{"id":14119,"date":"2020-02-19T12:43:31","date_gmt":"2020-02-19T17:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=14119"},"modified":"2020-02-19T12:43:31","modified_gmt":"2020-02-19T17:43:31","slug":"nys-assemblyman-ashby-and-hawley-call-for-restoration-of-critical-veterans-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2020\/02\/19\/nys-assemblyman-ashby-and-hawley-call-for-restoration-of-critical-veterans-services\/","title":{"rendered":"NYS\/Assemblyman Ashby and Hawley call for restoration of critical veterans&#8217; services"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Press release<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Assemblymen Jake Ashby (R,C,I,Ref-Castleton) and Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia), both veterans themselves, alongside their colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference, today co-hosted a \u201cVoices for Veterans\u201d event at the American Legion Cottreall-Warner  Post 942  in Webster, NY, where\u00a0they called for the immediate restoration of Gov. Cuomo\u2019s planned $5.68 million cut to veterans\u2019 services.<br><br>Gov. Cuomo\u2019s 2020-2021 Executive Budget takes aim at initiatives that range from helping soldiers manage PTSD and mental health challenges, to enabling veterans to find job-training and successful careers, to improving access to VA services and quality  healthcare.<br><br>\u201cOur veterans and their families have sacrificed so much to serve and protect our great nation. They have more than earned our support \u2013 this is why I am fighting to restore $6 million in funding for veterans programs,\u201d said Ashby, the ranking Republican  member on the Assembly Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs. \u201cEvery year the governor tries to chip away at funding for veterans \u2013 funding that provides mental health services and critical help with the transition to civilian life. We won\u2019t let him get away with  it. New York must restore its support and commitment to veterans now.\u201d<br><br>The largest cut proposed is to the wildly successful, popular Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran Peer-to-Peer Program. The governor\u2019s budget eliminates more than $4 million from the counseling program that allows veterans to connect with other men and women who have  served in the Armed Forces and are facing challenges similar to their own.<br><br> \u201cThese programs are the life blood of our veterans\u2019 support network. Gutting funding for them is a slap in the face to the men and women who have risked their lives to protect ours,\u201d said Hawley. \u201cThis isn\u2019t a game. I am calling on Andrew Cuomo to restore  his proposed funding cuts and stop playing politics with the well-being of our veterans.\u201d<br><br>Among some of the other veteran-related programs facing funding cuts are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Helmets-to-Hardhats: <\/strong>$200,000\u2014Assists post-9\/11 veterans\u2019 transition into careers in the building trades.<\/li><li><strong>Clear Path for Veterans:<\/strong> $200,000\u2014Serves as a key source for veterans in upstate New York to access resources and programs including professional skills and training development, peer and wingman services and\n K-9 therapy programs.<\/li><li><strong>NYS Defenders Association Veterans Defense Program:<\/strong> $500,000\u2014Provides training, legal assistance and support to provide representation of veterans and service members involved in the criminal or family court systems.<\/li><li><strong>SAGE Veterans Project:<\/strong> $100,000\u2014SAGE advocates and offers services that help lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older adults who are veterans of military service improve their access to the VA and other veteran\n services, as well as support their overall health and wellness.<\/li><li><strong>Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Veterans and Military Families Advocacy Project:<\/strong> $200,000\u2014Provide assistance with applying for veterans benefits and representation before the Board of Veterans Appeals and\n in federal court, at no cost to veterans, when benefits are denied.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe governor\u2019s budget includes $178 billion in spending. In recent years, he\u2019s fought to use your tax dollars to give illegal immigrants free healthcare, free college tuition and driver\u2019s licenses. He wants taxpayer-funded  political campaigns. He continually finds public contracts for his biggest political donors. At the same time, his budget would cut funding for veterans\u2019 services by millions and millions of dollars,\u201d said Assemblyman Brian M. Kolb (R,C-Canandaigua). \u201cIt\u2019s  unconscionable, and he should be ashamed. I\u2019m proud to join my colleagues in fighting to restore this funding. Our veterans represent the very best of us, and the very best is exactly what they deserve from their government when they come home.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<br><br>\u201cVeterans have sacrificed everything \u2013 their lives, time with their families and friends, their personal and professional goals \u2013 in order to protect our freedoms. It is vital that we do everything we can to show our appreciation, and ensuring the future  of programs like the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Counseling Program is a great place to start. This program works. It is a proven life saver and its funding must be restored in this year\u2019s budget,\u201d said Assemblyman Mark Johns (R,C,I,Ref-Webster).