Dr. Kevin Sabet is the President and CEO of both the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions and Smart Approaches to Marijuana. He has studied, researched, written about, and implemented drug policy for more than 25 years.

Sabet has published several books including bestseller, “Smokescreen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesn’t Want You To Know,” which has been optioned for a documentary film that will be released this year or in 2024.

His work as a government advisor began in the Clinton Administration as a researcher, and he was the senior speechwriter on drug policy in the Bush Administration. He returned to government in 2009, where he was asked to assist in drafting President Obama’s National Drug Control Strategy as a senior advisor

Dr. Sabet will deliver his presentation from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel in Celoron and again from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at SUNY Fredonia’s Williams Center.

Both presentations are free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Sheriff Jim Quattrone at 716-753-4900 or by email at QUATTRONE@sheriff.us.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks on House Republican debt ceiling plan (April 26, 2023)

House Republicans passed a debt ceiling hike Wednesday.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy pushed his package to raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion through the House in a close vote. But the White House continues to say that it will not negotiate on the issue.

The federal government could default as soon as early June.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted the House’s Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023, calling it a “gut punch” and a “Default On America,” “This plan means fewer jobs, higher costs for the American people, particularly average middle class people, would leave police, first responders, border patrol, and our brave veterans all hanging out to dry. There are dramatic slashes with each of those very necessary functions.”

Schumer said a clean debt ceiling had been passed before in a bipartisan manner twice under President Trump and once under President Obama.

Congressman Nick Langworthy issued a statement on the plan, saying, “Today, I was proud to vote for the Limit Save Grow Act that is the first step to breaking Washington’s addiction to spending and getting our nation’s finances back on track. This plan is a responsible, reasonable framework for spending reforms that the American people are demanding. It’s time for President Biden to stop the games and come to the table to negotiate.”

Schumer said the cuts in the House’s plan are not abstract including the possibility that 2 million New York residents could lose Medicaid coverage, “It slashes federal heating assistance, LIHEAP, that upstate families and seniors use to stay safe. We lose close to a billion dollars in LIHEAP and would reduce the average benefit a household would receive by $400. New York does better with LIHEAP than any other state and it would hurt us dramatically.”

Schumer said there could be a $144 million cut in SNAP benefits for New Yorkers which would affect 53,000 residents in the state.

Moody’s analytics warned that “dramatic” cuts to government spending in the House Republican’s plan would spark a 2024 recession that costs the economy 2.6 million jobs and lifts the unemployment rate near 6%.

A nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis released Tuesday showed the Republican plan would reduce federal deficits by $4.8 trillion over the decade if the proposed changes were enacted into law.

Sherri “Sam” Mason

A discussion on freshwater plastic pollution will be held at Jamestown Community College March 21.

The event will feature one of the foremost experts in the field, Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason. It takes place at 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 21 at the Sheldon Center. It’s free and open to the public.

As part of her visit, Mason will share her presentation again at 6:30 p.m. the same day at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown.

Mason is the director of sustainability at Penn State Behrend in Erie. She completed her doctorate in Chemistry at the University of Montana as a NASA Earth System Science scholar. During her time as a professor at SUNY Fredonia, Mason’s research group was among the first to study the impact of plastic pollution within freshwater ecosystems.

Mason’s work formed the basis for the Microbeads-Free Water Act, which was signed into law in 2015 by former President Barack Obama and laid the groundwork for similar legislation to be passed internationally.

In recent years, Mason has been awarded the EPA Environmental Champion, Excellence in Environmental Research by the Earth Month Network, Heinz Award in Public Policy, and Great Lakes Leadership Award from the Great Lakes Protection Fund. She has been featured in hundreds of articles in publications such as the BBC, The Guardian, New York Times, and National Public Radio’s All Things Considered.

For more information, visit sunyjcc.edu/events.

John B. King, Jr.

The State University of New York Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of John B. King Jr. as the 15th chancellor of SUNY.

King’s selection was the result of a year-long global search. He replaces Deborah Stanley, former president of SUNY Oswego, who has been serving as interim chancellor since December 2021. Stanley had been serving as interim Chancellor following the resignation of Jim Malatras.

