NEW YORK ­— Senator Daphne Jordan (R,C,I,Ref-Halfmoon) introduced two pieces of legislation to protect the individuals working at State and County DMV offices and duly elected County Clerks who serve taxpayers. Senate bill S.6907 would indemnify DMV employees and County Clerks from lawsuits arising from criminal acts related to the use of non-federally compliant driver’s licenses expected under NY’s new Green Light Law.

Senator Jordan’s second piece of legislation would amend the Green Light Law, creating a “Driver Privilege License” for those who cannot prove their lawful status in the United States. This legislation addresses concerns by law enforcement and County Clerks regarding identity fraud stemming from the lax regulations and qualifications for a NYS Standard Driver License, allowing for holders to earn the privilege to drive while restoring security standards in the issuance of Standard Driver Licenses, which are also used as identification by 70-percent of New York drivers.

 Section 1 of Senator Jordan’s new bill amends Section 502 of the State’s Vehicle and Traffic Law and provides that the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, County Clerks, and their employees shall be held harmless for any claims, liabilities, damages, or fines arising from any criminal act involving non-federal standard drivers licenses created by New York’s Green Light Law. This includes, but is not limited to ID theft, forgery, money laundering, and terrorism. Chapter 37 of the Laws of 2019 (aka the Green Light Law) that provided for the creation of a system of driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, has created unprecedented challenges for DMV employees and County Clerks. Central among these issues is the fundamental undermining of the reliability of the identification, as the State can no longer guarantee an individual is who their identification says they are. The Green Light Law allows for foreign forms of identification to be used as proof of identity, and foreign forms of identification can be easily forged. The United States, as of 2017, recognizes 193 foreign countries, and, to date, the State has provided inadequate resources for DMV staff to determine the authenticity of foreign documents.

Senator Jordan’s new bill ensures that DMV employees, the DMV Commissioner, and County Clerks acting in good faith are indemnified and held harmless in lawsuits arising from criminal acts relating to the use of non-federally compliant drivers’ licenses provided for under New York’s Green Light Law. Senator Jordan’s new legislation does not carry any fiscal implications to the state.

 “I have introduced legislation aimed at protecting DMV employees from the lawsuits expected to be filed in response to the drivers’ licenses being used in the commission of criminal acts because the men and women working at DMV’s should be held harmless from Albany’s lack of regard for public safety,” stated the senator. “I also introduced a bill to mitigate the expected explosion of ID fraud by establishing a new ‘Driving Privilege License’ and stipulating that individuals must provide their Social Security Number when registering to vote to establish their identity as American citizens. My bills are common-sense steps to try and address the many shortfalls of the Green Light Law that will make our state and our streets less safe and throw open the doors to identity fraud and voter fraud.”

Saratoga County Clerk Craig Hayner said, “A New York State driver license is not just a license to drive; it is the primary identification document used by most New Yorkers.

The identification standards have been so widely loosened that it makes the Standard Driver License unreliable as an ID for the millions of New Yorkers who hold one and the thousands of businesses that rely on it as a source of identification in their daily business transactions. I am thankful to Senator Jordan for her understanding of the dangerous implications that could come from nefarious individuals taking advantage of our honest DMV employees and the inadequate regulations and for this much-needed legislation.”

Saratoga County Sherriff Michael Zurlo said, “With nearly 90-percent of the driving public using their driver license as their primary identification, New York’s watered-down qualifications for the Standard license invites the criminal element to exploit the system. Further, with no means to track the source documents used to get a Standard license, our deputies’ hands are tied when it comes to ensuring people are who they say they are and investigating related crimes. I commend Senator Jordan for keeping this important issue in the public eye.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A recent study by Saratoga Unites and Saratoga Sustainable highlighted the use of Styrofoam containers at local restaurants.

Polystyrene foam, commonly known by the brand name Styrofoam, is not biodegradable, cannot be recycled, is a major source of pollution and fills landfills causing direct expense to tax payers. Polystyrene has no place in food service ware in the City of Saratoga Springs — a belief shared by a significant majority of eateries surveyed by Saratoga Unites in cooperation with Sustainable Saratoga.