<br><br> \u201cWhy does the Governor always have to mess with the funding that our veterans hold dear?\u201d said Assemblyman Peter Lawrence (R,C,I-Greece). \u201cEvery year he finds it necessary to play political ping-pong with funding that is crucial to our veteran\u2019s services.  Services like the Dwyer Program should never be in jeopardy of being cut from the budget, and it seems like year in and year out the governor uses this funding as a political pawn during budget negotiations. I remain adamant about seeing it restored, and believe  with continued pressure it will be included in the final budget.\u201d<br><br>\u201cUnfortunately, Gov. Cuomo\u2019s planned cut to veterans\u2019 services is not the first of its kind,\u201d said Marjorie Byrnes (R,C-Caledonia). \u201cFor the past four years, the Dwyer Program, a peer-to-peer counseling service, has been nixed from his Executive Budget.  The very people who fight for our freedom should never have to worry about losing services dear to them. As budget negotiations continue in the coming months, know that I will fight to see this funding restored and available for all counties.\u201d<br><br> \u201cIt is an absolute travesty that the governor has, yet again, for the fourth year in a row, proposed a cut to funding for programs relating to veterans\u2019 mental health,\u201d said Assemblyman Brian Manktelow (R,C,I,Ref-Lyons). \u201cI applaud Assemblyman Jake Ashby  and Assemblyman Steve Hawley for taking charge with the &#8216;Voices for Veterans&#8217;\u00a0events to call for Gov. Cuomo to restore services immediately. I fully support this motion and hope to see the governor not only restore this back to the budget immediately but to  increase the funding as well so all of our veterans are well taken care of.\u201d<br><br>The Conference is also pushing to codify the expansion of the MERIT scholarship program for Gold Star Families by enacting it into law. After public outrage about the scholarship being threatened last year, the program was temporarily saved due to an executive  order. Members of the Assembly Minority Conference are pushing for the scholarship to be properly passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor.<br><br>Assemblyman Ashby will co-host events in regions across New York State with Assembly Minority members. The next \u201cVoices for Veterans\u201d event will be held in Watertown at American Legion Post 61, located at 138 Sterling St. at 3 p.m. today, February 19,  2020<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Press release Assemblymen Jake Ashby (R,C,I,Ref-Castleton) and Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia), both veterans themselves, alongside their colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference, today co-hosted a \u201cVoices for Veterans\u201d event at the American Legion Cottreall-Warner Post 942 in Webster, NY, where\u00a0they called for the immediate restoration of Gov. Cuomo\u2019s planned $5.68 million \u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"continue-reading-button\"> <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2020\/02\/19\/nys-assemblyman-ashby-and-hawley-call-for-restoration-of-critical-veterans-services\/\">Continue reading<i class=\"crycon-right-dir\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[716],"tags":[1155],"class_list":["post-14119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nys","tag-steve-hawley"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eTP4-3FJ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14100,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2020\/02\/18\/wny-hawley-to-join-assemblyman-ashby-in-calling-for-restoration-of-veterans-program-cuts\/","url_meta":{"origin":14119,"position":0},"title":"WNY\/Hawley to join Assemblyman Ashby in calling for restoration of veterans program cuts","author":"aka","date":"February 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Press release Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) announced today that he will join Assemblyman Jake Ashby (R,C,I,Ref-Castleton), local veterans and members of the Assembly Minority Conference tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. at the American Legion Cottreall-Warner Post 942, 818 Ridge Rd., in Webster, NY, for the first of several\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;WNY&quot;","block_context":{"text":"WNY","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/wny\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":77765,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/07\/28\/wny-hawley-calls-for-improvements-to-veterans-housing-program-following-state-audit\/","url_meta":{"origin":14119,"position":1},"title":"WNY\/Hawley calls for improvements to Veterans Housing Program following state audit","author":"aka","date":"July 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Press release Longtime Veterans' Affairs Committee member says New York must do better for disabled veterans Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia), a veteran and one of the longest-serving members of the Assembly Veterans' Affairs Committee, is calling for improvements to New York's access to Home for Heroes and other veterans programs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;WNY&quot;","block_context":{"text":"WNY","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/wny\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/VNS.