Candidate for
State Senator; District 38

Senator Tom Morahan (Republican/Conservative/Independence/Working Families - New City) is serving his fourth term representing the citizens of Rockland and Orange counties. Senator Morahan was first chosen to represent the 38th District in a special election in May 1999, and the people reelected him in November of 2000, 2002, and 2004.

Since taking office, Senator Morahan has been working hard to improve the lives of residents living in Rockland and Orange counties. Senator Morahan represents the five Rockland County towns of Clarkstown, Haverstraw, Orangetown, Ramapo and Stony Point and the Orange County towns of Tuxedo and Warwick.

Senator Morahan works to improve the educational opportunities for our children, to ensure that every New Yorker has access to quality affordable health care, protect our environment, reduce taxes, keep criminals off our streets and make government more efficient and responsive.

Among his many accomplishments, Senator Morahan has brought back a good deal of state aid to the district's towns and villages to help with such projects as downtown revitalization, infrastructure repairs, school programs and public safety enhancements.

In Albany, Senator Morahan now serves as Chairman of the Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. He was Chairman of the Elections Committee, where he spearheaded Senate legislation designed to improve voter access and prevent voter fraud. Senator Morahan also served as Chairman of the Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs. During this time he improved the lives of veterans throughout New York State, while also sponsoring legislation ensuring that members of the New York National Guard continued to receive their tuition benefits. The Senator was the prime sponsor of Veterans' Buyback Legislation. This law, which Governor Pataki signed October 19, 2000, lets state or local government employees "buy back" up to three years of military service to add to their retirement plans. In 2001 Senator Morahan introduced legislation that built on the buyback bill. His legislation expanded the scope to include veterans who already have retired from public service, thereby making many more Korean War and some additional World War II veterans eligible to receive credit for wartime service toward their pensions.

Senator Morahan's committee assignments now include Agriculture, Banks, Education, Housing, Elections, Local Government, Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities, and Veterans, Homeland Security & Military Affairs.

Senator Morahan's legislative efforts have been described as "prolific."

A major priority of Senator Morahan and the Senate Majority for the 2000 legislative agenda was to help New York State's senior citizens cope with the high cost of prescription drugs through a program called EPIC+, which took effect January 1, 2001. Under Senator Morahan's EPIC+ plan, income-eligibility levels were raised substantially above the existing program to include middle-income seniors.

Senator Morahan also was the prime sponsor of a nationally acclaimed program that affects communities throughout New York State -- Project SAVE, or the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act. Senator Morahan worked on Project SAVE with Lt. Governor Mary O. Donohue, who joined him at Warwick Middle School and Suffern High School to discuss school safety with students from throughout Orange and Rockland counties. Lt. Governor Donohue also met at Clarkstown South High with Senator Morahan and educators from throughout the Lower Hudson Valley to discuss the plan once it went into effect.

Senator Morahan has sponsored legislation to aid various initiatives at home, such as bills to help with downtown revitalization efforts in Haverstraw and Spring Valley and to assist fire departments in recruiting volunteers.

In the coming year, Senator Morahan will continue his commitment to making New York's educational system the very best in the nation, by ensuring that it has all the needed funds, resources and support. Senator Morahan looks to ensure the safety of all children in both public and private schools.

Senator Morahan is always working to ensure that New York's health care remains at its world-class level while making it more accessible. A major concern of Senator Morahan is the need to support seniors through the EPIC Program by adjusting fees and deductibles, so that they can afford to get the medication that they need to live healthy and happy lives.

Senator Morahan believes that businesses and homeowners are burdened by excessive property taxes, and he will work for a full battery of tax cuts. Senator Morahan feels that it is very important to support families, students, and middle-income taxpayers through these types of tax reductions and credits.

His positive voting record in support of agriculture and the farming community, earned the Senator the Farm Bureau's "Circle of Friends" award, which is given on behalf of the 32,000 member families to thank Senator Morahan for being a driving force behind the call for Budget Reform legislation. As a sponsor of 2005 Budget Reform bills, he looks to make changes in a system that has not worked in over seventeen years. Senator Morahan's priority is to put an end to late budgets and to restore public confidence in New York's budget-making process.

Legislative priorities for 2005 also include cracking down on auto insurance fraud and improving education and access to education.

Senator Morahan's priorities extend beyond legislation. He spends a good deal of time in the communities that he represents in Rockland and Orange counties, listening to people's concerns and doing all he can to address their issues and improve the quality of life for everyone.

Senator Morahan began his government service as a member of the Clarkstown Zoning Board of Appeals, and he won his first elected office in 1977, as a Rockland County Legislator. In 1980, he was elected to the New York State Assembly.

In 1984, Senator Morahan returned to the Rockland County Legislature, where he served with distinction. In 1996, he was elected unanimously to serve as Legislature chairman. One newspaper declared him the most effective chairman in the Legislature's 30-year history.

Senator Morahan prides himself on being a commonsense legislator who knows how to get things done for his constituents. His door is always open, and he listens to and acts on behalf of the people he represents.