Serving in his new capacity as Assistant Minority Leader Pro Tempore, Jordan will help research issues, prepare debates and manage legislative activity on the Assembly floor. Jordan said he was honored by Leader Kolb’s appointment and looked forward to beginning his new leadership duties on behalf of the Conference and the more than six million New Yorkers it collectively represents.

“Serving as Assemblyman for the 112th District, Tony Jordan has already distinguished himself by his hard work, detailed knowledge of public policy and the legislative process and commitment to advancing our Conference’s goal of creating a safer, stronger, smarter, better New York State. I know Assemblyman Jordan will continue our Conference’s tradition of professional discourse and passionate debate of the people’s business, fighting the good fight for fiscally responsible public policies and standing up for New York’s taxpayers and job creators,” Leader Kolb said.

“I would like to thank Leader Kolb for this appointment and I look forward to the challenge this new leadership opportunity presents,” said Jordan. “I will continue to work hard advocating for the people of New York on the important issues facing our state.”

As Assistant Minority Leader Pro Tempore, Assemblyman Jordan now has increased responsibility for leading floor debates on legislation. “Debating important pieces of legislation is at the very heart of the legislative process. The tough questions asked on the Assembly floor make sure that all consequences of a proposed bill are fully considered. My new role within our Minority Conference brings with it a significant responsibility to ask tough questions and demand satisfactory answers,” said Jordan.

“I look forward to serving in this new leadership capacity and genuinely appreciate Leader Kolb’s trust in me,” said Jordan.

As always, anyone with further questions or concerns may contact Assembly Jordan at his Fort Edward office, 518-747-7098, or call 518-455-5404 to reach his office in Albany.

Mr. Joe Martens, Commissioner

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

625 Broadway

Albany, NY 12233

Dear Commissioner Martens,

I am writing to offer what I think is a reasonable solution to a major issue facing both the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and our local municipalities. Late last month, Tropical Storm Irene caused record flooding in many communities in our region. Local governments have a tremendous amount of work to do repairing infrastructure and taking steps to prevent flooding like this from occurring again. The sheer volume of work needing to be done, and the permits associated with it, has placed an impossible burden on the DEC. I do not intend that as a critique in any way of the efforts or dedication of your staff, but as an observation that the magnitude of the damage caused by this storm exceeds any organizational capacity we have at the state level.

I applaud your Emergency Authorization and the new General Permit that was issued to help ease the regulatory requirements on local municipalities attempting to make repairs and restore their communities to pre-Irene condition. The recent flooding in the Southern Tier and Mohawk regions will, however, place additional burdens on a Department already stretched too thin to respond to all permit requests from local governments.

It is for this reason that I am suggesting the DEC consider suspending all stream permit requirements for the next five months for municipalities to do restorative and mitigative stream work. Suspension of the permits would not be an open license for local officials to do whatever they would like. I would recommend the following provisions:

• Municipalities must contact their regional permitting office and inform them of the type of work being undertaken prior to starting work.

• All projects must conform to all DEC construction and design standards.

• The Department would reserve the right to inspect any and all such projects before, during, and after construction to ensure all the above mentioned standards are in compliance and enforce those that are not.

• The Department will have the right to inspect all projects after completion, as time allows, and any municipality that has not followed the guidelines above will be held accountable.

As you can see, it is not my intention to circumvent either the regulations or the authority of the Department. It is rather from a great sense of urgency that I recommend the suspension of permits for these projects. Winter is only a few short months away, and once weather conditions end construction activities, our communities will be left to face the spring runoff with compromised infrastructure and inadequate stormwater management measures. The recent flooding has drastically altered many local creeks, streams and rivers. Without sufficient time to make repairs and put in place preventative measures, I fear we will face catastrophic flooding again in the spring.

While I acknowledge and appreciate the effort the Department is putting forward to expedite all permit requests, I am concerned that any delay at this stage could have potentially devastating consequences for our communities, and I urge you to consider the proposal I have outlined above. If I can provide any additional information or answer any questions you may have, please feel free to contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Tony Jordan

Member of the Assembly

112^th District

Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine

10B Airline Drive

Albany, NY 12235

Dear Commissioner Aubertine,

I am writing regarding the new interpretation of the food processing regulations by the Department of Agriculture and Markets. It is my understanding that under this new interpretation, all open-air vendors are required to pre-wrap their cheese. While I understand the intent is to improve food safety, I am concerned about the impact this regulation is having on our thriving artesian cheese industry.

