Email from NYS Senate What's Happening in Albany?   Dear Neighbor, Even by the standards of the Trump Administration, the month of January saw a surprising escalation of increasing authoritarianism at home and chaos abroad. The month started off with abducting the (equally authoritarian) president of Venezuela, took us to the brink of war with our NATO allies over Greenland (or maybe Iceland), and saw a the beginning of a decisive realignment of the post-WWII global order away from a now entirely unreliable United States, toward China, India, Europe, and what Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney called the "middle powers" in his speech at Davos, which provided a shameful counterpoint to the rambling, incoherent tirade delivered by our president. But here at home, all eyes have been on Minneapolis, and the unfolding tragedy and national shame being perpetrated there by ICE under orders from the president. These include the murder of Renée Good, the murder of Alex Pretti (and the many others ICE has shot at, killed, wounded, and maimed), using a five-year old child as human bait (pictured below), detaining a two-year old and flying her to detention in Texas, the list goes on and on. Just last week the DOJ arrested Don Lemon and three other journalists for covering an anti-ICE protest in a church in Minneapolis. ICE has blatantly, and often explicitly, trampled on the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 14th Amendments at the very least. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal was spot on when he warned: “Every American should be terrified by this secret ICE policy authorizing its agents to kick down your door & storm into your home. It is an unlawful & morally repugnant policy that exemplifies the kinds of dangerous, disgraceful abuses America is seeing in real time. In our democracy, with vanishingly rare exceptions, the government is barred from breaking into your home without approval from a real judge. Government agents have no right to ransack your bedroom or terrorize your kids on a whim or personal desire.” In spite of these terrible developments, I am heartened by the groundswell of Americans standing up to defy this anti-democratic MAGA strategy, whether participating in protests or community organizing or other efforts big and small. This week I signed on to a statement organized by my colleague Senator Pat Fahy, along with over 600 state legislators from 48 states, calling for ICE/CBP to leave Minnesota, a full investigation into ICE killings, and an end to Congressional funding for ICE. There is clearly so much more to be done here, by government and civil society. As I made clear in a recent interview on Spectrum, if we fail to take action in the state budget, then it is critical we do so separately before the end of this year's legislative session. ----------- January in Albany means the start of not only the new legislative session, but also State Budget season. The budget process kicks off with the governor's release of her Executive Budget Proposal, followed by the start of the Joint Legislative Budget Hearings, which, as Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, I run with my Assembly Ways and Means colleague Assm. Gary Pretlow. For more details on what's included in the Governor's budget proposal, click here. For the Senate Finance Committee's analysis of the Governor's budget, known as the Blue Book, click here. For more information on the budget hearing schedule, including how to watch and how to submit testimony, click here. Budget hearings will run until the end of February. Then, in early March, the Assembly and the Senate will each release our "one-house budgets," which serve as the Legislature's response to the Governor's proposal. Following the one-house budgets, the Assembly, Senate, and Governor's office engage in three-way negotiations to try to reach agreement on a final budget that must be passed by April 1st. ----------- Below you will find governmental updates, recent actions by the Trump Administration impacting New Yorkers, and upcoming events and other useful information affecting our district. As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, please email or call my office at [email protected] or 212-490-9535. Liz Krueger State Senator What's In This Newsletter? Governmental Updates: Update on Trump Administration Impacts Statement on Con Ed Rate Hike Senator Krueger's Op-Ed On Energy Affordability Pro-Choice Caucus Legislative Priorities Senate Protects Access to Reproductive Healthcare, Strengthens Privacy and IVF Coverage Testimony Supporting Gateway Tunnel Project Submetering Survey Free Legal Services Intake On Roosevelt Island Nominations For Women Of Distinction And Veterans Hall Of Fame Youth Leadership Recognition Awards Program Useful Info: SCHE and DHE Renewals Expanded Energy Affordability Program New Affordable Housing at 650 First Avenue Free