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Statement from County Executive Ed Day on Accessory Dwelling Units

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Since Fall of 2021, I’ve adamantly spoken out against state legislation to create Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), as New York is a home rule state. Yesterday the Governor proposed expanding a property tax exemption that would allegedly reward homeowners who “build-out” ADUs, essentially incentivizing the development of these types of units. While there is no legislation currently in place requiring municipalities to allow ADUs, I fully believe that widespread construction of ADUs in suburban areas like Rockland County would be harmful to our community.

Last February, when Gov. Kathy Hochul pulled the bill from her 2023 executive budget, I was quoted saying:

“…the removal of this legislation from the Governor’s proposed State Budget seemingly is not the end but a re-start, one that I am convinced the Governor will throw her weight behind AFTER Election Day IF she is re-elected. Keep that in mind when you vote on November 8th.

The proposed ADU bills are still active and in committees in the Senate and Assembly. We will continue to oppose any attempt for this legislation to be revived.

While creating affordable housing is an admirable goal, our own Planning Department stated in their professional assessment the one-size-fits-all approach of the ADU legislation is extremely problematic and does not account for differences between rural, suburban, and urban communities and I’m concerned there is a strong likelihood that the character of our County could be changed forever.

I am concerned as well about some of the mandates included in the Governor’s new NY Housing Compact that will require municipalities to change zoning in specific areas of their communities and meet mandatory home growth targets. As your County Executive, and past president of a local civic association, I believe this concept to be contradicted by the Constitution of New York State and will continue to stand firmly in opposition to any politically based plan that undermines New York State Home Rule regulations and municipal zoning ordinances. My Administration will keep all our options open in order to stop this plan in its tracks.”

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Harckham, Paulin and Treatment Providers Blast Unfair, Punitive Medicaid Auditing Practices

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Albany, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Amy Paulin, along with other legislators and behavioral health care, spoke in unison at a special press conference in the State Capitol today, calling for the FY2024-2025 State Budget to include a meaningful reform of current practices utilized by the NYS Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG) when it audits healthcare agencies that provide essential services to New Yorkers with Medicaid insurance.

A new OMIG reform bill (S.5329D / A.6813), introduced by Harckham and Paulin, seeks to rectify tactics used during Medicaid audits conducted by the OMIG that are needlessly punitive and, ultimately, ineffective in preventing fraud and abuse in the healthcare system. These audits take time and resources away from healthcare and mental hygiene agencies providing essential services to New Yorkers with Medicaid insurance.

“New York patients cannot afford to lose any more behavioral health providers, especially over unintentional administrative errors,” said Harckham. “The senseless undermining of Substance Use Disorder programs in the middle of an opioid epidemic needs to stop. Let’s not lose sight that these programs save lives, so regulatory efforts should be in line with supporting and improving services, not harming them.”

“The role of the NYS Office of the Medicaid Inspector General is to root out fraud and abuse,” said Paulin. “However, this should not mean that OMIG should have the ability to wipe out entire programs and services based on technical errors, state system issues, or minor discrepancies, especially when the service was delivered appropriately. This practice is crippling and risks the continued viability of New York’s safety net system. I urge the Legislature to include the provisions of our bill in the budget to protect our health care providers and safeguard OMIG’s role in ensuring Medicaid’s integrity.”

Current OMIG audit practices include application of extrapolation to clerical errors, which has resulted in disproportionate findings and enormous fines that can shut down an entire program or impact a Medicaid provider. This practice has been devastating to providers and risks the continued viability of New York’s safety net system. 

               Clerical errors result in care providers being punished and financially crippled.  

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Rockland County District Attorney’s Office Therapy Dog K9 Fez

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K9 Fez is the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office therapy dog. Fez is a 6 year-old Labrador retriever assigned to the Special Victims Unit – his goal is to help victims, especially children, feel comfortable and give them strength to tell their stories.

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