Some producers have reported decreases in sales by as much as 70% since these regulations have gone into effect, and others have noted that the quality of their cheese is significantly impacted after being wrapped for as few as 12 hours. In a niche market that relies heavily on the unique quality of their product and a close relationship to their customers, these new regulations are not only burdensome, but may is some cases render these important agricultural producers unviable.

I respectfully request that you and your staff reconsider the implementation of this new regulation. These artisan cheese-makers are representative of the many new entrepreneurial segments of the agricultural market that have emerged in recent years. We should be helping these creative individuals thrive and continue to bring vitality to the agricultural industry in this state. I feel that this regulation does just the opposite, and I hope you will reconsider its continued enforcement.

If you have any questions regarding my concerns over this matter, or if I or my staff can be of any assistance, please contact me directly at 518-747-7098.

Sincerely,

Tony Jordan

Member of the Assembly

112^th District

State Capitol

Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo,

I am writing in regard to the education funding contained in your proposed budget. In your efforts to reduce State spending, a recurring theme you have emphasized is that the sacrifice be shared equally. Your proposal to return education funding to 2007-2008 levels will impact high need, rural and upstate schools disproportionately unless the formula by which these funds are distributed is amended.

Upstate schools educate 44% of the students in New York, yet under your proposal they shoulder 53% of the reduction in aid. I have included funding levels for five schools in my district to illustrate that the current funding formula is reducing funding levels for these districts below their 07-08 levels.

Granville Central School received $14,026,751 in State Aid for the 07-08 school year, and is projected to receive $11,895,179, a reduction of $2,131,572 or 15.2%. Whitehall Central School District received $7,955,652 in State Aid for the 07-08 school year, and is projected to receive $7,242,503, a reduction of $713,149 or 9%. Greenwich Central School District received $9,590,270 in State Aid for 07-08, and is projected to receive $7,774,000, a reduction of $1,816,270 or 18.9%. Cambridge Central School District received $9,123,905 in State Aid for 07-08, and is projected to receive $8,489,777, a reduction of $634,128 or 7%. The City of Mechanicville School District received $8,927,701 in State Aid for 07-08, and is projected to receive $7,942,086, a reduction of $985,615 or 11%.

As these examples show, these school districts are projected to experience reductions that would place their level of State Aid below 07-08 levels. An equitable aid formula would return all schools across the state to their 07-08 funding levels. I am asking that as part of the budget process you examine and redefine the current school aid formula to ensure the equal distribution of aid reductions to all schools across the State.

Sincerely,

Tony Jordan

Member of the Assembly

112^th District

The Honorable Andrew Cuomo

State Capitol

Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo,

I am writing to congratulate you on the passage of the first on-time budget in New York in five years. You are to be commended for working with legislative leaders from both sides of the aisle to craft a budget that takes the first steps toward addressing some of the structural budgetary problems facing this great state.

There is one provision of the budget in particular, however, that I would like to bring to your attention. In calling for savings of $72 million from the Department of Corrections (DOCS), you targeted the closure of prison beds as the mechanism for achieving these savings. I would respectfully request that you work with the legislature to find alternative savings within the Department other than strictly the closing of beds to reach your goal.

I applaud your call for reductions in spending from state agencies and am not suggesting that DOCS should be exempt from these funding reductions. I am, however, concerned with achieving savings through actions that may place our corrections officers, civilian employees, and inmates at greater risk. I am willing and eager to work with you to find areas of the Department that can be cut or restructured to achieve your targeted savings without risking the safety of the aforementioned groups. If I can provide any additional information to you regarding this matter, or if I can be of any assistance in helping achieve savings through mechanisms other than bed closures, please contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Tony Jordan

Member of the Assembly

112^th District

The Honorable Governor Andrew Cuomo

State Capitol

Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo,

We are writing regarding the Conservation Fund.  Each year, thousands of sportsmen and women across the state pay license fees that are deposited in the Conservation Fund. These funds are to be used solely for the purpose of enhancing and maintaining recreational sporting opportunities and programs across the state.

