Steve Hawley

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C – Batavia) is encouraging family and friends of Vietnam veterans to submit photos of their loved ones to The Education Center, which is being constructed in Washington, D.C.

The facility will feature photos of veterans whose names appear on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, attaching a face and story to the names of the courageous heroes that make up the wall.

“We must all do our part to tell the tale of each and every brave soul whose name is featured on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall so that future generations can honor and appreciate their sacrifice,” Hawley said.

“The Education Center being built in Washington will serve as both an informational and somber tribute to our Vietnam veterans and their place as heroes in American history. With so many courageous soldiers hailing from Western New York, I know our community and region will be well represented when The Education Center opens its doors.”

For more information about The Education Center, please visit http://buildthecenter.org/, or contact the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund at (202) 393-0090.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C – Batavia) is voicing his opposition to cuts in state funding to the least-wealthy school districts, the bulk of which are located in Western New York.

Recent analysis from The Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) shows that per-pupil support for students in economically disadvantaged areas has been disproportionately reduced relative to more affluent districts in the last two years. The assemblyman recently issued a letter to school superintendents statewide seeking their input on how to best provide equitable education aid regardless of geographic location.

“We cannot allow Western New York’s students to suffer while out-of-touch politicians siphon crucial education funding downstate,” Hawley said. “Less-wealthy districts have a smaller tax base than affluent areas, which means they rely on state support more than anyone else.

"To see so many Western New York school districts bearing the brunt of the pain while the wealthiest areas keep raking in state support is both baffling and appalling. I will continue working with the governor and the legislature to make sure Western New York’s children get their fair share.”

AQE crafted a formula to calculate “community wealth ratios” based on personal income and property wealth. Nearly all of the schools in nearby counties fell into the “poor” or “poorest” categories. The report can be found at http://www.aqeny.org/back-to-inequality-how-students-in-poor-school-districts-pay-the-price/.

Press release:

The Genesee County Farm Bureau recently voiced its support for legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia). Resolutions in support of the bills, which seek to ensure that state benefits are offered to the proper applicants, received unanimous support from the bureau at its annual meeting.

In order to protect the essential services that families rely on, we must ensure that the state’s limited resources are not being spent in the wrong places,” Hawley said. “This legislation will ensure that public assistance benefits are allocated to true New York residents that are not abusing tax dollars for illicit use. Having the unanimous support of the Genesee County Farm Bureau bolsters our ability to accomplish goals on the state level, and I look forward to continuing our efforts to make Western New York’s voice heard in state government.”

Hawley is the main sponsor of Assembly Bill 6059, which, if passed, would require recipients of public assistance benefits to be New York residents for at least 90 days prior to applying. The assemblyman is a co-sponsor of A.4474, which would institute drug tests for certain recipients of public assistance benefits.

Related, Hawley's office also released this announcement today:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) has been named to the 2011 Farm Bureau Circle of Friends based upon his voting record on issues of importance to New York agriculture. Hawley thanked the organization for their contributions to farming and agriculture across the state.

“I am extremely proud to be recognized by an organization like the Farm Bureau that provides such a critical service to the people of this state,” Hawley said. “Over the last 35 years, as a former president and member of the Farm Bureau, I have seen firsthand how tirelessly the group works to support our proud farmers and further the growth of agriculture in New York.

"Here in Western New York, agriculture is not only the backbone of our economy, it is a tradition ingrained in our way of life that has been handed down from generation to generation. I look forward to continuing my work with the Farm Bureau and making sure New York’s farmers are given the tools they need to succeed.”

The Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, volunteer organization financed and controlled by member-families for the purpose of solving economic and public policy issues challenging the agricultural industry.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) wrote to Governor Andrew Cuomo, urging action on mandate relief. The assemblyman said that the state Senate and Assembly must be convened as soon as possible to address this issue that is crushing local governments and school districts.

“As representatives of New York state, we are all shirking our duties by our inaction regarding the financial position we have put local governments in by not instituting true mandate relief,” said Hawley in his letter to the governor. “I am asking you to reconvene both houses of the Legislature immediately to begin the arduous task of reducing the burden on local governments and taxpayers.”

At Batavia Downs this morning, more than 100 people boarded buses headed for Washington D.C. as part of the annual Patriot Trip hosted by Assemblyman Steve Hawley. The trip includes visits to Arlington National Cemetery, the Washington Mall and various war-related museums and monuments.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) today released the results of questions and answers from his virtual town hall, which were posted on his Facebook page. The purpose of the survey questions was to gain feedback on issues important to the residents in Hawley’s district.

In response to question #1, “Do you favor having two New Yorks?” by a ratio of nearly 6 to 1, residents favored Upstate breaking away from New York City.

