Suffolk County Democrats
ALBANY — Republican Elaine Phillips and Democrat John Brooks were sworn into office Wednesday as new state senators.
Brooks joined Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) as the second Democrat to serve in the Long Island senate delegation, which for years has been controlled by Republicans.
Phillips, the former mayor of Flower Hill, celebrated the moment with family in Albany at a swearing-in ceremony and by posting an image on her...read more
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday proposed free state college tuition assistance to ease the burden of paying for higher education for hundreds of thousands of low- and middle-income students.
Cuomo announced the Excelsior Scholarship college degree program, which would help cover the cost of SUNY and CUNY tuition, including at two-year community colleges, for students whose families earn up to $125,000 annually. Individuals also would...read more
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chuck Schumer prodded President-elect Donald Trump and said Democrats will hold him and the Republican majority “accountable” to the American people and the law as the New Yorker made his first speech Tuesday as Senate minority leader.
“With all due respect, America cannot afford a Twitter presidency,” Schumer said as he warned Trump about using social media to make policy. “These issues are complex and demand both...read more
Suffolk’s Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory won his fourth term Tuesday to lead the 18-member county legislature for another year, vowing to focus on county’s budget problems.
Gregory was voted in on an 11-5 party line vote, with Republican lawmakers nominating Legis. Kevin McCaffrey, GOP caucus leader, as a symbolic alternative.
Despite his candidacy, McCaffrey complimented Gregory on being evenhanded with the minority...read more
A 200-member team of investigators has been assembled to help ensure businesses across the state comply with the new minimum wage law that took effect Saturday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and his top aides announced Monday in Manhattan.
The Multiagency Enforcement and Outreach Unit will hold employers accountable by notifying employees of their rights, collecting their complaints and conducting investigations, Cuomo said.
New York...read more
Two days before he formally leaves office, retiring Rep. Steve Israel on Sunday symbolically turned over his 3rd Congressional District seat to his successor, Thomas Suozzi, in a “passing of the baton” ceremony at Glen Cove City Hall.
Hundreds jammed the City Council chambers and spilled into adjoining hallways, including a slew of Long Island mayors, town officials, state and county legislators and others who will depend on Suozzi to...read more