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is the state agency that administers these opportunities funded by the Conservation Fund. Over the past several years, DEC has experienced staffing reductions like most other state agencies. What we find troubling, however, is that many of these staffing reductions have impacted the very services and programs that sportsmen are paying for through their licensing fees. The Chairman of the Conservation Fund Advisory Board (CFAB), which helps oversee the management and expenditures of this fund, advises us that repeated attempts by the CFAB to use license revenues to fill positions and ensure the continuation of promised services to sportsmen and women have been denied by the Division of Budget (DOB).

The State’s current fiscal situation is without parallel in recent memory, and we understand and agree that reductions in spending and in the size of state government are needed. These staff positions and programs, however, are different. The citizens who pay these license fees do so voluntarily with the understanding that the fees will be used to increase and improve hunting and fishing opportunities across the state. Two years ago, the sporting community experienced significant license fee increases in order to maintain the services provided by the DEC. If we do not continue supporting and improving fishing and hunting opportunities throughout this state, we will not only lose an important recreational tradition, but also a major part of our upstate economy.

Denying DEC and CFAB the ability to access these funds for the programs they are intended is a breech of trust with our sporting community. We, as governmental leaders, cannot in good conscience continue to collect license fees from these residents and not provide the services for which they are paying. Worse yet, we have now heard that DOB is considering sweeping some or all of the money held in the Conservation Fund. The only reason a significant fund balance exists is DOB will not allocate money to DEC to deliver the programs and services the fees were intended to provide. This should not and cannot be allowed to happen. To now mention sweeping these funds to other purposes would not only violate our agreement with the sporting community of New York, but it may also jeopardize the future of our Federal Wildlife funds as well.

This is a very serious issue that will impact negatively the future of our cherished sporting tradition in this state. We respectfully request a meeting with your office to discuss this important and complex issue further at a time and place of your convenience. Please contact Assemblyman Jordan’s district office at (518) 747-7098 to arrange this meeting. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Tony Jordan                                        Teresa Sayward                                   Janet Duprey

Member of Assembly                          Member of Assembly                          Member of Assembly

112^th District                                       113^th District                                       114^th District

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

625 Broadway

Albany, NY 12233

Dear Commissioner Grannis,

I am writing to indicate my opposition to the proposed adoption of Part 247 to regulate Outdoor Wood Boilers. These proposed regulations would place a severe financial hardship on many farmers and homeowners in my district and much of Upstate New York.

Farmers and homeowners alike rely on their wood boilers to provide clean, safe, renewable, and affordable energy for their homes and farm operations. The regulations proposed by the DEC would require costly upgrades and retrofits that many residents cannot afford with little or no environmental benefit.

While I agree that there are certain instances where an outdoor wood boiler can cause problems for neighbors, these instances are the exception rather than the rule. A sweeping state-wide regulation, as currently proposed, would do far more damage than good to the people of this State. Every community is different, with different population densities and development patterns. The decisions of what is or is not acceptable with regard to placement, stack height, and other variables should be addressed by each community so that they can find solutions that fit their needs.

When deciding whether or not to move forward with these regulations, please keep in mind the large number of rural New Yorkers you will be impacting negatively should these regulations be enacted. With the economic hardships currently facing our farmers and rural communities, we cannot afford to impose another significant burden upon them. I remain available to work with you and your staff in any way possible on this issue.

                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                 Tony Jordan

                                                                                                Member of the Assembly

                                                                                                112^th District

Assemblyman Jordan has also received the endorsement of the National Federation of Independent Business. NFIB/New York State Director Mike Elmendorf said “Tony Jordan has been a staunch defender of small business in the Legislature. He has stood with small business on key issues this session. Tony Jordan is the right choice for small business, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Assemblyman to reduce New York’s sky-high cost of doing business and improve our economy.”

The Business Council of New York State also ranked Assemblyman Jordan as the top “pro jobs” voter in the Assembly. “I would like to thank Unshackle Upstate, NFIB, and the Business Council of NYS for their recognition and support,” said Jordan. “New York’s recovery will depend on the success of our local businesses. The goal in Albany should be to do everything we can to clear the obstacles, reduce the cost of doing business in this State and let New Yorkers do what we do so well, create jobs. I look forward to continuing to advocate for the businesses of Upstate New York for the next two years.”