Question # 2, “Do you favor a 90-day residency requirement before anyone can receive Medicaid benefits?” 86 percent voted in favor, while 12 percent voted not in favor and 1 percent voted “no opinion.” Hawley has introduced A6059, which would require a 90-day residency. 

Question # 3, “What do you favor as New York state’s vegetable?” 66 percent of residents favored sweet corn, while 19 percent of residents favored the onion and the remaining 15 percent chose “other.” 

Hawley noted that he would like to have more question and answer sessions like this via his Facebook page in the near future due to the high volume of feedback received.

In the meantime, Hawley encouraged constituents and supporters to follow him on Facebook (Steve Hawley) so that they can stay informed and up-to-date on legislative updates and issues of importance to residents of the 139th Assembly District.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) recently attended a press conference at Monroe Community College announcing the creation of the area’s first Regional Economic Development Council. Joining Governor Andrew Cuomo and Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy, Hawley expressed his optimism to see such hands-on efforts to improve the economy here in Western New York.

“Today signals the beginning of a new day for the Western New York economy,” Hawley said. “I am especially pleased to see that Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy will be the chair of all 10 regional councils. Hailing from our region, he has been a tremendous advocate on behalf of Western New York, and I have full confidence that he will be even more helpful in this new capacity.

"I have had a number of face-to-face and phone conversations with him to discuss the priorities facing the business owners and job creators in my district, and I know that the formation of this regional council will only continue to spur the growth and revitalization of Western New York’s economy.”

Ten regional economic development councils will be created across the state to compete for $1 billion in funding that will be geared toward jump-starting local economies. The panels are comprised of leaders from government, business and academia, and will partner with community leaders and state legislators to craft projects that will benefit their geographic and demographic needs.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) is sponsoring legislation that would require parents and legal guardians to report the death or disappearance of their child to law enforcement in a timely manner. “Caylee’s Law” comes on the heels of the highly publicized Casey Anthony murder trial in Florida, which has highlighted a glaring shortfall in New York state law that does not mandate such timely reporting. The pair of bills being co-sponsored by Assemblyman Hawley would close these loopholes.

“It is sad to think that it took the unfathomable circumstances leading to Caylee Anthony’s death to highlight the need for this legislation, but there will be progress made in the wake of this unspeakable tragedy,” Hawley said. “Parents, guardians and caretakers have the responsibility to report the death or disappearance of their child in a timely manner so that law enforcement may seek out the missing person and work to prevent other children from falling victim to similar circumstances. I am proud to join my colleagues in a bipartisan effort to make sure that “Caylee’s Law” will keep another child from suffering from the abuse and neglect that took Caylee’s life.”

Under the legislation, a person found guilty under “Caylee’s Law” would be charged with a felony.

Here's a press release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

As Independence Day lies just around the corner, the people of the United States owe a “Happy 235th Birthday” to Lady Liberty.

Friends and families will gather together to celebrate, and celebrate they should! We have a lot to be thankful for as Americans, leading the world in freedom, liberty and opportunity. We are all truly blessed to live in the greatest nation on Earth.

However, we have not earned our place as world leaders by chance. The sacrifice and selflessness displayed by the men and women of our armed forces for hundreds of years have allowed the United States to obtain and preserve our status as the standard that every other nation looks to for guidance.

In Western New York, our communities are filled with these courageous heroes who have served in the past, while our children and grandchildren continue our proud traditions overseas. I implore the
people of our community to take a moment this Independence Day to thank a veteran for everything they have done to make this country great.

From Assemblyman Steve Hawley: 

The passage of a property tax cap is the culmination of years of hard work from both New York taxpayers and the Assembly Minority Conference who have never wavered in their support of protecting this state’s families and businesses. No longer will Western New Yorkers, facing some of the highest property taxes in the nation, be prevented from obtaining the American Dream of owning their own home.

No longer will upstate businesses be forced out of our community, which has led to massive job loss and unemployment. Today is a new day in New York – a day that we finally say to our family and businesses, “You are welcome here.”

However, the victory in our long battle for this tax cap must also highlight the need to expand mandate relief. Our homeowners and businesses are not the only ones that suffer from Albany’s spending addiction, our local governments and school districts are struggling to cope with these issues as well. The measures we have taken to reduce the crushing burden on localities is not the end of a journey, but rather a first step toward the true, sweeping reforms it will take to repeal the onerous cost drivers that Albany has passed onto local governments.

We have opened the door for real, substantive mandate relief, but we haven’t done enough. I pledge to continue working tirelessly to ease the burden on local governments and school districts so that they can provide the vital services that our communities rely on without increasing costs to the taxpayer. I am confident that the accomplishments made today will serve as a springboard for even more success in the future.

From Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer:

“The State Senate passed historic legislation last night to make New York the 44th state to cap property taxes.  A cap will stop property taxes from spiraling out of control and prevent homeowners from being taxed out of their homes. But in order for the cap to work, mandate relief will be needed.”

“That is why the State Senate also took the first steps to begin to provide $127 million in much needed mandate relief for school districts and municipalities. The act also sets up a Mandate Relief Council to establish a procedure to repeal unfunded mandates.”

“There is still much work to be done on mandate relief, including relieving counties of burdensome Medicaid and pension payments and school districts of onerous and duplicative audits.  As the year progresses, I will work with the Governor, and my colleagues in the Senate and Assembly, to not just take first steps, but to make giant leaps towards achieving additional mandate relief.”

Here's a press release from Steve Hawley.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) was one of several Assembly Minority members to speak up against a bill that sought to ban smoking in cars carrying passengers ages 14 and under.

The measure was ultimately defeated and removed from consideration. While Hawley noted that the intent of the legislation was admirable, he described the bill as an affront to personal freedoms and liberties. He also questioned whether a convertible would be exempted and told “no,” further
exemplifying the absurdity of the inane legislation.

“Most everyone can agree that people shouldn’t smoke in the car with young children present, but government does not exist to legislate what a citizen should and should not do,” Hawley said. “This bill is a blatant example of government meddling with the rights of individualism to an obscene extent.

"Just as we cannot legislate who is qualified or unqualified to be a parent, the legislature cannot tell a citizen of legal, tobacco-purchasing age that they cannot smoke in their own vehicle.”

Here's a press release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) recently sponsored a bill, that has passed the Assembly, which will allow New York’s world-class wineries to become more competitive, both within the state and abroad.

Assembly bill 7828-A repeals a number of onerous mandates on winery owners and grape growers that will streamline the licensing process and encourage the growth of this booming industry.

“Wineries and grape-growing farms are cornerstones of New York’s agricultural industry,” Hawley said. “By reducing the red tape that owners of these businesses must sift through in order to become properly licensed, these establishments will save time, money and resources that will encourage existing operations to expand and new businesses to open.

"As a sponsor of this legislation and a member of the Committee on Agriculture, I commend my colleagues for helping me achieve these sorely needed, procedural reforms for our wine industry.”

The provisions of A.7828-A will:

• Allow the owner of a winery license to sell wine in bulk to wholesalers, retailers and other major distributors;
• Authorize a winery to manufacture, bottle and sell various fruit products on-premises;
• Allow wineries and farm wineries to charge event operators for the use of their premises; and
• Reduce the number of specialized licenses for wineries and farm wineries, providing a more efficient registration process.

“With places like Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and Schwenk Wine Cellars located right here in Western New York, it is imperative that we encourage our agricultural job creators to set up shop in our communities,” Hawley said. “I am confident that this legislation will not only benefit our current grape growers and winery operators, but will draw even more business owners to our fertile soil and spacious landscapes in the future.”

Here's a press release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) recently met with National Rifle Association (NRA) state liaison Darin Goens to discuss his organization’s legislative priorities in New York.

Goens recently became the NRA’s state liaison for the Northeast. The pair discussed the most vital issues facing Second Amendment rights here in New York.

Assemblyman Hawley has consistently advocated for logical firearms regulations that protect the right to bear arms for responsible gun owners, while keeping illegal weapons out of the hands of criminals.

Hawley is an active participant in the Assembly Minority’s annual Sportsmen Legislative Awareness Day.

He is also the sponsor of a number of bills seeking to end unreasonable firearm policies in New York. This includes Assembly bill 1131, which would eliminate the expensive and unsuccessful Combined Ballistic Identification System. It costs taxpayers $4 million annually, while failing to provide a single link to a gun crime.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) is urging legislative leaders to make controlling property taxes the number one priority of the remaining weeks of the 2011 Legislative Session. The Tax Foundation recently released a study that shows homeowners in Orleans, Niagara, Monroe and Genesee counties face a property tax burden ranked in the top 10 nationally, based on percentage of median home value. Orleans, Niagara and Monroe occupy the top three spots respectively, while Genesee comes in eighth.

“To see all four counties in the 139th Assembly District paying some of the highest property taxes in the nation should serve as a loud and clear reminder to legislative leaders that we have no greater priority during this year’s session than to provide property tax relief to Western New York families and businesses, coupled with mandate relief for local governments and school districts,” Hawley said.