King is currently the President of The Education Trust, a nonprofit organization that promotes high academic achievement for all students in early childhood, K-12 education, and higher education. He also served as U.S. Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama.

King will begin his new role in January.

The representatives asked that any eligible work paid for through the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) be paid for by the federal government rather the New York taxpayers, as was done by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama after 9-11 and Superstorm Sandy.

“With New York State at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, it is imperative that New York receive all the federal resources available to save lives and protect public health and safety. The costs associated with responding to this public health crisis are astronomical,” the jointly signed letter stated. “New York State expects to request billions of additional funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the DRF in the coming months. If New York State must shoulder the cost of even 25 percent of this massive bill, it could deal a devastating blow to New York’s vibrant economy.”

The complete 28 member New York delegation that joined the letter were Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Representatives Lee Zeldin (NY-1), Pete King (NY-2), Thomas Suozzi (NY-3), Kathleen Rice (NY-4), Gregory Meeks (NY-5), Grace Meng (NY-6), Nydia Velazquez (NY-7), Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8), Yvette Clarke (NY-9), Jerry Nadler (NY-10), Max Rose (NY-11), Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Jose Serrano (NY-15), Eliot Engel (NY-16), Nita Lowey (NY-17), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), Antonio Delgado (NY-19), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Anthony Brindisi (NY-22), Tom Reed (NY-23), John Katko (NY-24), Joe Morelle (NY-25), and Brian Higgins (NY-26).

A copy of the letter sent to President Trump can be found below:

Dear President Trump: 

We write today to urge you to expeditiously grant New York a waiver that provides 100 percent federal funding for all FEMA emergency work in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Any eligible work paid for through the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) should be paid for by the federal government, not New Yorkers.

On March 13, you issued an Emergency Declaration for New York, as well as for 55 other states, territories, and the District of Columbia. On March 17, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York requested a Major Disaster Declaration (MDD), the first in the country, to aid the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. On March 20, you granted the first-in-the-nation COVID-19 MDD for New York after a strong push from the New York Congressional Delegation. Both of these declarations allow New York State to receive reimbursement for eligible work from the DRF. On March 25, the Senate passed H.R.748, the CARES Act, which more than doubled the DRF by adding $45 billion. The March 20 MDD now grants New York State access to Public Assistance, Category B – Emergency Protective Measures and the Crisis Counselling program for individuals. While this is an incredibly important step in combating the COVID-19 outbreak, this assistance comes at a 75 percent federal and 25 percent state cost share.

As of April 13, the New York State Department of Health reported over 195,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New York State, with over 104,000 in New York City alone. Tragically, our home state has already experienced at least 10,000 deaths from this outbreak and experts anticipate this number will continue to rise. 

With New York State at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, it is imperative that New York receive all the federal resources available to save lives and protect public health and safety. The costs associated with responding to this public health crisis are astronomical. New York State expects to request billions of additional funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the DRF in the coming months. If New York State must shoulder the cost of even 25 percent of this massive bill, it could deal a devastating blow to New York’s vibrant economy.

As New York continues to address the escalating outbreak of COVID-19, we urge you to expeditiously grant a waiver that adjusts the current DRF cost-share to provide 100 percent federal funding for New York State’s response to this outbreak. We thank you for your time and attention to this matter, please do not hesitate to contact our staff members with any questions.

On Monday, the Governor also issued a letter to Acting Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Andrew Wheeler urging him to abandon the EPA’s proposed replacement of the Clean Power Plan to prop up the coal industry.

“The future of our environment, our economy and our children is at stake, and New York will not let President Donald Trump take us backward. Today I am proud to announce that New York will join the Powering Past Coal Alliance to share our expertise and experience and continue to lead the fight against dirty and dangerous fossil fuels,” Governor Cuomo said. “With our bold mandate to close all coal-fired power plants by 2020 and our nation-leading commitment to renewables, we are already at the forefront of the clean energy revolution and we will not go back.”

“As the Trump administration works to roll back our progress when it comes to our environment, Governor Cuomo and I are fighting to protect it,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “New York is proud to join governments and organizations across the world as part of the Powering Past Coal Alliance to end the use of traditional coal power. The Alliance is another step in advancing New York’s aggressive clean energy goals and ensuring our climate is protected and safe.”

