With the New Year upon us, now is a great opportunity to reflect on what we have accomplished in the last 12 months, and where we can make improvements for the year ahead. In the legislature, 2015 held some significant accomplishments along with a number...

As one of New York State’s oldest industries, agriculture continues to grow and change while remaining a critical component of our economy today. There’s no denying that family farms are an integral part of our region, and agriculture plays a fundamental...

New York state has been learning hard lessons about creating education policy in a vacuum. I find that the most successful and reasonable education solutions come from educators, school administrators and parents directly. A few years ago, my colleagues...

“The Education Task Force’s recommendations to overhaul Common Core are certainly a step in the right direction, but they are far from groundbreaking ideas. My colleagues and I in the Assembly Minority Conference have been pushing for these education...

I hope the guilty verdict in former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s trial will serve as a sobering wake-up call to state elected officials that “business-as-usual” misdeeds and behavior are no longer acceptable. New York’s government has been...

Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) is pleased to announce that today the North Country and Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Councils (REDC) were awarded over $185 million in funding to be invested throughout the regions. The North...

The disparity in investment between upstate and downstate infrastructure is glaring. Announcement after announcement from the governor about the rebuild of the Tappan Zee Bridge, the redesign of LaGuardia Airport, and the most recent announcement about...

Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) held a rally today at the Town of Watertown Highway Department with highway superintendents, workers, local officials and county Chamber of Commerce representatives to call on the governor to provide upstate...

As the temperatures drop, many of us wince at the expense of turning up our thermostats, but for others, making decisions about home heating are far more difficult. Many seniors on fixed incomes and families hit by hard times are making tough choices...

While many of you are planning for the holiday season, I wanted to remind everyone that Small Business Saturday is coming up on November 28. The impact of our dollars supporting small businesses is significant. According to a 2014 report from Empire...

Throughout the state, local municipalities are preparing and finalizing their budgets. As communities figure out how they are going to pay for services and keep property taxes from increasing, I hope our elected state officials remember that we must take...

Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) was again named to the New York State Farm Bureau’s “Circle of Friends.” This is the fifth time Blankenbush has been recognized for his efforts to support agriculture and policies that help family...

Some of you may be aware of the corruption trial of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver that started earlier this month. He’s charged with fraud, extortion and money laundering. The charges say that he, as speaker of the Assembly, took in more than...

According to a Siena College Poll released earlier this month, at 71 percent, New Yorkers overwhelmingly believe upstate New York should be receiving fair funding for infrastructure needs. Fighting for our fair share of infrastructure funding has always...

Recently, I held a public forum in Carthage as part of the Assembly Minority Task Force on Heroin Addiction and Community Response. The emotional and unblinking honesty in the testimony of those who are facing addiction, the parents who have lost children...

“It’s been a long time coming, but I am pleased to see the Women’s Equality Agenda signed into law. Women account for more than half the population of this state, yet, for years, the laws have not protected them equally. Through a bipartisan effort,...

“The decision made by the U.S. Court of Appeals flies in the face of our Second Amendment rights, despite our expectation the court would rule this way. I believe when this goes to the U.S. Supreme Court, justice will prevail in the favor of protecting...

This week, I’m taking a bit of a break from my usual columns about policy to remind my constituents that phone scammers will try anything to take advantage of us. Recently, my office had several calls from constituents raising their concerns over phone...

“The governor recently announced he is pledging more than $8 billion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to spend on New York City subways and trains. According to reports, the state may need to borrow to keep this pledge, which would...

“Collectively, each house of the Legislature worked in a bipartisan manner to pass Women’s Equality legislation, which we all agreed was a major priority in 2015. We did our part to pass tougher human trafficking laws, domestic violence protection...