Assemblyman James Skoufis

End of Term Report

 Dear Friend,
Its a privilege and an honor to serve you in the state Assembly.
Since my election in 2012, Ive fought to improve our quality of life
here and build a brighter future for families in Orange and Rockland
counties.
I strive to keep the lines of communication open between us, as all
public officials should. New Yorkers deserve a government that is
effective, transparent and accountable, and it starts with the people
who are selected to represent them.
This end-of-term report highlights the progress that has been made
during the 2015-16 legislative session, as well as my outlook for
2017-18. Its my duty as your representative to let you know what
Im doing in Albany on behalf of our community you deserve
answers and results. The report includes vital funding I secured in
the 2015-16 state budget for the 99th Assembly District, as well as
important bills I fought for.
The legislation I introduced and helped pass supports middle-class
families, expands local services, invests in education, makes our
roads and bridges safer and strengthens our local economy. Weve
made a lot of progress, but theres much work to do. The report also
highlights several pieces of legislation Ill be fighting to pass this
year.
As always, I look forward to hearing your ideas on how I can better
serve you in the Assembly. My door is always open. If I can be of
assistance to you in any way, please feel free to contact me at
845-469-6929 or by emailing SkoufisJ@nyassembly.gov.
Sincerely,

James Skoufis
Member of Assembly
99th District

ASSEMBLYMAN JAMES SKOUFIS END OF TERM REPORT

 In 2015-16, Skoufis authored and passed
8 pieces of legislation that became law
Keeping our families safe
Requires that ambulance companies screen all applicants through the sex
offender registry as part of their hiring process. The bill was signed into
law in November 2016 (A.3590B, Ch. 429 of 2016).

Making local government more efficient

Authorizes the village of South Blooming Grove to consolidate certain
functions that were performed by the town of Blooming Grove and its
former town sewer districts. The bill was signed into law in December 2015
(A.6128, Ch. 543 of 2015).

Making New York more business friendly

Allows domestic stock life insurance companies to fill positions on their
boards of directors with members from a parent or holding company. The
bills were signed into law in December 2015 and March 2016 (A.7458A, Ch.
575 of 2015 and A.9197, Ch. 8 of 2016).

Helping residents get important benefits

Allows Christopher Dyroff to file an application for retroactive membership
in the New York State Retirement System, in which he was excluded from
at no fault of his own. The bill was signed into law in September 2016
(A.9718, Ch. 353 of 2016).

Honoring local leaders

Designates a portion of State Route 208 in the village of Washingtonville
as John Spear Way, in honor of John Spear, who dedicated his life to
serving the community. The bill was signed into law in September 2016
(A.8549, Ch. 368 of 2016).

Looking out for our schools

Allows the Minisink Valley School District to maintain a reserve fund
for insurance purposes. The bill was signed into law in November 2016
(A.10196, Ch. 416 of 2016).

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Boosting the local economy
Allows the town of Woodbury to impose a hotel and motel tax of up to 5
percent of a rooms cost. The fee will not apply to long-term residents who
occupy a room for longer than 90 days. The bill was signed into law in
December 2016 (A.9776, Ch. 510 of 2016).

In 2015-16, Skoufis authored an additional

9 bills that passed the Assembly
Securing funding for localities
Allows newer municipalities, like the villages of South Blooming Grove and
Woodbury, to be eligible for the same state aid as all other municipalities.
This bill would make permanent the funding Skoufis secured for these
villages in the past four state budgets. It was passed by the Assembly in
May 2015 (A.2321).*

Helping homeowners rebuild after natural disasters

Creates a task force to ensure policyholders have adequate insurance
coverage in the event of a natural disaster. The bill was passed by the
Assembly in June 2015 and May 2016 (A.4172).
Requires insurance companies to make a prompt claims decision after
closing an investigation, allowing policyholders to access the resources
they need to rebuild in a timely manner. The bill was passed by the
Assembly in June 2015 and March 2016 (A.4458).