The response from the governor is due to the Trump administration’s plan to roll back the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s efforts to slow global warming.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration came out with new rules scaling back Obama-era constraints on coal-fired power plants, striking at one of the former administration’s legacy programs to rein in climate-changing fossil-fuel emissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency called the Obama-era regulations on coal power plants “overly prescriptive and burdensome.”

The Trump administration plan broadly increases the leeway given states to decide how and how much to regulate coal power plants. The EPA says it “empowers states, promotes energy independence, and facilitates economic growth and job creation.”

Meanwhile, the Powering Past Coal Alliance, launched by the UK and Canada on the margins of COP 23, is a coalition of governments, businesses, and other organizations to lead the rest of the world in ending the use of traditional coal power. The Alliance is committed to taking action to accelerate clean growth and climate protection through the rapid phase-out of traditional power.

FIGHTING THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY WITH ‘CLEAN ENERGY’ INITIATIVES

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

Delivering on the Governor’s 2016 State of the State pledge to go coal-free by 2020, Governor Cuomo in May directed New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to propose regulations will tighten the state’s CO2 Performance Standards for Major Electric Generating Facilities by establishing CO2 emission rate requirements for existing major electric generating facilities. The state stands ready to help workers and communities transition to a clean energy future through the Governor’s Clean Climate Careers initiative and the Electric Generation Facility Cessation Mitigation Fund created to address the needs of the local communities affected by any closures, as well as a host of clean energy programs to support transitioning these plants away from coal.

After the federal government announced its intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, New York joined with California and Washington State to form the U.S. Climate Alliance to uphold the goals of the agreement. The U.S. Climate Alliance has grown to include 17 governors representing nearly half U.S. gross domestic product.

New York has also established a Clean Energy Standard for half of its electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030, complementing Governor Cuomo’s ambitious Reforming the Energy Vision strategy (REV). The governor’s office says REV is building a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers by stimulating investment in clean technologies like solar, wind, and energy efficiency. The REV strategy is intended to ensure New York State reduces economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and achieves the internationally-recognized target of reducing emissions 80 percent by 2050.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it completed a review that will affect vehicles for model years 2022-2025, but it did not provide details on new standards, which it said would be forthcoming.

The EPA, in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will work to come up with new standards.

Automakers applauded Monday’s decision, arguing the current requirements would have cost the industry billions of dollars and raised vehicle prices due to the cost of developing the necessary technology.

Environmentalists, meanwhile, warned the proposed rollbacks will make U.S. cars more expensive to fill up.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

Some states, including California and New York, are also critical of the move. Gov. Cuomo said on Monday that the Trump administration is turning its back on our environment and putting our economy, our children and our planet at risk.

“The proposal to roll back air pollution and fuel economy standards is another shameless giveaway to the dying fossil fuel industry at the expense of our economy and the health of the American people,” Cuomo said. “This plan would upend auto industry regulation in this country, decrease consumer satisfaction with worse gas mileage, jeopardize the rapidly growing clean energy economy and degrade the quality of our air.”

 Cuomo added that if the federal government moves forward with this backward plan, New York will work with California and other states to fight back.

“New York is proud to be leading the way in the fight to reduce emissions, including through our bold commitment to electric vehicles and our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030. If the federal government moves forward with this backward plan, we will work with California and other states to preserve our stringent emission standards – ensuring we continue to protect the health of our residents while attracting the clean energy jobs of tomorrow.”

Democrats in the Senate – led by New York Senator Chuck Schumer – have served notice they will filibuster a four-week, government-wide funding bill that passed the House Thursday night.  The Democrats want congress to finally resolve the fate of immigrants who were brought here illegally as children but permitted to stay under the Obama era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was rescinded by president Trump in September. Since then the future of those immigrants has been left up in the air.

Senate Republicans – who hold a slight majority – say that Democrats are holding the entire government hostage over demands to protect the so called “Dreamer” immigrants.

Meanwhile, Republicans in the House muscled the measure through last night on a mostly party-line 230-197.

Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23) was part of the Republican group to support the four-week extension.

“The vote tonight funds essential programs such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for the next six years and ensures our brave men and women who serve in our military have the funding they need to perform their duties,” Reed said in a statement following the vote. “We cannot ignore our commitments. I call on our Senators on both sides of the aisle to support a sensible solution and ensure we keep the government up and running.”

In the event of a federal government shutdown, food inspections, federal law enforcement, airport security checks, and other vital services would continue, as would Social Security, other federal benefit programs and military operations. But federal workers wouldn’t be paid.

The approval of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s proposal in a 3-2 vote marked a victory for internet service providers such as AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon Communications and hands them power over what content consumers can access. This despite efforts by Democrats, Hollywood, and companies such as Alphabet Inc (Google’s parent company) and Facebook Inc to urge the FCC to keep the Obama-era rules barring service providers from blocking, slowing access to, or charging more for certain content.

Although the new rules give internet service providers sweeping powers to change how consumers access the internet, they must also adhere to new transparency requirements that call for them to disclose any changes to consumers.

The FCC said the rules would take effect in a few months after the White House Office of Management and Budget formally approves them.

In the meantime, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement he will lead a multi-state lawsuit to challenge the reversal. As part of the lawsuit, his office is investigating whether public comments regarding net neutrality rules wrongfully used New Yorkers’ identities without their consent.

An area of the net neutrality repeal story that is only now gaining traction is the belief that many of the comments posted on the FCC website that were in favor of repealing the regulations came from fraudulent sources that relied on using the identity of Americans without their consent or knowledge.

Schneiderman said his office is encouraging residents to search the FCC’s public comment website and notify the office if you see any comments that misuse your name and address.

Residents who want to learn more should visit the attorney general’s website at ag.ny.gov/fakecomments.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

WASHINGTON – Republican leaders are steering the Senate toward a crucial vote on their bill eviscerating much of the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s health care law. The pending vote has been buoyed by the near theatrical return to the Capitol of the ailing Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

On Monday McCain announced through his office that he would be back in Washington for the critical roll call on beginning debate on the legislation. The 80-year-old has been at home in Arizona since he revealed last week that he’s undergoing treatment for brain cancer.

Meanwhile, Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23) said he’ll oppose any healthcare legislation that comes out of the U.S. Senate that does not include an amendment that removes the local cost of Medicaid.

Reed released a statement on Monday and reiterated it during his weekly conference call with the media, saying that the Faso-Collins Amendment that was included in the final house version of the American Health Care Act also needs to be included in any final version the Senate puts forth.

“Standing with our local taxpayers is something I care deeply about and this opportunity -to do the right thing by putting the burden at the state capitol that controls medicaid, and can design medicaid, and therefore is ultimately responsible for that system – to me is the right thing to do,” Reed said. “Without it in the legislation I just don’t feel comfortable moving forward with the Senate health bill if it doesn’t have that provision in it.”

The Faso-Collins Amendment – sponsored by Republican congressman Chris Collins and John Faso of New York, would requires every state in the country to assume all costs of Medicaid.  It is specifically aimed at New York State, which is currently the only state in the country that still requires local county governments to pay a portion of the Medicaid cost.

The argument in favor of the amendment is that it would help reduce local property taxes but eliminating the Medicaid burden. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other state leaders have argued against the bill, saying the removal of the local share would drive up costs at the state level by $2.3 billion – meaning the state would likely have to find ways to offset that increase, including the possibility of reducing local aid.

In Chautauqua County for the 2017 budget which totals $233 million, a total of $30.3 million was budgeted for Medicaid.

It was reported last week that major portions of the Senate Republican health bill — including the Faso-Collins Amendment — likely will end up on the cutting room floor, thanks to a ruling by the Senate parliamentarian, who ruled that major portions of the health bill are policy-making measures that can be struck from the bill unless 60 senators vote to keep them.

With Republicans struggling to even get the 50 votes they need to pass the health bill, the ruling puts Democrats in the position where they could challenge and defeat several provisions in the bill, from the Faso-Collins amendment to a provision barring federal funding for Planned Parenthood.