Student Loan Support DMV Office Closure 2/13 - 2/18 Community Updates: Park Avenue Visioning Meeting GOLES Educational Workshops Assemblymember Rosenthal's Election Security Town Hall with Attorney General James Manhattan Borough President's Convention Lenox Hill Heart Health Fair Learn About Individualized Education Programs Summer Climate Science Programs Update on Trump Administration Impacts Given how long this email is, below is a lightning-round digest of a small sample of actions the Trump Administration has taken this past month that have had concrete, negative impacts on New Yorkers. Click on the links for more details: Froze funding for the critical Gateway Tunnel Project. Admitted in court that DOGE shared sensitive Social Security information with a political group. Pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement for the second time. Gutted America's science and research and development infrastructure. Cut, then restored, billions of dollars in funding for addiction and mental health. Launched a retaliatory federal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Moved to block states' rights to enforce the Clean Water Act. Withdrew the United States from 66 international agencies, organizations, and commissions, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to which we have been a party since 1992. Drafted plans to cut thousands of FEMA disaster response staff. Offered US taxpayer dollars to rebuild Venezuela's oil infrastructure, which ExxonMobil's CEO called "uninvestable." Killed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Accidentally pardoned the man accused of planting pipe bombs outside DNC and RNC headquarters the night before the January 6th insurrection.  Withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization. Rolled back the number of childhood vaccines recommended by the CDC, to the surprise of CDC staff (New York State health officials have rejected the new CDC recommendations, following the American Academy of Pediatrics, whose recommendations are unchanged.) Froze $10 billion in childcare funding (and was subsequently blocked by a judge) to five Democratic-run states. Halted several offshore wind projects (again), continuing to drive up electricity prices.  Named a new class of unnecessary, $9 billion-a-pop battleships after himself. During these challenging times, and in the midst of tragic killings of their community members, Minnesotans have been an inspiration as they have resolutely pushed back against ICE's presence using nonviolent resistance and advocated for their communities. Here is a sample of coverage: Demonstrators Flood Minneapolis Streets as Hundreds of Businesses Close to Protest ICE ‘We’re fighting for the soul of the country’: how Minnesota residents came together to face ICE Border czar says he plans to "draw down" ICE and CBP operations in Minnesota The following articles address the democratic backsliding we saw in 2025 and signs that we can successfully push back to defend our democracy, how Trump’s authoritarianism flows through corporate media, and illustrates the attack on democracy, basic universal freedoms, and the rights of everyone in the United States: Sliding Towards Authoritarianism? Democracy in 2025: Harvard professors on rising authoritarianism in the United States The 60 Minutes Scandal Is What Creeping Authoritarianism Looks Like Statement on Con Ed Rate Hike Last week, the state Public Service Commission (PSC) approved the Joint Proposal for a rate increase for Con Ed customers (read more here). I had previously submitted testimony to the PSC opposing Con Ed's original proposal, and I subsequently opposed the negotiated Joint Proposal. Below is the statement I issued in response to the rate increase approval:  "Yesterday, the New York State Public Service Commission approved the Joint Proposal in the Con Ed rate case, which will result in rate hikes that will have noticeable impacts on the wallets of Con Ed customers. The approved rates guaranteeing a 9.4% return on equity for Con Ed’s shareholders represent a clear misalignment of the Commission’s priorities. I speak on behalf of many of my constituents who are already overburdened by their utility bills under the current rates when I say that the lack of urgency by the PSC to stand firmly on the side of customers and take real action to address utilities' role in the cost-of-living crisis is not only profoundly disappointing, it is politically and economically unsustainable." Senator Krueger's Op-Ed On Energy Affordability On the same day that the Public Service Commission voted to allow Con Ed's rate hike, The Journal News published an op-ed that I authored with Senator Shelley Mayer on the topic of energy affordability. In it, we argue that there are three important policy areas in which legislative action can have a significant impact on energy costs, and for which there are bills ready to be voted on as