‘The Gray Area’ Celebrates Inaugural Bills Passed in Session

Assemblyman Scott Gray (R-Watertown) released the latest episode of “The Gray Area” video series. In this week’s episode, Gray discusses his two inaugural bills that were passed on the Assembly floor on Wednesday, May 25 and the events and visitors that were in the Capitol throughout the week.

“It’s local bill season from here until the end of session on June 8, only a couple weeks away. There are a lot of local bills to move through the pipeline, so we will be working diligently in Albany to talk through and negotiate legislation affecting local districts. I am happy to announce my inaugural bill was passed this week (A.5014), which addresses the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority’s need to meet TSA security requirements by hiring its own peace officers. My second bill (A.5021) was passed to authorize St. Lawrence County to extend its additional 1% sales tax and compensating use taxes until 2025,” Gray said.

“We had another great week in Albany in terms of visitors. I was happy to welcome students from the Youth Alliance of Jefferson County who came to advocate against vaping in schools, a significant issue we are trying to deal with. We also had Dairy Day this week to celebrate all the dairy products from our agriculture community. Local vendors such as Hudson Valley Fresh, the New York Farm Viability Institute, Dairy Farmers of America and Stewart’s Shops—just to name a few—were in the Capitol to talk with visitors and share their products. Air Products, a company based in Massena that makes industrial gasses and chemicals, came to discuss their plans to build a plant in Massena. It was great to speak with them, and I will be doing some work on their behalf. We welcomed Ydanis Rodriguez, commissioner for the New York City Department of Transportation, to talk about speed control in NYC and around the rural parts of the state as well. Last, but not least, one of the biggest events of the week was Career Jam in Jefferson County where we had lots of kids come through to see local vendors and businesses.”

“Look out for next week’s episode of The Gray Area as we continue to update you on what you care about. As always, I look forward to seeing you in Albany and back in the district. Don’t hesitate to call my office staff with questions, comments or concerns—it is our privilege to serve you,” Gray concluded.

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/_zt14B_dPZQ