August 4th, 2025
I’m back in Albany for the start of the 2025 legislative session. The Long Island delegation is optimistic that we can strengthen our economic outlook and make our state more affordable, but we must also consider the substantial challenges standing in our way. Inflation, an oppressive tax climate, and myriad public safety concerns linger, and if we are to truly turn a corner in 2025, we are going to need to make some wholesale changes to the way we conduct business here in New York.
With every year that passes, New Yorkers feel less safe. Those of us in the Republican Conference will work diligently to restore law and order. Providing judges the latitude to hold dangerous criminals without bail remains a top priority, along with reforming our broken parole system and ensuring 16- and 17-year-old serious offenders are held accountable for their actions in the appropriate court. Too often, violent offenders escape responsibility by having their cases transferred out of Criminal Court.
In addition to making New York safer, we must also make it more affordable. It’s no secret that families and small business owners are prohibitively overtaxed—one of the leading causes of New York’s record outmigration numbers. For these reasons, we developed the Inflation Relief & Consumer Assistance Plan, which eliminates state sales tax on many everyday items such as gasoline and housekeeping supplies. We’ve also proposed the Division of Regulatory Review & Economic Growth, which would remove needless regulations inhibiting job growth.
To further help families manage cost-of-living concerns, we are committed to making child care more affordable through tax incentives for families and providers. Childcare costs are often one of the largest expenses in household budgets. Developing alternative childcare options and removing rules and regulations that drive up costs and obstruct access to care are essential to alleviating these financial pressures. To that end, our Conference developed the “A Blueprint for Childcare (ABC) Plan,” which, if implemented, would save families an average of approximately $2,300 a year.
Our Conference also wants to ensure New Yorkers are free from costly, misdirected energy policies that limit consumer choice and drive up prices. The goals of the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act are unachievable. The potential costs associated with the near-total electrification of our energy grid are staggering, and it is extremely irresponsible the law passed without a complete financial analysis. We cannot afford to cut out traditional energy sources, and our school districts most certainly cannot afford to replace their entire bus fleets with new electric models as the legislation demands.
There is no shortage of important issues to tackle in 2025. With a steadfast commitment to protecting law-abiding New Yorkers and reducing costs across the board, the members of the Assembly Republican Conference are ready to work, and I look forward to the upcoming legislative session and the opportunities to move New York in the right direction.
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A LIFETIME OF COMMUNITY SERVICE
Dedicated to making his community a better, safer, and more affordable place, Assemblyman Joe DeStefano has devoted his life to serving his neighbors.
His public service career started in 1980 when he volunteered with the Medford Fire Department and he has been answering calls ever since. For the past 27 years, he's served as a fire district Commissioner having also held the positions of Fire Police Lieutenant, 2nd Lieutenant, Department Recording Secretary, Department Vice President, and Department President. He's also served with the Medford Volunteer Ambulance for last 38 years.
Joe was a Public Safety Communication Supervisor in the Suffolk Sheriff's office where he managed the day-to-day operations of the dispatchers as well as supervised radio communications and other vital functions for 27 years. Enjoying widespread support from the working men and women of his district, he was the Unit President of the Sheriffs/Probation Civilian Unit, representing more than 200 Suffolk County Association of Municipal Employees members.
The Suffolk County Fire District Officers' Association named Joe "Commissioner of the Year" in 2017 and over the years, he's held numerous other roles including Suffolk County Fire District Officers' Association Secretary and Treasurer, Brookhaven Town Fire Districts President, and Regional Director, Secretary and Treasurer of the New York State Association of Fire Districts.
Joe is a 1978 graduate of Patchogue/Medford High School and earned an Associate Degree in Business Management from Suffolk Community College. He is a long-time member of the Medford Civic Association and the Medford Chamber of Commerce. He was the district manager of the Riverhead Fire District and is a life member of both the Medford Fire Department and Ambulance company.
Now representing the people of central Brookhaven Township, Joe fights for safer neighborhoods, stronger communities, and preserving the property tax cap while pushing Albany to curb spending. He is a proud supporter of the fire services, law enforcement and our military and stands squarely against Defund the Police; he has been at the forefront of the battle to repeal the state's dangerous bail laws, cut the state's gas tax, and fight inflation. He is a steady voice against the policies of the tax-and-spend Progressive Democrats. Taxpayers across his district count him as an ally and know they can turn to him for assistance on governmental and community issues.
He is the ranking member of the Assembly Committee on Governmental Employees and a member of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Aging, Labor and Transportation Committees.
Joe was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 2018 and will ask the voters to reelect him for a third term based on his strong constituent service, community leadership, and unwavering support for all the residents, organizations and businesses in his district.
A resident of the 3rd Assembly District for 50 years, Joe and his wife, Linda, have two children and two grandchildren. His district includes all or parts of the communities of Bellport, Brookhaven, North Patchogue, Mastic, Mastic Beach, Medford, Middle Island, Ridge, Shirley, and Yaphank.
There is no upcoming event at this time.
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