soon as possible. These include bills addressing the utility ratemaking process, the growth of energy-guzzling data centers and crypto miners, and increasing access to cheap solar power. Click Here to Read Senator Krueger's Energy Affordability Op-Ed Pro-Choice Caucus Legislative Priorities Last week, members of the Bipartisan Pro-Choice Legislative Caucus (BPCLC), co-chaired by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Member Karines Reyes, and me, met to discuss legislative priorities for the 2026 session and hear from a panel of advocates and experts. The BPCLC was established in 2010, and includes 112 members of both the State Senate and Assembly. Its mission is to protect reproductive rights across the state, and provide a voice for pro-choice state legislators in policy debates at both the state and national level. Specifically, the BPCLC works to protect access to comprehensive reproductive health services, remove barriers to these services, ensure access to education about reproductive choices, and respond to any potential infringements to the legal right to reproductive healthcare in New York State. Reproductive rights and access to comprehensive reproductive health care services have been increasingly under attack since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. Since returning to office, the Trump Administration has been actively dismantling reproductive and sexual health care programs and cutting vital funding. Anti-abortion states continue to introduce increasingly restrictive and punitive abortion bans, and seek to prosecute abortion providers in other states, like New York, that protect abortion access. As a result, patients and providers are at risk for seeking and providing legal reproductive care, and people are dying in states with bans due to being refused treatment for pregnancy complications The 2026 BPCLC Legislative Priorities list includes important legislative proposals that protect and expand access to reproductive and sexual health care, protect reproductive rights, reproductive health care providers, and patients, and address maternal and sexual health. Click Here to see the BPCLC 2026 Legislative Priorities List Senate Protects Access to Reproductive Healthcare, Strengthens Privacy and IVF Coverage As Washington and the Trump Administration continue to threaten reproductive healthcare access, the New York State Senate moved legislation to strengthen reproductive rights, protect patient privacy, and expand fertility and IVF coverage for New Yorkers. Building on the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Grant Program, this legislative package invests in workforce training and expands support for abortion providers and nonprofits that help patients access care. It expands access to contraception and authorizes pharmacists to administer prescribed contraceptive injections. To support New Yorkers building families, this bill package includes legislation that strengthens IVF coverage by prohibiting harmful embryo-transfer requirements for women 35 and older, requiring coverage of donor egg retrievals and unlimited embryo transfers, preventing coverage denials related to fertility preservation, and codifying IVF coverage protections for same-sex couples. Together, these measures reaffirm New York’s commitment to reproductive freedom, privacy, and equitable access to care in the face of ongoing federal rollbacks. The Trump Administration is leading a full-on assault on Americans' fundamental rights and freedoms across the board, and reproductive rights are no exception. Although the many other excesses of this regime are grabbing the headlines, the long and methodical project of taking away women's bodily autonomy and access to essential reproductive health care has continued day in and day out. Those of us who are working to defend reproductive freedom must be equally tireless in our work, and I'm proud that the Senate Democratic Conference moved these critical bills to protect New Yorkers and all Americans who come to our state for care. The legislation passed by the Senate includes: Amending The Reproductive Freedom and Equity Grant Program: This bill, S.135, sponsored by Senator Cleare, would amend the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Grant Program to provide practical support including reimbursement for travel, meals and lodging to individuals accessing abortion care. Preventing a Conditional Requirement for Subsequent IVF Cycle Coverage: This bill, S.3155, sponsored by Senator Cooney, would prohibit commercial insurers from requiring women 35 or older to transfer all embryos from a previous IVF cycle as a condition of covering a subsequent cycle. Restricting the Disclosure of Sensitive Health Information: This bill, S.1633A, sponsored by Senator Fernandez, would require electronic health record systems to allow patients to restrict the disclosure of their personal health information. Establishing