Woerner's Working

This year's regular state legislative session wrapped up around 8:30 last Wednesday evening at the Capitol in Albany, according to Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner. Less than 11 hours later she joined us as speaker for our weekly meeting at the The Ugly Rooster. (Woerner is herself a member of the Malta Sunrise Rotary Club.)

She has been working with Helen Endres, former Saratoga County public health director (on right in photo at Thursday's meeting) to secure more state funding. One result this session, Woerner said, is money to expand youth mental health services at Glens Falls Hospital and Four Winds in Saratoga Springs.

She also helped secure funds to help preserve Snake Hill on Saratoga Lake, and for the new Champlain Canal Regional Visitors Center in Schuylerville.

Woerner lauded legislative actions to raise the minimum wage and index it to inflation, to clarify that historical re-enactors are exempt from recent gun control legislation, and to give judges more discretion over when to set or not set bail.

One item passed in the state budget which she does not support is the planned phaseout of gas stoves. "It's crazy," she said.