WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) introduced legislation which provides a financial solution for uninsured Americans seeking medical procedures by hospitals.
The Protect the Uninsured Act of 2019 would amend Title XI of the Social Security Act to require hospitals and critical access hospitals to offer the uninsured individual access to the lowest negotiated price for any service or procedure.
“Hospitals are supposed to take care everyone, the uninsured are often saddled with debt far beyond what they can pay while others are receiving steep discounts for the same procedures,” said Congressman Collins. “People are putting their health at risk by avoiding important procedures due to inflated costs while hospitals are writing off uncollected debts as charity work.”
Hospitals negotiate discounts with insurance companies to determine costs of procedures or services they are willing to accept. This negotiated discount is subtracted from an inflated total cost of a procedure or service. The individual then pays a copay while the insurance company covers the remaining expenses.
Under current law, an uninsured patient is forced to cover the full cost of the procedure with no discounts, leading to uninsured patients mounting debt or avoiding necessary care. This legislation will provide financial relief to those who are uninsured by allowing the individual to receive the lowest discount negotiated with an insurance company for a procedure or service by a hospital.
ALBION – Two people from Albion were arrested this morning for allegedly making and possessing methamphetamine.
Richard E. Meise
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at 40 Beechwood Blvd. at Oak Orchard Estates. Police seized over 8 grams of methamphetamine, over 4 ounces of methamphetamine oil, multiple items of precursors, solvents, chemical reagents and lab equipment, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force is reporting.
The Task Force was joined in executing the search warrant by the State Police S.O.R.T. (Special Operation Response Team), the Albion Police Department and the Medina Police Department.
A husband and wife were arrested. They include Richard E. Meise, 36, and Linda R. Meise, 37.
Linda R. Meise
They both have been charged with 1 count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the second degree (Class A II felony), 1 count of unlawful manufacturing of methamphetamine in the third degree (Class D felony), and 1 count of criminal possession of precursors of methamphetamine (Class E felony).
They were arraigned in Orleans County Court by County Court Judge Sanford Church. He sent bail at $20,000 cash or $100,000 bond for Richard Meise, who was committed to the county jail.
Judge Church sent bail for Linda Meise at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. She also has been committed to the county jail.
Both are to appear in Gaines Town Court at 10 a.m. on June 24.
This investigation is ongoing, and additional arrests and charges are pending, the Task Force said.
ROCHESTER – A Rochester man who faces charges for allegedly selling heroin and fentanyl in Orleans County a year ago in June pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday.
Jonathan Velasquez, 25, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer to conspiracy to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl. The charge carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a $5 million fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant conspired with others to distribute quantities of heroin throughout the Western District of New York.
Velasquez is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 5 before Judge Larimer.
CLARENDON – The opening of the second season of the Clarendon Farmers’ Market, scheduled for today, has been postponed until next Thursday because of the weather.
The market will now open at 3:30 p.m. on June 27, featuring the Fox Den Bluegrass Band and several new vendors.
The market started last year on the grounds of the Clarendon Historical Society at 16385 Church St. next to the Town Hall.
The market is open from 3:30 to 7 p.m. every Thursday with the season expected to continue through the end of October.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 June 2019 at 9:13 am
Classmate with serious injuries showing improvement
Photo by Tom Rivers: Brennan Moody’s friends have created a memorial at the accident scene where he died late Monday night on Eagle Harbor Road in Albion. There were also numerous stuffed animals and messages left at the scene but they were removed with heavy rain in the forecast today.
Provided photo: Many of Brennan’s friends left messages, flowers, pictures and mementos at the scene.
ALBION – The funeral for Brennan Moody will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at the First Presbyterian Church in Albion.
Brennan, 17, died on Tuesday just after midnight in a car accident on Eagle Harbor Road. He was a backseat passenger. He was with three of his senior classmates who were all injured. Two have been treated and released at a hospital, while Sean Weis, who also was in the backseat, is in intensive care at Erie County Medical Center. His condition is improving as he recovers from a fractured skull, a broken neck, fractured scapula, bleeding on the brain and other injuries, his family has posted on Facebook.
There will be a vigil at 8 p.m. Friday at Bullard Park in honor of Brennan, who was actively involved in the school’s musicals, band and chorus programs.
A memorial also has been created at the crash site on Eagle Harbor Road, just south of the Erie Canal on the east side of the road. Many of Brennan’s friends have left messages, stuffed animals and ribbons at the site.