Holding Kiryas Joel accountable

Ensures the Department of Environmental Conservation would consider a
municipalitys environmental history when weighing lead agency disputes.
The bill was passed by the Assembly in June 2015 (A.7629).*
Ensures more comprehensive oversight of annexation proceedings. The
bills were passed by the Assembly in June 2015 and June 2016 (A.7639,
A.10210).*

ASSEMBLYMAN JAMES SKOUFIS END OF TERM REPORT 3

 Making LLCs more transparent
Increases transparency by requiring limited liability companies (LLCs) that
engage in residential property sales to disclose their members. The bill
was passed by the Assembly in June 2016 (A.10430).

Protecting seniors tax relief

Corrects a gap in existing law that penalizes seniors who roll over their
annuity. The bill was passed by the Assembly in June 2016 (A.7248A).

Looking out for correction workers

Grants parole officers the same protections as other correction workers if
they are injured on the job. The bill was passed by the Assembly in June
2016 (A.7784).*
*Bills vetoed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Key legislation Skoufis has

introduced for 2017-18
Enacts the Integrity in Government Act to ensure greater adherence to
the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) and Open Meetings Law (OML) to
increase transparency (A.1632).
Establishes standards for the prompt investigation and settlement of
claims due to states of emergency and disasters (A.1568).
Implements Tuition-Free NY to provide free tuition at SUNY, CUNY and
community colleges for eligible students (A.4100).
Requires that schools implement policies that allow students with
disabilities to participate in graduation ceremonies (A.1595).
Prevents businesses from inserting non-disparagement clauses into
online service agreements or in the fine print of contracts that make the
consumer liable for a negative review (A.5718).
Reinstates the Bank Tax that was previously repealed, ensuring that big
banks are not able to shelter certain profits and are paying their share of
taxes (A.5316).

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 Holding government accountable
This year, Skoufis helped pass a constitutional amendment stripping taxpayer-
funded pensions from public officials convicted of corruption (A.1749). This
legislation was passed by both houses twice and will now go before voters as
a referendum on the November 2017 ballot. James will continue fighting for
stronger ethics reforms, such as closing the LLC loophole and limiting outside
income.
Additionally, Skoufis helped pass a joint resolution requiring lawmakers earning
more than $5,000 a year in outside income to disclose that information to the
independent Legislative Ethics Commission (LEC) for a ruling on whether a
conflict of interest exists (B.404/C.25). This will help ensure government works for
the people and only the people.

Improving our quality of life

Combating heroin and opioid addiction
The heroin and opioid epidemic has left tragedy and devastation in its wake in
communities across New York State. Skoufis helped pass new laws to combat
addiction and expand access to lifesaving treatment, education and support
services. The laws (Ch. 69, 70 and 71 of 2016):
require insurers to cover inpatient treatment and substance abuse
medication
increase the emergency hold period for patients incapacitated by drugs
from 48 to 72 hours and require hospitals to provide discharge treatment
planning
allow more professionals to administer Narcan to counteract an overdose
limit patients first prescription for opioids and create an education
campaign for doctors and prescribers

ASSEMBLYMAN JAMES SKOUFIS END OF TERM REPORT 5

 Protecting our environment
and natural resources
Skoufis has been a strong advocate for local environmental needs, working on a
bipartisan agreement to ensure the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation (DEC) pays for the cleanup of Ridgebury Lake.
Skoufis also worked closely with the DEC to get clean drinking water for
Newburgh area residents, including those on Steele Road in New Windsor and
Beaver Dam Lake, whose sources were contaminated with Perfluorooctane
Sulfonate (PFOS).

Supporting middle-class families

in the Hudson Valley
Skoufis is committed to helping middle-class families get ahead. He fought to
pass paid family leave, because no one should have to choose between their
paycheck and caring for a loved one. He also helped raise the minimum wage
to help lift hardworking New Yorkers out of poverty and secured income tax cuts
totaling $3 billion over eight years so families can keep more of their hard-earned
money.

Ridding our neighborhoods

of zombie properties
To keep our neighborhoods safe, strengthen homeowner protections and help
keep property values up, Skoufis sponsored and helped pass the New York State
Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act of 2016. The legislation allows
homeowners to challenge the legality of a foreclosure at any point in the process
and holds lenders responsible for the upkeep of vacant residential properties. It
also creates a registry for residents to report them.