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":72398,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/02\/14\/genesee-county-assemblyman-hawley-spreads-valentines-cheer-to-veterans\/","url_meta":{"origin":14119,"position":2},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Assemblyman Hawley spreads Valentine&#8217;s cheer to veterans","author":"aka","date":"February 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Video from Mrs. Mattice's Kindergarten class and interview with Assemblyman Hawley Press release Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) continued his annual Valentines for Veterans initiative, bringing together local students and veteran residents at the New York State Veterans Home at Batavia.\u00a0 Handmade cards created by students at Jackson Primary School were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;City of Batavia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"City of Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/city-of-batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/snapshot_004-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/snapshot_004-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/snapshot_004-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/snapshot_004-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/snapshot_004-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5965,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2018\/09\/20\/hawley-local-veterans-embark-on-11th-annual-patriot-trip\/","url_meta":{"origin":14119,"position":3},"title":"HAWLEY, LOCAL VETERANS EMBARK ON 11th ANNUAL PATRIOT TRIP","author":"aka","date":"September 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"(Submitted photo) Press release Today, Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) celebrated the start of his 11th annual Patriot Trip, joining over 100 local veterans and family members as they departed for a four-day trip to Washington D.C. Hawley, who has served on the Assembly Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee since 2006, established this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Genesee County&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Genesee County","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/genesee-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Hawley-Patriot-Trip-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Hawley-Patriot-Trip-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Hawley-Patriot-Trip-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Hawley-Patriot-Trip-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Hawley-Patriot-Trip-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17825,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2020\/06\/23\/wny-hawley-announces-delay-of-13th-annul-patriot-trip-to-washington-d-c\/","url_meta":{"origin":14119,"position":4},"title":"WNY\/Hawley announces delay of 13th Annul Patriot Trip to Washington, D.C.","author":"aka","date":"June 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Submitted file photo Press release Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) announced today that his annual Patriot Trip to Washington D.C. will unfortunately be postponed this year in the wake of the COVID-19 virus\u2019 presence in America. The intent behind this postponement is to protect our veterans who were interested in traveling\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;WNY&quot;","block_context":{"text":"WNY","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/wny\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Hawley-Patriot-Trip-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Hawley-Patriot-Trip-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Hawley-Patriot-Trip-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Hawley-Patriot-Trip-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Hawley-Patriot-Trip-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50486,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/02\/08\/batavia-city-schools-make-valentines-for-vets-with-assemblyman-steve-hawley\/","url_meta":{"origin":14119,"position":5},"title":"BATAVIA\/City schools make Valentines for Vets with Assemblyman Steve Hawley","author":"aka","date":"February 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/J7A7UGvhU9s Video at Jackson Primary School on February 8, 2024, in Miss Wahr's First Grade classroom Assemblyman Steve Hawley hosted his annual Valentines for Veterans Program Thursday morning at Jackson Primary School. Valentines created by students at Jackson and Robert Morris schools were collected and deliver to veterans living at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Batavia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/gennesse-county\/batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/snapshot000.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/snapshot000.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/snapshot000.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/snapshot000.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/snapshot000.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14119"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14122,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14119\/revisions\/14122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}