Donations are being accepted to establish a scholarship in Brennan’s name, C/O the Albion Alumni Foundation, P.O. Box 345, Albion NY 14411.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 June 2019 at 7:43 am
Photo from Grow NY Farms: These farmworkers and farmers are pictured in Albany on June 12 during a rally where farmers and workers shared concerns that a proposed farm labor law could reduce hours and ultimately the paychecks for workers, while putting New York farms at a competitive disadvantage with other states and countries.
New York Farm Bureau is reacting this morning to the passage of the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act on Wednesday by the State Assembly and State Senate. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he supports the bill with provides overtime for farmworkers after 60 hours worked in a week, collective bargaining, and a right to a day off each week. (If a farmworker chooses to work on an off day, the farm needs to pay time-and-a-half.)
“Last night was a difficult day for agriculture as a flawed labor bill passed the NYS Legislature,” Farm Bureau stated on its Facebook page this morning. “The entire farm community worked incredibly hard this session to educate and work with majority lawmakers who controlled the bill. We thank everyone who did all they could to try to mitigate the original proposed legislation. While we moved away from a 40 hour overtime threshold and obtained a no strike clause, there were still significant problems.”
Farm Bureau is part of the Grow NY Farms coalition which includes the New York State Vegetable Growers Association, Northeast Dairy Foods Association, Northeast Dairy Producers Association, New York Apple Association, New York Kitchen, Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance, New York Association of Agricultural Educators and Unshackle Upstate.
Grow NY Farms released this statement following on Wednesday after the legislation was approved in the Assembly and Senate:
For months, New York’s agriculture community worked with a purpose to meet a fundamental goal of developing farm labor legislation that would protect the combined interests of farms and farmworkers. We negotiated in good faith with many majority lawmakers who were interested in hearing from those who would be directly impacted by the legislation. Political realities meant we had to come find a middle ground that was mutually beneficial.
We thought we had achieved that goal with a bill that while posing significant challenges for a struggling Industry, it was a vast improvement than where we started. Unfortunately there were some flaws thrown into the legislation in the final days of this legislative session that made the bill unacceptable. Despite the passage of this flawed legislation (S.6578/A.8419), we have not given up on finding a way to fix those flaws.
These flaws include:
• A requirement that wages paid on the seventh consecutive day of work – are based on an overtime rate – if a farmworker waives their right to a day of rest.
• The definition of family fails to recognize the role of close relatives such as aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins – and would make their participation in farm activities subject to the new statute.
• The creation of a wage board lacks New York’s key agency expert on agricultural issues – the State Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Markets.
• Elections involving the ability to form a union lack the integrity of a secret ballot.
• At this time, we believe it is in the interest of all parties to continue working together to address these flaws and move forward with legislation that farmers, farmworkers and the labor community can mutually embrace and reflect the spirit of the dialogue and discussion that has taken place in recent months.
It is also important to note the significant role played by all the farmers, farmworkers and lawmakers who worked to build consensus on this issue.
The National Weather Service says a half to three quarters of an inch are possible today in Orleans County and Western New York.
Multiple rounds of moderate to heavy rain can be expected as low pressure will pass by just to the south.
“While the entire region could receive heavy rain at times today, the greatest risk will be found from the Finger Lakes to the eastern Lake Ontario region between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.,” the Weather Service said.
ALBANY – The State Senate followed the State Assembly and has passed the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act to grant collective bargaining rights, workers’ compensation, and unemployment benefits to farm laborers.
This legislation, S.6578, sponsored by Senator Jessica Ramos, will address the standards of working conditions and include a measure to require overtime pay after 60 hours in one week. The Fair Labor Practices Act also provides unemployment insurance, 24 consecutive hours of rest each week, and a sanitary code for all farm and food processing labor camps intended to house farm laborers.
“The Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act has lingered in this body for 20 years, with 7 sponsors on both sides of the aisle,” Ramos said. “I am proud today to be the 8th and last sponsor of the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act. I have traveled to seven counties in New York, visited 14 farms, talked to countless farmworkers, and held three hearings on this bill. There are 80,000 to 100,000 farmworkers that are the backbone of New York’s multi-billion dollar agricultural industry. Today we are correcting a historic injustice, a remnant of Jim Crow era laws, to affirm that those farmworkers must be granted rights just as any other worker in New York.”
Ramos said farm laborers have historically been excluded from basic labor protections under the National Labor Relations Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a statement tonight, supporting the legislation.
“With the passage of this legislation, we will help ensure every farmworker receives the overtime pay and fair working conditions they deserve,” he said. “The constitutional principles of equality, fairness and due process should apply to all of us. I am proud that, with the help of my daughters’ years-long advocacy on this critical issue, we got it done.”
State Senator Rob Ortt, R-North Tonawanda, serves on the Senate’s Agriculture Committee. He said the legislation will hurt many farms, and have a negative effect on farmworkers who will see their hours cut each workweek.
“Tonight’s passage of the Farmworker Labor Act is disappointing and further displays the disconnect between state Democrats and western New Yorkers,” Ortt said. “For months, I toured farms across western New York and spoke about this legislation with hundreds of workers, employees and community residents. Employers and employees alike pleaded that this bill would destroy small family farms.
“With New York State farm closure rates already triple the national average, this legislation will grow the closure rate and devastate the number one economic driver in New York. My chief concern when Democrats took over the entirety of state government was that upstate would be ignored. Incredibly, it has gone further than that and upstate is now being attacked by radical New York City regressives. Their willing accomplices include Democrats from the rest of the state, the Business Council, and the State Farm Bureau, who – sadly – should have all known better.”
Hawley, Norris fear legislation will hurt struggling ag industry
ALBANY – The State Assembly today passed the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act allowing overtime after 60 hours worked in a week.
The legislation also grants collective bargaining rights, a day of rest and expansion of workers’ compensation benefits, as well as other worker rights and protections to all farmworkers.
“Here in the Assembly Majority we pride ourselves on standing up for the rights of the hard working men and women across New York,” said Speaker Carl Heastie. “Farmworkers deserve proper protections for the physically taxing, sometimes dangerous work they do that fuels our agricultural sector and puts food on our tables. They are vital to keeping New York’s farms working and play a pivotal role in the health and well-being of our residents.”
Two Assembly members whose districts include parts of Orleans County opposed the legislation, calling it well-meaning but ultimately weakening the agricultural sector, which could result in fewer hours and less weekly pay for farmworkers.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, is a former farmer and president of the Genesee County Farm Bureau. He now runs an insurance business.
“I know these new mandates will devastate New York’s family farms and disrupt the industry beyond repair – an industry that generates $4.8 billion in annual revenue,” he said in a statement. “Agriculture is a unique industry where production and success are contingent upon steady and reliable labor, and implementing more handcuffs on our farm owners and restricting the availability of that labor while increasing its costs will be devastating.”
Hawley said mandating time and a half overtime pay for any hours over 60 in a week “is just not practical.”
“Our farmers are constantly fighting flooding, drought and unpredictable weather patterns that often require unpredictable work hours, which is ultimately necessary to achieve success in the business,” Hawley said.
He called the legislation “authoritarian overreach” by New York City lawmakers, whose districts represents “virtually no family farms,” Hawley said.
“What’s more troubling is the establishment of a new board, headed by big-labor special interests, to further examine farm labor,” Hawley said. “The board wrongly excludes the Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets and will undoubtedly heap mandate upon mandate and cost upon cost upon our family farms.”
State Assemblyman Michael Norris, R-Lockport, issued this statement: “This legislation is another example of downstate’s progressive agenda being out of touch with the realities of upstate, particularly our agriculture industry. Farmworkers know that this work is seasonal and dependent on the weather. New York state farms are already struggling to make ends meet. The mandates that will be imposed by this bill will make matters even worse for farmers, cripple the agriculture industry and drive up the cost of food and products for everyone. I am outraged and voted no.”
Photo by Tom Rivers: A firefighter is on the roof of a house on Park Avenue in Medina today.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) applauds $2.5 million in funding for the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act included in the FY20 Labor, Health, Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.
“Eighteen years ago, we witnessed a horrible tragedy, yet we also witnessed the heroic actions of America’s brave first responders who went running towards the destruction while many were running away from it,” said Congressman Collins. “The Firefighter Cancer Registry is the first step in addressing the increased rate of cancer among firefighters due to the hazardous conditions when fighting fires. I applaud the Committee on Appropriations for recognizing how important this funding is to our first responders.”
The House Appropriations Committee originally appropriated $1.6 million in funding for the Firefighter Cancer Registry. Congressman Collins and Congressman Pascrell introduced an amendment providing an additional $900,000 to fully fund the authorized amount of $2.5 million. The amendment passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 413-10.
“It is essential that the registry receives full funding and be implemented to find links between fighting fires and the increased risk of cancer. I am proud to continue working with Representative Pascrell in introducing this amendment during the appropriations debate to protect these brave men and women who risk their lives every day,” added Collins.
The Firefighter Cancer Registry will improve collection capabilities and activities to address the enormous gap in research on the health impacts of cancer incidence among firefighters – career and volunteer. Firefighters may experience detrimental health effects due to smoke inhalation and other harmful, toxic substances. Funding for this registry is crucial to take the first steps towards gathering this information to develop new protocols, safeguards, and equipment to protect these men and women.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 June 2019 at 2:54 pm
A big contingent of kids from Orleans County are headed to a camp from July 24-29.
Volunteers have worked with local families to sign up 33 children, ages 6 to 12, for the Salvation Army’s Long Point Camp in Penn Yan.
Andrew Szatkowski of Medina is trained by the Salvation Army to help people fill out the online application for the camp, which is free. The camp is funded through donations from the Red Kettle drive.
He held sessions at the four local public libraries to help families complete the needed paperwork.
Families can still sign up children by July 1. Szatkowski said people interested in applying can email him at aszat74@yahoo.com or call 585-205-0581.
The applications need to be filled out electronically. That was a barrier for many families in 2017, when only 7 kids went to the camp. Szatkowski was trained as a volunteer last year and 22 children went to Long Point Camp.
Szatkowski said the children last summer gained confidence during the time away, overcoming some initial fears about being away from home. At the camp they went fishing, took swimming lessons, used a lower-ropes course, played Gaga Ball, attended church and enjoyed other activities.
He welcomes adults to volunteer as chaperones for the trip down and back, as well as registered nurses for medicine checks prior to departure. Szatkowski said the Medina Area Association of Churches made a generous donation to help cover the transportation cost to and from the camp.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 June 2019 at 8:22 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY — The Holley Board of Education recognized retiring teachers and staff at the board meeting on Monday. Pictured from left include Maureen Christian, an instructional aide in fourth grade for 23 years; Toni Barber, kindergarten aide for 30 years; Dan Orbaker, chemistry and physics teacher for 34 years, as well as varsity boys soccer coach; Jolynda Elsenheimer, second grade teacher for 33 years; and Denise Johnstone, special education teacher for 28.5 years.
The board also recognized Tim Rogers, who is retiring as the technology teacher.
Barber joined the staff as a kindergarten aide when her daughter, Jenna, started kindergarten. Barber decided to work for the school after 18 years as a secretary at a Brockport manufacturing plant.
She is sad about retiring full-time at the school, and expects she will stay on as a substitute next year.
“I just love the kids,” Barber said. “I focus on the kids who need me the most.”
Orbaker joined Holley after a year at Lyons. He was praised by district superintendent Brian Bartalo for helping students to excel in the classroom and on the sports field. Orbaker-led team won two state championships and have had a winning record every season the past 30 years.
“I have no regrets,” Orbaker said. “I never had a day I didn’t enjoy here.”
He said 135 of his Holley players went on to play at the next level in college.
The Board of Education also recognized Brenda Swanger, who is retiring from the board after 15 years, including the past six as president.
She praised the retirees, the other teachers and staff, and her colleagues on the board.
“I’m really proud of everything you’ve done,” she said. “You’ve all been working very hard.”
Photos and article courtesy of Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – Almost 50 students at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center shared that they have committed to a job in their field of study or will be attending the military.
The students had a signing celebration on June 7. While many seniors will be heading off to college, many of the students at the Orleans/Niagara BOCES career and technical education centers are heading off to jobs and careers after graduation.
Electricity/Electronics teacher Bill Leggett, Robert Bascom of Roy-Hart and a Navy representative celebrate Bascom’s commitment to join the Navy.
Their teachers and support staff have made sure they are armed with training, internship experiences and industry-based certification to start the next stage of their lives.
Many employers and military representatives came in person to celebrate the seniors in the center’s first ever ceremony.
“It is a great way to express the value in students graduating with career and technical certifications,” said Security and Law Enforcement teacher, Dudley Gilbert. “They deserve to have their hard work recognized and we are very proud of all they have achieved while attending here.”
Security and Law Enforcement teacher Steve Browning congratulates student Jonathan Schroth of Lyndonville on his commitment to join the U.S. Army.
ALBION – Otto, a K9 with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, visited Albion classrooms last week.
The photo shows Albion Central School Resource Officer Chris Glogowski, left, and Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Cole, who is Otto’s handler. The K9 team spent two days at Albion Middle School with the Grade 7 Service Learning and Grade 6 Citizenship classes.
Cole and Glogowski told students about the many facets of law enforcement before Otto did a drug search demonstration. The activity was a way for students to become familiar with local law enforcement.
