I hope by the time you see this newsletter you have already received a paper mailing about the upcoming Annual Meeting of our League on Thursday, June 15 from 5 – 7 at the Starr Library in Rhinebeck.
There will be the usual important routine business (elections, budget adoption, etc.), but what most of us especially look forward to is the happy socializing and good finger-food and drinks supplied mostly by our board. Of course, there will also be brief updates on League issues too. Please plan to join us!
Before that – from Friday eve, June 2, through Sunday morning, June 5 – several of us will be at the state LWV convention in Albany. One of the hot topics for discussion will be how to weigh into the selection of new voting machines. We have been watching for several years now how political an issue this can end up being.
The overuse of plastics in our lives will also be on everyone’s mind as we are in the last days of our effort to get the state legislature to address this. If you haven’t told you state senator and Assembly member of YOUR concern, do so soon.
The bills we support are the Bigger Better Bottle Bill -BBBB (S237 May/A6353 Glick) and the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Act (S4246 Harckam/A5322 Glick). More details about legislative action will be coming to your email Friday – look for the subject line “Your Weekly Legislative Update from LWVNYS.”
But call now. Go to https://nyassembly.gov/mem/ to find contact info for your Assembly member and to https://www.nysenate.gov/
While it’s looking like the BBBB won’t pass this session, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling legislation is still “alive,” so push that one especially. And we won’t give up in June. We will continue to let our legislators know if they have disappointed us – and we’ll try again in 2024. The plastics aren’t going away and neither are we! Persistence!
And no matter what, I hope to see you at our Annual Meeting and share information about our successes and continuing challenges!
Dare Thompson
845-236-3074 darethompson@gmail.com
