Sen. Chris Ryan (D-50th district) said his first six months in Albany have been a learning experience.
Ryan has served 20 years in local government, including the Onondaga County legislature, but he said a legislator’s life in Albany is a little different.
"The pace in which we move in the amount of legislation and the policy behind it is not anything that anybody can prepare you for," he said.
Still, Ryan said he’s proud of the fact that he was able to pass 31 of the 67 bills he sponsored.
He said the most important included $450 million for a new emergency department at Upstate University Hospital and $160 million in water infrastructure upgrades to help Onondaga County prepare for Micron’s needs.
One piece of proposed legislation he said he’ll continue to work on is a new bottle bill, something that never seems to make it through Albany. His proposal would streamline the redemption process and expand the items that can be returned for a deposit, without increasing that deposit.
"Certainly, as a jumping off point, we've talked about that. There's a lot more that we can do, where we can make some incremental steps."
Ryan also says his office will look into potential changes in the state’s sex offender registry program, especially the public notification process.