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 Fighting for full womens equality
Skoufis has continually pushed to strengthen and protect womens rights. He
helped pass the Womens Equality Act and important womens equality laws that
prohibit wage, housing and employment discrimination as well as bolster the
states anti-human trafficking laws. Skoufis also passed a series of bills to crack
down on domestic violence and help keep victims safe.

Ensuring a high-quality education

Skoufis knows how important it is to strengthen New Yorks education system
from kindergarten through college. Hes been at the forefront of the fight to
expand full-day kindergarten across the state because early education is crucial
to a childs development. Hes also secured significant historic increases in state
aid for the schools he represents. Further, Skoufis led last years fight to enact a
tuition freeze at SUNY and CUNY schools and has authored legislation to make
SUNY and CUNY tuition free for qualified students.

Fighting to keep St. Lukes

Cornwall ER open
If it were up to St. Lukes Cornwall Hospital management, the Cornwall
emergency room would have closed in 2013. Skoufis led the fight to keep the
ER open and successfully did for another three years. Although the hospital
irresponsibly closed the Cornwall emergency room doors in early 2017, Skoufis
is committed to bringing 24/7 urgent care to our area to help mitigate the ER
closures impact.

Protecting consumers
Skoufis has been pushing to create a state Office of the Utility Consumer
Advocate (UCA) to represent consumer interests in residential utility matters at
both the state and federal level. He knows New Yorkers deserve a strong voice
advocating for them against unfair utility rate hikes.

ASSEMBLYMAN JAMES SKOUFIS END OF TERM REPORT 7

 Improving transportation
Skoufis fought to secure vital funding in the MTAs 2015-19 Capital Plan to
construct a midway yard in Orange County and passing rail siding to enable two-
way train travel. These projects will lead to a significant increase in train capacity
in Eastern Orange County as well as the Rockland stations in Sloatsburg and
Suffern. Notably, passing sidings enable two-way train travel in Orange County
whereas there once was only a single track and trains could not simultaneously
travel to and from the county. Once a yard location is finalized, Skoufis will push
to expedite rail siding construction, which isnt scheduled to begin until 2023.

Helping those struggling with illness

Skoufis voted to legalize medical marijuana (Ch. 90 of 2014) to ensure New Yorkers
suffering from debilitating conditions receive the treatment they need to improve
their quality of life.
Additionally, the Assembly district is host to one of five growers in the state to
receive a license to grow medical marijuana, creating jobs and strengthening the
local economy.

Assisting with resident issues

Skoufis directly assisted in many hundreds of constituent cases and responded
to thousands of legislative emails and phone calls from residents. He was able
to save or recover an estimated $600,000 for constituents in the form of medical
fees, agency fees such as insurance and DMV fees and additional taxes.
A constituent contacted Skoufis office about her father who left high
school to join the fight in the Korean War without ever receiving his high
school diploma. Skoufis was able to work with the school district not only
to get him his military diploma but also an invitation from the school district
to walk the stage with the next graduating class.
Skoufis was contacted by a local resident because she had lost her
passport and was leaving in five days to see her family abroad. Skoufis
office was able to get in contact with the U.S. passport office and arrange
for an immediate appointment in Boston for his constituent to obtain her
passport so that she could travel. Because of Skoufis help, she did not
have to forfeit her plane tickets or have to change her travel plans.

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 A local family came to Skoufis when their insurance company was
planning to cut the at-home nursing assistance their disabled son receives.
A working household with seven other children, the insurance coverage is
critical to keeping their family together and ensuring their son is taken care
of. Skoufis, who is a member of the Assemblys Insurance Committee,
put pressure on and successfully fought the familys insurance company
through the appeals process in order to preserve the much-needed
nursing care.

