January 26 Leg Act News

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Leg Act News Highlights

Tioga County Legislative Insights from Jo Ellen Rose

At the January meeting, Jo Ellen Rose noted her efforts to review what a democratic minority legislator's role could be in this county. She is hoping to find an increasing role for Democrats. In addition, she made a plea for finding someone who could run for County legislator District 3, which is Apalachin. Petitioning to get a candidate on the ballot will start at the end of February. Any person interested in running for the Tioga County Legislature should advise Joan Davis (jdavis719@live.com) as soon as possible.

New York State Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act

Passed by the New York State (NYS) Senate in May 2025, the New York State Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act shifts the burden of packaging and recycling from taxpayers to companies. Proponents of this bill note it will significantly reduce waste, prohibit toxic chemicals and materials used in packaging, and reduce the use of plastic by 30% over 12 years.

Small businesses have raised concerns. Passing this bill could impose financial burdens, potentially raising costs to families by $600 per year. However, environmental advocates note that NYS has increasing problems with plastic leaching into the environment, harming wildlife, and, once broken down, finding its way into the human body. Incinerating plastic waste accounts for 12 % of NYS’s overall greenhouse gas emissions (The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act - Environmental Advocates NY).

This bill will now head to the Assembly.

Langworthy and Farm Bills

A January 19, 2026, article in USA Today: THE CONVERSATION describes a major concern with the farm bills that address multiple topics, including agricultural commodities, conservation, trade, nutrition, rural development, energy, forestry, and more. The budget bill doubled support for the largest farm subsidy programs that help farmers through financial assistance. In the past, farmers seeking subsidies and anti-hunger advocates worked together, and thus the Senate had a strong bipartisan consensus to pass such farm bills. The budget bill effectively eliminated this compromise.

Anti-hunger programs allege that funds cut from them are paying subsidies to farmers who are not required to grow the specific crops meant to support food insecurity. In addition, a third of SNAP cuts shifted the program’s cost to state budgets, which likely cannot assume this cost. The bottom line is that a relationship between farmers and anti-hunger programs has been severed, leaving programs like SNAP to fend for themselves.

In December 2025, the Department of Agriculture released $12 billion to help farmers reeling from reduced agricultural exports due to Trump tariffs. U.S. farmers felt it still wouldn’t cover their losses (Reuters, Dec 10, 2025).

Congressman Nicholas Langworthy’s Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development Act has not progressed out of the House committee. Indeed, major farm bills are unlikely to pass in 2026, largely due to the budget bill’s interference in what was an established bipartisan compromise and to the fact that there are midterm elections this year.

NOTABLES: The Tioga County Democratic Committee Executive Committee

The purpose of the TCDC Executive Committee shall be to provide coordination and leadership to the work of the TCDC. This committee consists of the County Chair, the Democratic Election Commissioner, all elected officers of TCDC, the town chairs from each of the nine towns of Tioga County, 2 appointed members at large.

The Executive Committee may be called into session by the Chair or at the request of five voting members of the committee with five days’ notice. If there is no quorum at a TCDC general meeting, an executive committee meeting may be called if there are 5 Executive Committee members present.

All appointments, such as for members, may be approved by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may approve expenditures of funds without the approval of the TCDC membership.

Voter Registration

February 14, 2026, is the deadline to change political affiliation on voter registration. Call your friends and family and urge them to make sure they are registered correctly. Remind them if they want to vote in a primary, to register with a party, preferably Democratic.

If necessary, explain that registering as a Republican just to choose a Republican in the primary will NOT help us to defeat Langworthy or, more importantly, protect our Democracy. Any Republican elected is likely to be overpowered if they do not adhere to the Trump/MAGA philosophy. Therefore, electing the preferred Democrat in the primary and then in the Congressional election is the best approach.

Democrats registering as Republicans actually weaken the party’s legitimacy and strength as it skews numbers. It raises Republican numbers, causing Republican legislators to claim they are representing a Republican majority.

We must stand up to protect our democracy and values. We need your input going forward to create the country we want to see. Democrats put people first; the Republican philosophy of late is to create trillionaires and push lies and authoritarian ideas. A moderate Republican is unlikely to survive in such a climate. Stand up and be counted as a Democrat.

Action Alerts/Events

From 5calls.org

5calls.org is an app you can download on your smartphone or access via their website. Each day, they provide a summary of major concerns that encourage people to voice their opinion, opposition, or support.

Harness people power and use 5calls to guide you through updates and their scripts about pertinent issues when you call your Congressional representative and Senators.

Your House Representative is Congressman Nicholas Langworthy, 202-225-3161; Your Senators are Schumer, 202-224-6542, and Gillibrand, 202-224-4451.

• Defund ICE - Do not stop calling the legislators and expressing disgust at the actions of ICE in Minnesota, including the inhumane action of using a 5-year-old child taken out of school and used as bait to draw relatives out from their home, and then deporting the child and their relatives. There are also targeted assaults on people with brown skin, including local police officers. In addition, denouncing the six deaths of detainees, one was ruled a homicide in January 2026.

• The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is in danger of being turned over to copper mining. Call Senators! For more information, see Save the Boundary Waters.

• Support Gaza. There are significant violations of the truce that continues to erase Palestinians from Gaza, with allegations of the Israeli government committing genocide. Call House Reps and Senators.

• Demand the release of the full Epstein files. Any redactions need to be explained. The Federal Government is breaking two rulings: one to release the full files and the second to explain any redactions. WE SUPPORT THE FULL RELEASE OF THE FILES REGARDLESS OF WHO IT IMPLICATES. Call House Reps and Senators.

Run for Something!

Do you want to run for office? The deadline to declare a candidacy is approaching.

• CALLING ALL TIOGA County DISTRICT 3 ( APALACHIN) DEMOCRATS. WE NEED YOU TO RUN FOR DISTRICT 3 County LEGISLATOR.

• Jo Ellen Rose is the only Democrat on the Tioga County Legislature and could use your help. Interested? Contact Joan Davis Jdavis719@live.com.

If you are interested in joining the Leg Act Committee or want to submit something to our newsletter, send an email to TCDC at TIOGANYDEMS@GMAIL.COM or MARITA FLORINI at FNPMAF1@GMAIL.COM.