“Furthermore, 22 out of the 25 highest-taxed counties are found in Upstate New York. State government has placed Upstate’s economy at a massive, competitive disadvantage by increasing costs on localities and has forced families out of the homes they spent their entire lives working to build.

"I have consistently supported implementing a property-tax cap that will re-open Upstate New York for business and embrace the homeowners that have built their lives here, and I urge my colleagues in state government to join me in putting all of their energy behind this measure.”

Hawley is a co-sponsor of multiple bills to cap property taxes under consideration in the Assembly. While skyrocketing property taxes must be addressed immediately, so must the contributing factors that have led to such crushing levies.

“The cost-drivers handed down from Albany to local governments are a ploy to support unsustainable levels of spending,” Hawley said. “The passage of a property tax cap is not only crucial for homeowners, but it is also a vital component of the fight to repeal unfunded mandates that force localities to raise taxes year after year.

"The property tax crisis is truly symptomatic of New York’s most crippling problem – an unending appetite for spending. Passing a property tax cap is not the end of a long struggle, but rather the first domino to fall that will bring down unfunded mandates and reign in state spending.”

Here's a news release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley's office.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) is continuing his commitment to New York’s veterans through his work with the Assembly Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

Having served seven years in the Ohio Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserves, where he earned the rank 1st Lieutenant, the assemblyman takes his responsibility to the courageous members of our military extremely seriously. “It is a privilege and an honor to serve on the Veterans’ Affairs committee, responding to the needs and issues that are most important to the men and women that risk their lives to protect our freedom,” Hawley said. “As a former member of the armed forces, I know firsthand how important the work done by our military personnel is to our way of life as Americans.

"This nation is truly only as strong as the servicemen and women that risk life and limb for their fellow countrymen, and I am proud to fight for their needs each and every day in the state Assembly.”

The assemblyman noted that Memorial Day, which falls on Monday, May 30, presents an opportunity for the people of the community to show their appreciation for our local veterans.

“Memorial Day is a time to reflect on the contributions that our veterans make each and every day to our community, our state and our entire nation,” Hawley said. “With the holiday just around the corner, I encourage the people of our community to visit a local veterans organization and show your appreciation for our past and present heroes, or just take some time to approach a veteran and thank them for all that they’ve done to make this country great.”

Assemblyman Hawley is the sponsor of numerous bills that support veterans, including measures to provide tax credits for home loans to veterans, support in custody battles for those in active duty, and tuition assistance for military families.

The assemblyman will be conducting his fourth annual Patriot Trip to Washington D.C. for veterans from Sept. 22 through 25.

Patriot Trip IV will include roundtrip private coach transportation from Western New York to Washington, D.C. and accommodations at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia. The trip also includes tours of the WWII, Vietnam, Korean and FDR Memorials as well as Arlington Cemetery and the Udvar Hazy Aerospace Museum. Most meals are included with the trip cost of approximately $300. For more information about trip details, pricing, or to sign-up, please call Assemblyman Hawley’s District Office at 589-5780.

Here's a news release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) recently responded to the introduction of a new income tax on business owners and individuals, expressing his frustration that the Assembly Majority insists on beating a dead horse with an extension of the income surcharge on New York’s job creators and high earners. The measure has consistently been opposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Senate Majority, and the Assembly Minority.

“Trying to force new income taxes through the Legislature is like trying to pound a square peg into a round hole,” said Hawley. “The Governor doesn’t support it. The Senate doesn’t support it. Our Assembly Minority conference doesn’t support it.

“This is a dead issue. During this year’s budget process, state government made a commitment to New Yorkers that we were not going to continue the broken process of tax-and-spend that has pushed businesses and families across state lines for years. We should be focusing on providing property tax relief to homeowners and mandate relief for local governments, rather than finding new ways to kill jobs and punish success.”

According to data from the Treasury Department released in 2009, 71 percent of similarly structured income taxes come from business owners and investors.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) recently voiced his opposition to Assembly Bill 1157, which would place new mandates on firearms producers through the process of microstamping. The bill would require companies to add expensive new technology leaving imprinted marks on discharged rounds which could lead to the loss of jobs and increased costs to Western New York’s sportsmen.

“Placing onerous, costly mandates on New York’s business owners fails to increase public safety and only succeeds in giving these job-creators another reason to pack up and leave New York,” said Hawley. “Furthermore, as costs rise for arms producers, so will the prices of their products, passing the cost on down to our proud sportsmen exercising their 2nd Amendment right to bear arms in a safe manner. If we want to address gun safety, we should be aiming to remove illegal, unregistered guns from our community, rather than burdening the business owners and sportsmen that are properly utilizing this equipment.”

Hawley has consistently voted against prior legislation seeking to impose microstamping mandates against arms producers.