In this study of 77 restaurants in Saratoga Springs, 16 still use Styrofoam containers for carryout food. However, five of these establishments are planning to switch to plastic or more environmentally friendly materials including cardboard, paper or compostable products. The survey covered both high end and fast service restaurants. 

Given the negatives, the modest cost advantage that may result from the use of polystyrene in food containers is greatly outweighed by the environmental and health costs. This realization lies behind the decision of a majority of restaurants in Saratoga Springs to not use polystyrene. Many of those who have switched from polystyrene cited customer and owner environmental concerns as their reason for switching.

In light of these findings, Saratoga Unites and Sustainable Saratoga are planning a program of incentives to encourage voluntary elimination of polystyrene from Saratoga eateries. 

SARATOGA COUNTY —January is National Mentoring Month. The Saratoga Mentoring Program would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the current mentors who generously give of their time, friendship and wisdom.

The Saratoga Mentoring Program has been matching caring adults with children in Saratoga County for 27 years. Mentors can make a profound difference in the life of a child. Studies show that young people with mentors have more positive outcomes in school and in the workplace. This in turn strengthens our community, our economy and our country. 

Mentors are screened and trained before working with a child. Mentors meet with their mentees once a week for about two hours.  In order to develop trust and consistency, a one-year commitment is required. 

For more information visit www.saratogamentoring.org or call 518-581-1487. Saratoga Mentoring is a program of Catholic Charities.

NEW YORK — The deadline to enroll in affordable health insurance coverage through the NY State of Health Marketplace is fast approaching as open enrollment ends on January 31. For individuals who would like their coverage to begin on February 1, the deadline to enroll is January 15.

Adirondack Health Institute is offering free enrollment assistance services to individuals, families and small business owners in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties to meet the deadline and strongly encourages the public to make a free appointment today, rather than waiting until the last moment.

“Our Enrollment Specialists provide no-cost, unbiased assistance to help clients determine their best health insurance coverage options,” explained Joyce Porter, AHI’s Enrollment Assistance Services and Education (EASE) Program Manager. “Our team makes the process extremely easy, guiding clients and answering all questions along the way. Those who have never had coverage are especially grateful for our assistance as we make things less confusing and intimidating.”

Individuals may call AHI’s toll-free number, 1-866-872-3740, or visit www.ahihealth.org/ease/appointment-request to schedule a no-cost appointment with an Enrollment Specialist.

SARATOGA COUNTY — The Saratoga County Office for the Aging has been selected as a beneficiary of the Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program for the month of January. The Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program, which launched in April 2014, is a reusable bag program that facilitates community support with the goal to make a difference in the communities where shoppers live and work. Saratoga County Office for the Aging was selected as the January beneficiary of the program by store leadership at the Hannaford located at 3 Via Rossi Way, Ballston Spa NY. Saratoga County Office for the Aging will receive a $1 donation every time the $2.50 reusable Fight Hunger Bag is purchased at this location during January. For more information on the Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program, visit hannaford.bags4mycause.com

For additional information, please call The Office for the Aging, 518-884-4996.

SARATOGA COUNTY — The source of last Sunday night’s “loud explosion that shook homes and lit the sky green” was likely caused by a meteor entering and burning up in the atmosphere, Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo said Thursday.  

Statement from Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo:

The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office has concluded our investigation into the loud explosion and green flash which occurred in the skies over Saratoga County on Sunday evening.  Although we received over 30 reports of this event on Sunday evening, our social media post of this event has been viewed over 250,000 times and generated over 1,200 comments.  Based on initial reports and the comments posted there are reports of this event from Broadalbin South to Charlton and East to Ballston Spa but no witnesses to the cause of the event or location of the source. 

After discussions with all of our law enforcement partners, government agencies including the FAA, FBI, ATF, National Weather Service and NASA as well as discussions with scientists and scholars it is our determination that the likely cause of the event was a meteor entering and burning up in the atmosphere.