a Statewide Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health Program: This bill, S.5981, sponsored by Senator Fernandez, would establish a statewide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health program to ensure low-income, uninsured and underinsured New Yorkers can continue accessing affordable primary and preventive sexual and reproductive health services. Advancing Equal Access to Fertility Care Act: This bill, S.4497, sponsored by Senator Hinchey, would require commercial insurance policies to cover fertility preservation services. Exempting Certain Medication Abortion Drugs from Being Considered an Act of Criminal Diversion: This bill, S.8544, sponsored by Senator Hinchey, would exempt the prescription, dispensation, or receipt of a brand name or generic medication abortion drug from being considered an act of criminal diversion, provided the labeling of such drug was true and accurate at the time of manufacture, and provided such drug was recommended by World Health Organization guidelines for its prescribed purpose. The New York State Abortion Clinical Training Program Act: This bill, S.1438-A, sponsored by Senator Krueger, would establish a clinical training program through the Department of Health (DOH) for the purpose of training healthcare practitioners in the performance of abortion procedures and related reproductive healthcare services. Prohibiting Using Certain Reproductive Health Decisions as Evidence: This bill, S.8860, sponsored by Senator May, would, in certain legal proceedings, prohibit the consideration of evidence that either parent has ever obtained or attempted to obtain reproductive health services relating to the termination of a pregnancy. Permitting Omission of Certain Information on Labeling of Medication Abortion Prescription Drugs: This bill, S.8656, sponsored by Senator Mayer, would allow pharmacists and prescribers filling prescriptions to exclude certain identifying information from the prescription labels of abortion medication. Establishing The Equity in Fertility Treatment Act: This bill, S.8866, sponsored by Senator Salazar, would require certain health plans cover three completed donor egg retrievals for IVF with unlimited embryo transfers; prohibit plans from denying IVF coverage based on a consumer’s participation in fertility preservation services; and codify DFS guidance that requires coverage of IVF services for same-sex couples. Requiring Coverage for Contraceptive-Related Pharmacist Services: This bill, S.8869, sponsored by Senator Skoufis, would require certain health insurance policies include coverage for services provided by pharmacists related to contraceptives. Reimbursing FQHCs for Injectable Fertility Drugs: This bill, S.8257-A, sponsored by Senator Sutton, would require the state to reimburse federally qualified health centers for injectable fertility drugs. Authorizing Pharmacists to Administer Injections for Contraceptive Use: This bill, S.1703, sponsored by Senator Webb, would authorize pharmacists to administer injections for contraceptive use as prescribed by a licensed prescriber acting within the scope of their practice. Requiring Emergency Contraception Availability at SUNY and CUNY: This bill, S.2058, sponsored by Senator Webb, would require each SUNY and CUNY institution to have at least one vending machine that sells emergency contraception. Testimony Supporting Gateway Tunnel Project As mentioned above, the Trump Administration has frozen funding for the Gateway Tunnel project, a critical piece of transportation infrastructure not just for New York City, but for the entire northeast United States. In late January I joined Assembly Member Tony Simone in submitting testimony to the Gateway Development Commission on the vital importance of completing this project. Click Here to Read Senator Krueger's Testimony on the Gateway Tunnel Submetering Survey Do you ever question how smart your smart electric meter is? We do too! We have heard from many constituents already about issues you have had with new electricity metering systems possibly contributing to unreasonably high bills. To better understand this problem, we have decided to conduct a survey. The information you provide to us on your experience with electric metering/submetering systems will help us to confront this problem with improved regulation and/or legislation. The data from this survey will be confidential and only for use by our office. Thank you! Click Here to Participate in Senator Krueger's Submetering Survey Free Legal Services Intake On Roosevelt Island Nominations For Women Of Distinction And Veterans Hall Of Fame Every year, the New York State Senate recognizes outstanding members of our local communities through two ongoing programs - the Veterans Hall of Fame and the Women of Distinction program. The New York State Senate Veterans' Hall of Fame was created to honor and recognize outstanding