Staying active in the community

Hosted 15 Skoufis on Your Street events
Introduced a Bank Shaming campaign to push big banks to expedite
zombie property foreclosures
Visited 8 VFWs and American Legion posts to discuss issues with local
veterans
Toured the community with Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie along with
local business owners and elected officials to discuss issues important to
the district, making stops at local businesses
Hosted the newly appointed Board of Regents member Judith Johnson at
Orange County schools to meet with students, teachers and administrators
Attended 17 ceremonies and presented Assembly citations to local Eagle
Scouts
Has been outspoken on many projects and proposals that impact the
community, including the United Water hike, anchorage sites in the
Hudson River and annexation proposals
Visited 16 local senior groups to hear concerns facing seniors

Attended 14 fire company and 9 EMS installation events

ASSEMBLYMAN JAMES SKOUFIS END OF TERM REPORT 9

 Advocating for us
Continues to fight against unsustainable, irresponsible development in
order to protect our quality of life
Strongly and successfully advocated to keep Valley View Nursing Home
open and county-owned to ensure local seniors and veterans continue to
receive quality care
Maintained a 100 percent voting and attendance record during the 2015-
16 Legislative Session and cast 2,543 votes on the floor and in committee
Secured AIM funding for Woodbury and South Blooming Grove in 2015
and 2016 to ensure these villages get their fair share of funding that all
other municipalities automatically receive
Worked with the Department of Transportation to periodically set up a
mobile truck weigh station along Route 17 in Tuxedo to ensure that toll-
evading trucks that travel on our local roads are inspected and safe

Securing key investments for

local schools and projects
School Aid
$450,000 in supplemental aid for the North Rockland School District
$125,000 in supplemental aid for the Highland Falls/Fort Montgomery
Central School District
$25,000 in supplemental aid for the Monroe-Woodbury Central School
District in 2015
$25,000 in supplemental aid for the Washingtonville Central School District
in 2015
$25,000 in supplemental aid for the Cornwall Central School District in
2015
$25,000 in supplemental aid for the Highland Falls/Fort Montgomery
Central School District in 2015

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School aid increases over the last two years
School District 2014-15 2016-2017 Total Change Change %
Chester $4,946,314 $6,020,285 $1,073,971 17.84%
Cornwall $14,939,007 $16,283,055 $1,344,048 8.25%
Florida $4,588,154 $5,008,848 $420,694 8.40%
Goshen $11,873,869 $13,986,020 $2,112,151 15.10%
Highland Falls $7,484,657 $8,627,093 $1,142,436 13.24%
Middletown $67,643,981 $80,926,041 $13,282,060 16.41%
Minisink $32,980,969 $35,806,222 $2,825,253 7.89%
Monroe-Woodbury $41,002,003 $45,212,703 $4,210,700 9.31%
Newburgh $127,060,972 $137,560,656 $10,499,684 7.63%
North Rockland $50,280,507 $55,530,912 $5,250,405 9.45%
Valley Central $31,320,613 $33,464,067 $2,143,454 11.35%
Warwick $19,573,100 $22,077,858 $2,504,758 11.35%
Washingtonville $26,130,713 $29,587,641 $3,456,928 11.68%

Libraries
$64,364 via a library construction grant for the Moffat Library for
preliminary building demolition and site preparation for renovation and
expansion (Aug. 11, 2015)
$8,880 for the Tomkins Cove Library to install air conditioning on the
second floor and sign replacement (Aug. 11, 2015)
$160,457 for the Moffat Library in Washingtonville to install a new code-
rated sprinkler system and energy-efficient HVAC unit (June 24, 2016)
$55,000 for the Goshen Public Library and Historical Society for demolition
and site preparation for new building construction (June 24, 2016)
$21,500 for the Highland Falls Library to construct a new restroom and
ramps (June 24, 2016)
$82,000 for the Highland Falls Librarys renovation (Sept. 1, 2016)
$57,671 for Tomkins Cove Public Library to replace a steam boiler with two
new natural gas boilers

ASSEMBLYMAN JAMES SKOUFIS END OF TERM REPORT 11

 Byrne Grants
$9,700 for the Chester Police Department to purchase a new utility vehicle
for severe weather responses (July 29, 2015)
$9,500 for the Woodbury Police Department to purchase an in-car camera
system for local police vehicles (July 29, 2015)
$10,800 for the New Windsor Police Department to increase traffic safety
and reduce speeding on local roads (Aug. 4, 2015)
$10,000 for the town of Highlands Police Department for speed signs and
a radar unit for speed reduction (Oct. 14, 2016)
$10,000 for the village of Chester Police Department for a technology
upgrade (Oct. 14, 2016)
$10,000 for the town of Cornwall Police Department for a 2017 Ford Police
Interceptor Utility vehicle (Oct. 14, 2016)

