Legislative News and Notes - February 2021

The Orange County Legislature met for the February monthly session Thursday, with an full agenda on a variety of issues.

The Legislature voted 21-0 to confirm Chairman Steve Brescia’s nomination of Betsy Abraham as Legislative Counsel. The Legislative Counsel is responsible for providing legal advice and assistance to the County Legislature and its committees in the research, drafting and analysis of proposed legislation.

Regarding COVID-19, the Legislature passed a resolution calling upon the State to immediately and publicly produce a timely report on the amount of vaccine made available, the number of patients vaccinated across the State of New York, especially Orange County, to better enable the public to gain access to the vaccine, and create confidence in the transparency of the process.

The Legislature unanimously sponsored a resolution celebrating Black History Month. The theme of the 2021 National Black History Month is “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity”. The Legislature encourages all residents to reflect upon the contributions people of African descent have made in our country.

The Legislature passed a resolution condemning the violent actions in our nation’s capitol on January 6th, calling for peace, unity, and ending divisive rhetoric. The Legislature will lead by example to end divisive rhetoric, promote respect for the law, and work together with local, state and federal elected officials to unify our great democracy..

The Legislature passed a resolution supporting local community efforts to end social injustices and to bring equality to all of Orange County. In passing this resolution, the Legislature embraces the importance of free speech and peaceful demonstration as essential to our nation's identity. This Legislature gives unwavering support to the fight against racism, antisemitism, and all forms of hatred. As Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Complete agenda and details on each resolution, visit the Orange County Legislature’s webpage at: https://www.orangecountygov.com/903/Legislature