decision should be made only by that woman. Period. Unfortunately, unlike New York, in about half of the states in the Nation, women will no longer have their reproductive freedoms and the ability to make their own choices.

I will continue to fight to ensure that reproductive freedom and the ability of women to make their own health care decisions are preserved in New York.

Fighting Gun Violence

We are all too aware that our nation is suffering a plague of gun violence.

There are too many illegal guns. And there are too many guns, both legal and illegal, in the hands of those who are mentally ill or are likely to cause harm to themselves or others.

Shortly after the tragic Buffalo Massacre where 10 innocent people were murdered while doing their grocery shopping, the United States Supreme Court struck down New York’s 100-year-old concealed carry law.

While Washington refuses to act, I, along with the rest of the State Legislature’s majority, took action to comply with the Court while enacting measures to protect our residents from gun violence.

We strengthened our red flag laws and expanded the eligibility requirements in the concealed carry permitting process to now require applicants to submit their social media histories for review. We also restricted the ability of individuals to carry concealed weapons in certain sensitive locations such as schools, governmental buildings, stadiums, medical offices, houses of worship, and public transit.

The shooter in the Buffalo Massacre was wearing body armor which protected him from the “good guy with a gun.” Criminals do not need body armor, so I am especially proud that we passed my bill restricting the sale of body armor except to those whose occupations put them in danger of gun violence, including law enforcement, armored car guards, security guards, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians/paramedics.

As we all know, guns are not manufactured in the Hudson Valley, but too many guns find their way onto our streets. Most of these illegal guns come up the iron pipeline (Interstate 95) from the south where it’s easier to purchase a gun. I have long advocated for the State to take on illegal gun trafficking. This year, Governor Hochul heard me and she is working with those states along I-95 to help stem this deadly flow.

Locally, I have secured funding for gun buyback programs which has taken hundreds of guns off the streets. Just this year alone, the gun buybacks in Newburgh and Poughkeepsie have taken more than 202 guns off our streets, including 27 assault weapons and 83 handguns.

When a gun is turned in, it means one more gun that will not end up in the wrong hand.

The battle against gun violence is never-ending. We must continue to be vigilant and do all we can do.

Supporting Voting Reforms

Voting should be simple and easy. Period. In pursuit of that goal, I have supported sweeping voting reforms since my election.

While other states have moved to make it harder to vote, New York State has led the way in making it easier to register and vote. This past session, I supported the “John Lewis Voting Rights Act” which works to prohibit voter dilution, suppression, intimidation, deception, or obstruction.

New York now has nine early voting days, including two full weekends, prior to Election Day and all primaries.

To minimize confusion when polling sites changed, I passed a new law that requires the Board of Elections to post a sign on yellow paper at the entrance of the old site stating that the polling location has been moved and where the new polling site is located. This must be done for both primary and general elections.

Young people, ages 16 and 17, can now pre-register to vote. Inviting young people into the democratic process early will make them more likely to vote and increase turnout in the years to come.

We reformed the counting of absentee ballots so that most ballots will be counted by the close of Primary or Election Day so we will know the results in most elections during the evening after polls close.

I am still pushing for the State to amend the Constitution and institute “no excuse” absentee voting. There is no reason that people should need a reason to vote by mail. If a duly registered voter wants to vote by mail and requests an absentee ballot, then the Board should be able to send the voter an absentee ballot — no questions asked. Absentee voting should be that simple.

Restoring Faith in Our Electoral Process — Stopping Corruption and Conflicts at Our Board of Elections

Our democracy is under attack, often based on conspiracy theories. These attacks have undermined the public’s confidence in our elections process. For our democracy to work, the public must believe that the Boards of Elections are acting in the best interest of the public and are fairly administering elections.

This is why I wrote and passed legislation, which is now law to stop conflicts of interest at the Boards of Elections.

My legislation (A1244 and A1015) prohibits specific financial conflicts of interest for Board employees and forbids them from working at the Board if they are candidates in an election run by that Board.

The bill has three sections:

1. Board employees cannot work for or have a financial interest in a company that sells equipment to the Board of Elections, such as voting machines, printers and poll books.
2. Board employees cannot work for or have a financial interest in a company that provides services, such as mailing, printing, advertising, and consulting, to a candidate whose election is overseen by the board.
3. Board employees cannot remain paid employees if they are running for public office. Any board employee who runs for public office must take an unpaid leave of absence from the board. The leave of absence must begin as soon as an employee files petitions if there is a primary, or at least 90 days before the General Election in November if there is no primary. The only exception is if both commissioners (Democratic and Republican) according to rules and regulations established by the State Board of Elections.

While these restrictions seem obvious, the current conflict of interest laws have not prevented these conflicts.

This legislation will go a long way in restoring the public’s trust in how elections are run in New York State.

Combating Ghost Jobs — Bill Passes Both Houses of the Legislature

The only thing worse than being turned down for a job after an interview is wasting time applying for a job which you later discover did not exist at all. Listings for jobs that aren’t being filled, known as “ghost jobs,” are not only a frustration for job-seekers – they also make it harder to get a clear picture of the labor market, which can impact the Federal jobs report.

In a recent survey from career site Resume Builder, 40% of companies said they posted a fake job listing in 2024. A 2025 report from another career site, MyPerfectResume, estimated that nearly a third of U.S. job postings don’t result in an actual hire, creating a ghost job economy.

This bill will require specific language in employment advertisements stating when a job is to be filled. If the job is to be filled in less than 90 days, then the employer must state the date when it shall be filled. If it is to be filled by more than 90 days, then the employer must state the “no sooner than” date the employer intends to fill the job. If the job is not to be filled and the employer is only seeking resumes, then it must state and say that the posting is not for a current vacancy and that the employer is seeking resumes to review in the future when jobs become available. All required language is to be in capital letters and in bold type.

These requirements also apply to third-party job posting entities such as Indeed and Zip Recruiter.

A violation of these new requirements would mean a fine of $2,500 for each publication of the advertisement either in printed format or on a digital platform. This fine would double every 30 days that the advertisement is not corrected.

It is hard enough to apply for a job. The least employers should do is be honest with the public about the jobs they are advertising.