Delgado on military spouses 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On May 24, Rep. Antonio Delgado joined several of his colleagues in introducing the Military Spouse Hiring Act, bipartisan legislation that incentivizes employers to hire spouses of members of the United States Armed Forces. Unemployment rates for military spouses far exceed that of the national average, and this bill would help close that gap by expanding the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include the hiring of qualified military spouses, allowing employers to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those spouses.

“Military families make immense sacrifices for our country, yet military spouses experience an unemployment rate of nearly 30%. Supporting military families is a top priority, and I’m proud to introduce legislation to address the military spouse unemployment crisis and empower thousands of families in Upstate New York and across the country,” said Rep. Delgado. “I thank my co-leads on both sides of the aisle for joining me to introduce the legislation.

Sullivan measles order

MONTICELLO, NY — The Sullivan County Legislature today unanimously approved Public Health Order No. 1 of 2019, which empowers the County’s Department of Public Health Services to require full measles immunization for staff members and campers at summer camps in the county.

The order was created in the wake of the downstate measles outbreak and applies to all camps regulated by the NYS Department of Health (NYSDOH).

“We are taking a proactive approach, even though we’ve only had two measles cases thus far,” said District 2 Legislator Nadia Rajsz, chair of the legislature’s Health and Family Services Committee. “This is another step of many we’ve taken to ensure our residents and visitors enjoy the summer while staying protected from this contagious disease.”

“This order, effective through September 15, mandates that camp health directors verify all their campers and staffers have presented appropriate evidence of immunity to measles, or have presented proof of a valid medical exemption,” explained public health director Nancy McGraw. “It also requires the camp operator to screen campers and staff members for measles upon arrival to camp, and to find out from parents/guardians of campers whether each camper has had any possible exposure to measles within the last three weeks.”

NY Senate bills target Trump

ALBANY, NY — Two bills that passed by the state senate on May 22 are targeted at President Donald Trump. One would allow the state tax department to share Trump’s state tax returns with three separate U.S. congressional committees, the other would ensure that anyone pardoned by the president for federal crimes could also be prosecuted for state crimes committed in New York State.

“The President and his administration have repeatedly shown a true hostility to the rule of law and presidential customs. No one is above the law,” said NY Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

The tax records could be significant because Trump has lived in the state his entire life, and many of his businesses have a headquarters in the state. Those records could be released to the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

Two Pike men sentenced for sexual assault of minors

MILFORD, PA — Two Pike County men have been charged for sexually assaulting minors. Lester Masker, 59, was sentenced to five to 10 years in state prison for aggravated assault and related charges. According to district attorney Ray Tonka’s office, Masker engaged in illegal acts with a child under the age of 12 between 2003 and 2005 at his residence in Palmyra (Pike) Township.

Masker, based upon prior convictions for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, incest, indecent assault and corruption of minors, is considered a sexually violent predator under Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender’s Registration Notification Act (SORNA). He is subject to registration for the remainder of his life.

Robert Haas, Sr., 76, was sentenced to 11 months to 23 months in jail for corruption of minor, a felony. Haas was convicted of exposing himself to an 11-month-old child. As a result of his conviction, Haas is subject to registration under SORNA for 15 years.

Upon release from incarceration, both men are ordered to refrain from contact with children under age 18 without supervision and not work at or frequent places where children under age 18 are present.

Senior deputy district attorney Sarah Wilson said, “The innocent victims in these cases were especially vulnerable to abuse due to their young age and these sexual offenders exploited them because of it. Our community can’t stand for this type of crime against children and our office will zealously prosecute those who prey on children.”