It will produce a nightmare of a ripple effect across local communities and economies in every region of this state -- but especially upstate in regions like I represent throughout the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes.
Senator O'Mara offers his weekly perspective on many of the key challenges and issues facing the Legislature, as well as on legislative actions, local initiatives, state programs and policies, and more. Stop back every Monday for Senator O'Mara's latest column...
This week, "Governor Hochul about to uproot the future for many farmers"
In early September, a New York State Wage Board, established under a 2019 law known as the “Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act,” will finalize its recommendation on one of the key provisions of that three-year-old law -- and its decision could forever impact New York agriculture as we have known it.
Specifically, the Farm Wage Board will issue a final report on September 6 and recommend lowering the mandatory overtime pay threshold for farmworkers from the current 60 hours to 40 hours, a move strongly opposed by farmers and many legislators, including me.
The final decision then falls to Governor Kathy Hochul and state Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon, a holdover from the prior Cuomo administration, who will have 45 days to review the Farm Wage Board’s final report before acting.
In other words, the future of farming in New York State hangs in the balance thanks to a law enacted in 2019 that was pushed by then-Governor...
Claims linking Melania Trump to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have circulated widely across platforms. Two viral allegations gained particular traction: first, that Emmanuel Macron shared...