veterans from the Empire State who have distinguished themselves both in military and civilian life. The Women of Distinction celebration, held every year during Women's History Month, honors New York women who have enriched our community, our state, and our nation. Each Senator may nominate a constituent for recognition through these programs. Last year I nominated Sarah Woodside Gallagher as a Woman of Distinction, and Thomas Pike for the Veterans Hall of Fame. This year I am asking you to help me identify outstanding women and veterans from the 28th Senate District as potential nominees for these honors. If you would like to suggest someone as a potential nominee, please fill out the appropriate form below: For Women of Distinction, click here. The deadline to submit a nomination is February 20th. For Veterans Hall of Fame, click here. The deadline to submit a nomination is March 5th. Youth Leadership Recognition Awards Program The New York State Senate’s Youth Leadership Recognition Award program honors outstanding students who will become our future leaders. Eligible students include current sophomores, juniors, and seniors who excel not only academically, but through leadership in extracurricular and volunteer activities. Students selected to receive the New York State Senate Youth Leadership Recognition Award will receive a congratulatory personalized certificate from their Senator. All nominations must be submitted by February 28, 2026, and the nomination website will be taken down after that date. *Please note the nominator must be a school administrator or educator* SCHE and DHE Renewals The New York City Department of Finance recently sent out renewal notices for the Senior Citizen Homeowners’ Exemption (SCHE) and the Disabled Homeowners’ Exemption (DHE) to homeowners. The renewal deadline is March 16. Homeowners have the option to apply online or on paper; learn more on the DOF property tax benefits page. The process is streamlined with simplified income reporting and "yes or no” questions; income documents are no longer required for renewal applications—only for initial applications. Expanded Energy Affordability Program New Affordable Housing at 650 First Avenue New affordable housing is available in the district. Those interested can apply online by clicking here or request a paper application by writing to Settlement Housing Fund, Inc. Attn: 37th and 1st Lottery, 247 West 37th Street, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10018. The deadline to apply is February 16th. Free Student Loan Support Struggling with Student Loans? EDCAP offers free, confidential counseling to help you manage repayment, reduce monthly costs, escape default, stop collections, and explore forgiveness or other relief options. Get expert guidance. Services are always free and unbiased. Learn more at edcapny.org or by calling 888-614-5004. Click here to book an appointment. Click here to watch a video about EDCAP. DMV Office Closure 2/13 - 2/18 The DMV will be closing all offices across New York State from 2pm on Friday, February 13th and will reopen on Wednesday, February 18th. They will also pause phone and online services during this time period. The DMV is rolling out a modernized technology system that they believe will make transactions between them and customers significantly more efficient. That being said, I urge anyone reading this who has urgent business with the DMV to schedule your appointment as soon as possible, to avoid any disruption. Park Avenue Visioning Meeting GOLES Educational Workshops Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES) will be hosting a series of free educational workshops at their office on 171 Avenue B, led by experienced housing counselors and organizers. Events will be every second and third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM. Assemblymember Rosenthal's Election Security Town Hall with Attorney General James Assm. Linda Rosenthal is organizing a webinar entitled “Protect the Vote: Election Security in New York” with Attorney General Leitita James and the Brennan Center on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 6:30 pm, to discuss the current landscape, how New York is safeguarding our vote and how people can get involved in the fight to protect our elections. To RSVP, click here or contact Assm. Rosenthal's office at 212-873-6368 or at [email protected]. Manhattan Borough President's Convention Lenox Hill Heart Health Fair Learn About Individualized Education Programs Summer Climate Science Programs District Office: 211 East 43rd Street, Suite 2000 | New York, NY 10017 | (212) 490-9535 | Fax: (212) 499-2558 Albany Office: Capitol Building, Room 416 | Albany, NY 12247 | (518) 455-2297 | Fax: (518) 426-6874 Email: [email protected] | On the Web: krueger.nysenate.gov   Senator Liz Krueger | 211 E 43rd St #2000 | New York, NY 10017 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice