Governor Cuomo today signed legislation designed to combat the growing heroin and opioid epidemic in the State. Last week, the Governor and legislative leaders reached an agreement on 10 bills that include new programs and insurance reforms to improve treatment options for individuals suffering from heroin and opioid addiction; measures to strengthen penalties and put in place additional tools for law enforcement to crack down on the distribution of illegal drugs; provisions to ensure the proper and safe use of naloxone, an overdose antidote; and support for enhanced public awareness campaigns to prevent drug abuse. Governor Cuomo signed the legislation this morning during an event at Binghamton University in Vestal.
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Republican voters will cast ballots Tuesday in a primary election to choose a candidate for a U.S. House of Representatives seat in the 22nd District. Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney is challenging incumbent Republican Congressman Richard Hanna for the Republican Nomination in the 22nd Congressional District race; Polls will be open from noon to 9 PM Tuesday.
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State lawmakers approved of a plan last week to allow for medical marijuana to be administered in a limited basis, for those suffering from extreme pain that is not helped by traditional pain reliever. Assemblyman Cliff Crouch said that he opposed the medical marijuana law for several reasons:

(Crouch 6-23-14)

The law calls for the medical marijuana to be strictly regulated through 20 hospitals, & it will sunset in 7 years.
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New York state wants to build over 100 new weather stations to better predict everything from flash floods to ice storms. The $23.6 million system could let planners and residents know when heavy rains, flash floods, tornadoes and other severe weather is headed their way. Since 2006, New York communities have sustained more than $36 billion in damages from severe weather. SUNY Albany, and the state Homeland Security department are working on a proposal for the 125 new weather stations across the state.
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State lawmakers voted to outlaw pointing lasers at airplanes. The measure would make it a misdemeanor to shine a laser pointer at an aircraft. If the laser forced a pilot to change course or otherwise disrupt the flight, the crime would be a felony. The Senate and Assembly passed the legislation last week. Federal authorities report a big increase in the number of incidents, with nearly 100 occurring in the New York City area last year.
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New York State’s private sector job count grew by 21,300, or 0.3% in May, according to the State Labor Department. The employment gain raised the State’s private sector job count to 7,568,600, an all-time high. The state’s unemployment rate held steady at 6.7%, remaining at its lowest level since December 2008. The State economy has added 466,000 private sector jobs, and experienced employment growth in 36 of the past 41 months. May also marked the State’s 18th consecutive month with private sector job growth.
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Tax revenues in May were stronger than expected, and came in $838 million higher than projections, according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. The total receipts during the first 2 months of the new fiscal year remain below last year’s levels. Tax receipts of $4.1 billion in May were 1.6% higher than in 2013. Total tax receipts for April and May combined were $1.4 billion below year-ago levels, due to personal income tax collections falling sharply in April. The full report is at osc.state.ny.us.