ALBANY – New York State Senator James Skoufis was sworn in for his third term on Jan 4 and will now begin serving the newly-drawn 42nd district, comprising of most of Orange County. He started off the new year by outlining his legislative priorities.
Skoufis will continue in his role as Chair of the Senate Investigations and Government Operations Committee, the body charged with proactively investigating and exposing waste, fraud, and abuse; and working to exercise effective oversight over state government.
Last year, Skoufis passed the most legislation of any of his colleagues – 70 bills in total, including 42 bills passed in both chambers and a total of 35 bills signed into law. He maintains an independent voting record among his Senate majority colleagues, including strong opposition to new taxes.
Skoufis says he will work this year to advance legislation that curbs corporate welfare and drives reform of industrial development agencies, holds environmental bad actors to account, continues implementing universal pre-k in Orange County, and empowers first responders and their families.
As part of this plan, Skoufis intends to host his annual roundtables with local police, fire, and ambulance departments, veterans, and Orange County farmers to maintain a direct line of communication with these key constituencies.
“As my team and I turn the page on a busy 2022, we’re raring to go on behalf of our new and longtime constituents,” said Skoufis. “Though our district lines have changed, our work ethic has not: we’ll fight tirelessly to ensure our Orange County neighbors are heard and supported, while representing their needs and priorities each day in Albany.”
Skoufis picks up over 150,000 new constituents in the new Senate District 42 who were previously represented by Senator Mike Martucci. With the change in lines, Skoufis will need to vacate both his Newburgh and North Rockland offices for a new space within the district. An office opening will be announced shortly.
In the year ahead, his team will continue to advocate fiercely on behalf of their neighbors. In 2022, his office fielded 1,289 constituent cases ranging from unemployment to utility disputes to assistance with licensure and beyond.
