Met Council is once again helping food-insecure Jewish New Yorkers celebrate Passover this year and Assemblymember Lavine was proud to lend a hand as it distributed high-quality, kosher-for-Passover food at no cost at the Sid Jacobson JCC in East Hills.

Lavine was joined by a group of young students at the distribution event which took place at the JCC Annex. He also expressed his gratitude to Met Council and the JCC for all these wonderful organizations do for the community and wished ‘Chag Sameach’ to all who are celebrating Passover.

Whether it’s helping those in need when disaster strikes or preventing it from happening in the first place, the American Red Cross has never been more essential – especially with the extremes brought on by the climate crisis. As a longtime supporter of this wonderful organization which works hand in hand with government, Assemblymember Lavine is honored to be selected as its New York State Legislator of the Year.

(l-r) Desiree Ramos Reiner, External Affairs Officer, American Red Cross Greater New York Region; Assemblymember Dana Levenberg; Assemblymember Lavine; John Waldman, Regional Sr. Director of Government and Community Relations, American Red Cross Greater New York Region; Denise Bloise, Manager of Government and Community Relations, American Red Cross Greater New York Region at awards ceremony in Albany.

Assemblymember Lavine thanks the Ahavas Bais Yaakov of Monsey, a Jewish girls' school in Rockland County, for hosting a wonderful luncheon in Albany. Lavine enjoyed meeting this group of young women who were in town to get a first-hand understanding of how government functions at the state level as part of a civics program.

It’s always so much fun for Assemblymember Lavine to participate in the PARP (Pick A Reading Partner) program…

This year Lavine has the pleasure of reading to fourth and fifth graders at Landing Elementary School in Glen Cove where the kids were fully engaged and asked thoughtful questions.

Lavine with Landing Elementary School Students on PARP Day

Lavine with Landing Elementary School Students on PARP Day

Assemblymember Lavine has so much fun at the Grenville Baker Boys & Girls Club in Locust Valley where he attended a girls’ basketball game. In addition to flipping a coin in a special pre-game ceremony, Lavine enjoyed spending some time with coaches and players who really impressed with their skills and sense of teamwork.

While it was an honor to be recognized, Lavine noted that it's Executive Director Melissa Rhodes and her extraordinary staff who deserve the credit for their dedication to the kids and the community at large.

In Albany, Assemblymember Lavine joins wife Ronnie and members of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund in support of women’s rights, which are human rights. Lavine said, "We will not sit passively as Trump-influenced states with authoritarian governments enact laws suppressing basic freedoms as they work to restrict or outright ban abortion."

As Chairman of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, Assemblymember Lavine has the honor of joining his legislative colleagues in presiding over a joint budget hearing on public protection. One of the highlights for him was being able to speak with New York State Chief Administrative Judge, the Honorable Joseph Zayas, about issues facing our court system, including the impact of increased immigration enforcement.

Sometimes laws need some tweaking, as is the case with the Cannabis Law. Assemblymember Lavine speaks out in support of A10140, which makes changes necessary to protect the community by restricting the distance of licensed cannabis shops from schools and houses of worship.

The disturbing rise in antisemitism is among the topics discussed in Albany as Assemblymember Lavine, along with several Members of the Assembly, meets with newly elected New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin (second to right of AM Lavine). Lavine noted that he looks forward to working closely with Speaker Menin in the fight against hate and other important issues affecting New Yorkers.

Assemblymember Lavine joins two students from Westbury High School who are part of the Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute program for an insightful discussion on pending legislation. Among the issues they talked about was the impact of the crackdown on immigrants across the country. Lavine noted how proud he is of both Bastian Arriaza and David Escobar for being part of this amazing program and wishes them both the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Assemblymember Lavine hosts a meeting in Albany to discuss his bill addressing the shortcomings of the state’s guardianship system, which is failing elderly New Yorkers. The New York State Good Guardianship Act (A09295), together with a proposed $15 million investment in the Statewide Initiative of Nonprofit Guardians (SING) will expand nonprofit guardianship capacity statewide, improve quality, accountability and oversight within the system, and better support individuals who lack resources and have no suitable guardian.

