Q: “Having children has become a privilege of the wealthy. Our childcare costs are our biggest expense after our mortgage (the cost for preschool, before & after school care are essentially a second mortgage). My husband and I make decent money and we have a pretty frugal lifestyle, but we are still overwhelmed with the burden of figuring out how to pay for childcare. In the Town of Woodbury, there are no full-day public Pre-K programs and no public afterschool care. How can New York State provide assistance and support to middle-class families struggling with childcare costs?”
- Khalia Kweli, Highland Mills
A: I know that childcare costs have gone through the roof and I believe the state needs to do more to help working families. This begins with leveling the playing field when it comes to universal pre-k funding. Now that our entire Senate District finally has universal full-day kindergarten - a goal I spent three years fighting for - making sure our communities receive the pre-k funding we deserve is a top priority heading into the next legislative session.
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Q: “Why is the governor going to charge us $25.00 for new plates? Outrageous!”
- Tom Bach, Blooming Grove
A: I wholeheartedly agree that this was a ridiculous and deeply concerning requirement. Thankfully, after I introduced a bill to ensure that if people’s license plates can be read, they don’t have to pay the fee regardless of how old their plate is, the Governor went back on his proposal and said he is no longer requiring the $25 fee for new plates. I will continue to stand up to the Governor when he’s wrong and push back on any further nickel and diming of New Yorkers.
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Q: “Do you agree with the forced vaccinations of our children?”
– Jeff Traina, Montgomery
A: I absolutely support the state’s decision to remove the religious exemption for vaccination requirements in children attending public schools. Science has proven time and again that vaccines are safe and save lives - and unless there is a legitimate medical reason why a child can’t be vaccinated, immunizations ought to be required if that individual wants to be in school around other students. I’m proud to have led this fight in the state Legislature and know our Senate District’s children will be safer because of it.