Upgrading Local Infrastructure

Skoufis successfully pushed for critical investments to rehabilitate and upgrade
our local infrastructure, bringing back an unprecedented share of funding for our
district.
$115 million for the Exit 131 Interchange Project to relieve congestion and
improve traffic conditions in Woodbury
Worked with DOT and the village of Washingtonville to expedite the
replacement of the Route 208 bridge, which was structurally damaged
during Superstorm Sandy, to have the least impact on businesses and
residents
Supported the project to make crucial safety changes to the intersection at
Kiernan Road and Route 207
Supported funding to fix Popolopen Bridge in Fort Montgomery, which was
in danger of collapsing
$10 million to repair and repave the Palisades Interstate Parkway and
Route 6
$3 million to repave Route 207 in Goshen

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 $1 million to repair the Beaver Dam Lake dam to stop the lake from
draining the funding was stuck in red tape since 2007 and was on the
verge of expiring
$500,000 for repaving 3.5 miles of Route 32 in the town of Woodbury

2015-16 2016-17
CHIPs Winter Recovery CHIPs Pave NY
Towns
Blooming Grove $112,332.76 $15,992.66 $112,312.97 $25,636.55
Chester $83,854.75 $11,410.33 $83,843.60 $19,138.14
Cornwall $84,678.95 $12,221.88 $84,665.00 $19,325.63
Goshen $144,741.66 $20,761.32 $144,723.15 $33,034.50
Hamptonburgh $89,526.58 $12,260.84 $89,513.26 $20,432.29
Highlands $23,224.27 $3,510.35 $23,221.59 $5,300.56
New Windsor $201,320.55 $28,699.75 $201,295.21 $45,947.63
Stony Point $69,395.08 $9,711.91 $69,381.16 $15,836.94
Wawayanda $153,053.07 $22,286.34 $153,033.02 $34,931.31

Villages
Washingtonville $39,542.00 $3,742.33 $39,601.61 $9,039.46
Chester $52,065.73 $6,809.37 $52,106.88 $11,893.91
Cornwall-on-Hudson $96,997.77 $13,588.67 $97,056.49 $22,154.11
Goshen $98,561.28 $13,483.79 $98,627.38 $22,512.68
Highland Falls $54,598.72 $7,664.34 $54,631.46 $12,470.17
Woodbury $99,334.74 $9,870.93 $99,475.16 $22,706.20
South Blooming Grove $33,562.47 $3,837.07 $33,599.95 $7,669.52

ASSEMBLYMAN JAMES SKOUFIS END OF TERM REPORT 13

 Funding secured by Assemblyman Skoufis
$20 million for farmland protection in the Hudson Valley
$14 million a year for 5 years in order to maintain St. Lukes Cornwall
Hospital
$25,000 for Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange County to
help buy beds and other basic household items through the organizations
Case Management and Resources Exchange Program (Dec. 8, 2015)
$4,000 for The Center of Highland Falls
$4,000 for the town of Highland Falls Historical Society to purchase
equipment
$19,000 for the Pyngyp Schoolhouse in Stony Point for renovations to
historic buildings
$4,000 for the Dispute Resolution Center to purchase essential equipment
for a training room
$30,000 for Access: Supports for Living to renovate a group home for girls
in Cornwall
$14,000 for Woodbury Community Ambulance to purchase a chest
compression device
$50,000 for the town of Chester for a generator at the Highway
Department
$50,000 for the village of Chester for a fuel management system and wall
tanks
$125,000 for the Cornwall Central School District to build a playground
compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
$5,000 for the Fort Montgomery Fire District to replace safety equipment
air packs

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ASSEMBLYMAN JAMES SKOUFIS END OF TERM REPORT 15
16 ASSEMBLYMAN JAMES SKOUFIS END OF TERM REPORT
Assemblyman James Skoufis
11 Main St. Chester, NY 10918
845-469-6929 SkoufisJ@nyassembly.gov