This being Long Island, we can never have enough good bagel shops! Assemblymember Lavine is honored to present co-owners (l-r) Sharjeel Razzak and Faraz Essani a citation in recognition of the opening of Bagel Amore in Hicksville.

It’s part of a unique set up in which the shop is connected to three other recently opened food offerings by an extended kitchen in the back enabling employees to move from store to store based on the need at any given time. Lavine wishes the very best of luck to Faraz and Sharjeel.

The redevelopment of Glen Cove’s waterfront over the last several years has been astonishing, and another great step was taken with the groundbreaking of RXR’s latest project, The Arden, soon to be home to 101 new rental apartments.

Assemblymember Lavine is honored to attend the event at Garvies Point and speak about how meaningful this project is to the city as it continues to grow.

Assemblymember Lavine addresses the Assembly on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we commemorate the more than six million Jews murdered and the millions of others who were persecuted by the Nazis. Lavine noted that we are witnessing an alarming rise in antisemitism around the globe, adding that it is more important than ever for us to recognize the critical lessons of Holocaust history.

With healthcare undoubtedly bound to be a major topic of discussion in the upcoming budget negotiations, Assemblymember Lavine found it helpful to connect directly with leaders from NYU Langone Hospital at its legislative breakfast in Mineola.

Assemblymember Lavine is honored to join Governor Kathy Hochul and union leaders in Hauppauge at a rally in support of offshore wind projects off the coast of Long Island. Lavine believes these projects have the dual benefit of creating jobs and protecting our future, and by helping us move away from dependence on harmful fossil fuels.

Photo courtesy of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

In the aftermath of the warm glow of the holidays, unfortunately for so many on Long Island, the very real issue of food insecurity remains. With this in mind, Assemblymember Lavine visited the Long Island Cares satellite location in Bethpage to announce a $30,000 grant he secured to support its food distribution efforts.
(l-r) Ciara O’Brien, Long Island Cares Government Relations and Advocacy Manager; Michael Haynes, Long Island Cares Vice-President for Government Relations, Advocacy and Social Policy

Haynes led Lavine on a tour of the facility and the two had a good discussion about what can be done to help families in need.

Amidst an ever-increasing presence of immigration enforcement officials (ICE) on Long Island, Assemblymember Lavine leads a meeting on actions that can be taken to help immigrants in the community.

More than 150 people packed First Baptist Church in Glen Cove for the spirited gathering, which included presentations by civil rights activists and members of Long Island’s Rapid Response Network.
(l-r) Evan Freed, Port Washington Rapid Response Network, Roger Friedman, Community Activist, Sonia Arora, Port Washington Rapid Response Network, Susan Gottehrer, Director, Nassau County New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), Assemblymember Lavine

The recent government shutdown drew a lot of attention to the issue of food insecurity on Long Island. It was fitting that as part of the City of Glen Cove’s Martin Luther King Day tribute, NOSH Delivers! food pantry, along with AHRC Nassau, sponsored a food drive to help those in need.

Assemblymember Lavine makes a friend at the MLK Day ceremony at Robert Finley Middle School in Glen Cove.

Glen Cove High School students participating in the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute (PRHYLI) program welcome Assemblymember Lavine.
(l-r) Assemblymember Lavine, Diana Rodriguez, Yossiri Espinoza, Stephany Platas, Teacher Domifer Francisco Rodriguez, Superintendent Dr. Alexa Doeschner, and GCHS Principal Allen Hudson III

The student delegates led a thoughtful and engaging interview, asking insightful questions regarding pending legislation in the Assembly including a bill which would provide protections from immigration enforcement in schools.

Assemblymember Lavine meets with reporters just before Governor Kathy Hochul's State of the State address at the State Capitol in Albany.

Assemblymember Lavine thanks members of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) and his colleagues in government who joined him at his district office in Glen Cove for a very productive meeting. Among other things, the group discussed affordable housing and what we can do to enable hard-working residents of the New York Metropolitan area achieve the dream of owning their own home.

Assemblymember Lavine is thankful to be back in Albany for the start of the legislative session. Lavine noted that he looks forward to serving as Chair of the Judiciary Committee and working with Speaker Carl Heastie and the Assembly Majority to help make the everyday lives of New York’s hardworking families easier.