PAT MAHER
Democrat for Assembly
Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Democratic Primary
Contact me at patmaherforassembly@gmail.com
Join me and let’s shake-up Albany
I am running for New York State Assembly because the cost of living is beyond everyone’s means, a women's right to choose is in jeopardy, machine politics is at its worse. When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade declaring that the constitutional right to abortion, upheld for nearly a half century, no longer existed, we were all in shock. It was just the beginning. It was more than enough for me to enter this race. We live in an extremely divided country and New York State is in jeopardy as well as the country.
I decided to run for New York State Assembly because I want to be the first Assemblywoman to represent you, as opposed to the party boss and its machine.
Taxes
I support Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages (AD-22), our neighboring Assembly District and Senator Kevin Thomas’ (SD-6) legislation that increases the allowable income for County Senior Property Tax Exemption. (S.8388/A.5100).
Our property taxes are high and many seniors want to remain in their homes, which for the most have no mortgage, but the property taxes prevent them. Social Security and / or disability payments are barely enough to make ends meets, without a good pension. Add on the County Taxes and seniors cannot make ends meet on a fixed income. “Seniors worked hard all their life and deserve to age in comfort, not worrying about how to pay the electric bill or if they can afford food.” Queens has this kind of relief for Seniors, that’s why Nassau needs it too.
I support this legislation because it aims to provide meaningful property tax relief for Nassau County’s seniors and disabled homeowners. It recognizes the financial challenges faced by our seniors and will help alleviate their burden.
School Funding
As someone who values education and also knows the cost of attaining a law degree (J.D.) and an additional Master’s of Laws (LL.M.), I know that our children need a quality education to succeed. As you next Assemblywoman, I will fight for top dollars for our school district, “full state funding for all our school districts.”
Education is the only way up. Our children deserve the best and they will get it with me as your next State Assemblywoman. “No School Left Behind.” I will fight for “Hold Harmless,” nothing less than the year before and an increase based on the rising costs.
I will also help find funding for those after school programs and activities that enhance a child’s education, social skills and self-esteem.
Health Equity For Retirees Act
I support the Health Equity For Retirees Act. I vow to protect the health insurance benefits of retirees of public employers and contributions of retirees of public employers. As your next Assemblywoman, I will not allow the health insurance benefits provided to retirees and their dependents or the contributions such employer makes to fall below the level retirees were promised.
Health Insurance and 9/11 First Responder Health Insurance
The cost of health insurance is at an all-time high and what’s affordable is not always the highest quality of health insurance. Even if you have health insurance, the out-of-pocket costs can be unknown and a surprise to your budget.
In a recent change in health insurance for retired New York City teachers, first responders, including firefighters, EMT professionals and police officers, many of which live on Long Island, had their insurance has been changed without a choice. They had to again fund a lawsuit against this illegitimate change.
Many of our 9-11 heroes already suffer and have passed from numerous ailments directly resulting from exposure to carcinogens during the aftermath of the clean-up, including various forms of cancers. They are disabled and receiving cancer treatments on fixed incomes. It’s inhuman to switch their care from long-time doctors that may not accept their new health insurance. They deserve the health insurance they were promised.
Student Loan Debt Crisis
I want to find a solution for the every mounting student loan debt that most of us have incurred. We all know that education is the way up. So I went to law school later in life and incurred mounting student loan debt, like the most of you in District 21.
Right now, student loan debt is $1.3 trillion. It is the biggest economic crisis this country has ever faced. It affects 86 million Americans. The cost of education is much higher than it was years ago and the income of borrowers has not risen in proportion to that cost.
You have an option, go into debt and become educated or forgo education. Most of chose to go into debt because education is your way up!
Women overall are 28% more likely than men to have student debt.
The ongoing court battle regarding the student loan debt crisis has been extremely personal to Pat Maher. She went to law school later in life to receive her law degrees and is now saddled with student loan debt. When she first went to school as an undergraduate the cost for tuition was about $3000 a semester and in some state schools it was that much for a year. Fast forward, Maher went to law school later in life and graduated with a J.D., law degree and an LL.M., a Master of Laws. “I loved law school, but I am saddled with student loans. I will probably live for the rest of my life with student loan debt,” said Maher.
“We need laws to help individuals get out of debt, to protect basic human rights and to protect our children. We have gone backwards and as your next Assemblywoman, I will fight to put this County back on track.”
My Top Priorities to protect our rights
- School Funding
- Lower Taxes
- Affordable Health Insurance and Protecting 9-11 Retirees’ Health Insurance
- End the student debt crisis
- Creating Affordable Single Family Homes and Housing For The Next Generation
- Make schools safe again by-passing common-sense gun control
- Banning AR-15 assault weapons of mass destruction
- Making sure that New York State Gun laws are upheld and working with those in Congress to pass universal background checks for all gun sales.
- Passing universal red flag laws on the State level empowering teachers, school administrators and mental health professionals that will help prevent shootings by allowing them to pursue court intervention.
- Holding gun manufacturers accountable by eliminating their immunity from liability
- Requiring safe storage of firearms
- Hold government accountable for their promise of no-cost lifetime health insurance for retired 9-11 first responders, EMT workers and teachers
- Ensuring everyone has Health Care coverage
- Work with federal legislators to Codify Roe v. Wade into law which has been eroded throughout the South. Many southern states have made outright bans on abortion and 6 week limitations on abortions, before a woman even knows that she is pregnant.
- Addressing the opioid crisis on Long Island and supporting the Support, Treatment, and Overdose Prevention of Fentanyl (STOP Fentanyl) Act of 2021 (H.R. 2366) introduced by Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH) and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), which proposes increased access to harm reduction services and substance use disorder treatment, improved data collection, and other evidence-based methods to reduce overdose, and the TEST Act, which provides funding for FRS research and offers alternative strategies to simultaneously address the opioid epidemic while preventing backsliding on criminal justice reform.
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