Buffalo Ledger

During the week of March 17, 2025, several bills were passed in the New York State Senate, with Senator Gallivan casting votes on each.

Senator Gallivan supported S814, which directs the NYS Department of Health commissioner to enable electronic health records at hospitals to allow patients to register for organ donations without cost. He also voted in favor of S1468, which mandates healthcare providers to release patient health records to designated providers.

Gallivan opposed S3406 due to its "onerous penalty structure" for building code violations and S4434 because it "lacks requirements" for fair representation in school board election wards. Additionally, he voted against S2541, citing concerns over making electronic ballot images public.

The senator approved S3100, allowing parents to participate in asthma self-management training through Medicaid, and supported S4925's requirement for workplace bullying prevention training. He also favored S4805's provision for state-handled income verification for senior tax exemptions.

Gallivan opposed S1574 due to concerns from commercial landscapers about additional costs associated with electric landscaping equipment rebates. He backed measures like S1188 granting a grace period for veterans' organizations and supported reducing lead level thresholds in blood as per S1816.

Other bills receiving his approval included coverage expansion for lung cancer screenings (S2000), digital delivery of insurance notices (S3352), and annual reports from the workers' compensation board (S4832). He co-sponsored bills such as S3236 on pharmacy technician practices and S1287A establishing a rare disease advisory council.

Gallivan expressed reservations about certain proposals: he opposed portable polling locations (S568) due to security issues and student poll workers (S1809) not being community residents. He was against restricting industrial development agency support unless projects have significant economic impact (S4980).

He supported updating state fire codes within 18 months of national revisions (S4852) and enabling foreign non-profits in conservation engineering efforts (S5392). Exemptions from food processing licenses for maple syrup processors were endorsed through his vote on S4911.

Further approvals included studies on utility disclosures affecting credit reporting (S2011), commemorating Fred Korematsu Day (S2587), addiction services regulations considering rural challenges (S5105), and stormwater expenditure reports by environmental agencies (S1609).

Gallivan did not support requiring employers to provide student loan repayment information due to added business costs (S1673) or mandating notarial record-keeping with associated penalties under certain conditions (S5177). He opposed restrictions on ATV sales in New York City based on free market principles (S2436).

In summary, Senator Gallivan's voting record reflects a balance between supporting health-related initiatives and opposing measures perceived as burdensome or restrictive. His decisions indicate a focus on practical implications and potential impacts on constituents and businesses.