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Sep 19, 2022

Hinchey Endorsed by AFL-CIO, Labor Coalition ...

19 labor unions, including AFL-CIO, endorse Hinchey's re-election ...

Aug 15, 2022

Hinchey/Mastromonaco Fight for Abortion Access ...

Nearly $5K raised by Hinchey/Mastromonaco for abortion access ...

Aug 11, 2022

Michelle Hinchey for Re-Election ...

I was impressed by NY State Senator Michelle Hinchey ...

Aug 10, 2022

PBA of NYS Endorse Hinchey ...

Hinchey Endorsed by Law Enforcement Labor Union ...

Jul 15, 2022

Hinchey Raises Over a Quarter Million for ...

Driven by grassroots support, Michelle Hinchey received more than ...

May 22, 2022

Senator Hinchey Announces Re-Election Campaign ...

Hinchey earns endorsements from a coalition of over 40 community ...

Meet Michelle Hinchey

We’ve certainly been busy! And now that we have a newly drawn district, I’m looking forward to hitting the campaign trail and meeting new voters on both sides of the Hudson. And of course, I’ll keep checking in with current constituents to learn how I can help support all of our communities.

Just as I was inspired to run for office by my dad, Maurice Hinchey, and his work as a Congressman all those years ago, as a State Senator I’ve been inspired by all the people of Upstate New York that I’ve been lucky to meet. I’ve seen your determination during these difficult pandemic times, and I’ve witnessed the countless acts of neighborly kindness that continue to bind our communities together.

It has been an honor to be your State Senator these last two years, and in this campaign for re-election, I am re-committing to the fight for working people and finding real, common-sense solutions that improve our lives and our communities. I hope you’ll join me.

See you on the campaign trail,

Dear Neighbor,

I ran for office to be an advocate for our upstate communities, making sure our issues are reflected at the table. I am proud that over my first two years in office I have been able to deliver on that promise and am a strong voice for our upstate communities. In my first year alone, my office and I passed over 50 bills with broad bipartisan support on important issues ranging from expanding healthcare and broadband access to making agriculture a key partner in the fight against climate change. We hosted over 50 community events in every county of the district, from blood drives, veterans resource fairs, and info forums on things like Lyme Disease, to roundtables on critical issues like substance use disorder. And we helped well over one thousand constituents navigate government agencies and get the money they were owed like unemployment insurance, rental assistance and small business relief.

We’ve certainly been busy! And now that we have a newly drawn district, I’m looking forward to hitting the campaign trail and meeting new voters on both sides of the Hudson. And of course, I’ll keep checking in with current constituents to learn how I can help support all of our communities.

Just as I was inspired to run for office by my dad, Maurice Hinchey, and his work as a Congressman all those years ago, as a State Senator I’ve been inspired by all the people of Upstate New York that I’ve been lucky to meet. I’ve seen your determination during these difficult pandemic times, and I’ve witnessed the countless acts of neighborly kindness that continue to bind our communities together.

It has been an honor to be your State Senator these last two years, and in this campaign for re-election, I am re-committing to the fight for working people and finding real, common-sense solutions that improve our lives and our communities. I hope you’ll join me.

See you on the campaign trail,

Michelle's Priorities for Senate District 41

Common Sense Politics

Michelle believes that government has a responsibility to work for the people, not special interests. Since taking office, she has passed over fifty bills that brought Democrats and Republicans together to improve the quality of life for Upstate New Yorkers. She’s fighting for issues that impact our entire community, elevating challenges that have been left on the table for too long. That’s why many of her bills like those expanding broadband and better healthcare access passed unanimously last year and it’s why she’s fighting to hold utility companies accountable by making their billing practices more transparent. Michelle will always be a State Senator who puts solutions above partisan politics.

Protecting Reproductive Rights

Michelle believes that reproductive care is healthcare, and healthcare is a human right. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, our reproductive rights must be protected at all costs. That’s why she sponsored legislation that protects medical providers from adverse actions if they perform an abortion for a patient whose home state has made this vital healthcare illegal, and is proud that this bill is now signed into law. She is also leading legislation that would allow anyone seeking emergency contraception to receive it from New York pharmacists, registered nurses, and licensed midwives without having to pay more money out of pocket by taking an extra trip to the doctor’s office or time off of work. And she has also sponsored legislation that requires all hospitals to disclose what services they don’t provide based on a matter of policy, like reproductive healthcare. Michelle will always fight to ensure people can make personal decisions for themselves and their families without government interference.

Affordability

Michelle knows we need to do everything possible to make life more affordable for New Yorkers. When Central Hudson’s unfair and inaccurate billing practices caused thousands of consumers’ bills to skyrocket, Michelle took on the utility company and wrote legislation to end the predatory practice of estimated billing. She also fought for upstate universal pre-K expansion to lower childcare costs and help get parents back to work, created a tax credit for all COVID expenses incurred by small businesses so that our main streets can begin to recover, suspended the state’s gas tax to help put money back in people’s pockets and not at the gas pump, and fully funded our public schools, helping to hold the line on property taxes.

Addressing the Climate Crisis & Preserving our Environment

Our region and its natural resources are some of the most unique and beautiful in the world, and it’s why Michelle has made preserving and protecting our environment a top priority. Michelle has been a leader in the Senate, fighting for New York’s climate goals through sustainable agriculture, investing in renewable energy, protecting our drinking water and natural resources, and passing critical legislation to make New York a leader in the fight against the climate crisis. She secured first-time ever funding for the Catskills Park and gathered local leaders to successfully oppose a harmful pumped storage project that would have been catastrophic for our communities’ access to local clean drinking water sources. We have to use every tool in the toolbox to turn back the clock on the climate crisis and protect our region, state, and planet and Michelle is committed to keeping New York a leader in this fight.

Housing

Our communities across the Hudson Valley are facing a housing crisis - we do not have enough supply to meet the current demand which has driven up rent and homeownership costs across the region. With the boom of the short rental market alongside the extreme migration to upstate brought on by the pandemic, we’ve seen a huge increase in prices for homes and rental units, pushing out many residents who have lived here for generations. That’s why Michelle is proud to have created and secured the largest-ever investment in rural and upstate housing through the State Budget this year. She will continue fighting until everyone has a home they can affordably call their own by working to bring more affordable homes into our communities by expanding Accessory Dwelling Units, creating a new state-run Housing Voucher Access Program so individuals in need of housing can pay for the homes of their choosing, and helping communities get a handle on their short-term rental stock so they may regulate as they see fit while keeping these economic drivers in place for local homeowners.

Expanding Health Care

Michelle sponsored several laws that make access to healthcare more equitable for upstate New Yorkers. From empowering ambulances so that they have the tools and resources they need so that they can protect our communities and save lives, to expanding access to hospice care to provide increased medical services, and to requiring homeless shelters to provide sanitary menstrual products at no-charge, Michelle has been fighting to ensure all New Yorkers have access to affordable, quality care and the ability to age with dignity and respect. If re-elected, Michelle will continue to fight to improve equal access to vital healthcare services like fair pay for homecare workers, substance use disorder treatment, and making prescription medications more affordable.

Bolstering Infrastructure & Broadband

Michelle knows that, across our region, bridges are crumbling and roads are riddled with potholes.That’s why she fought for and secured the largest state investment to upgrade our aging infrastructure, expand roadway improvement projects, and repair the damage from extreme weather events. Michelle also authored legislation to make broadband build out more affordable in our rural communities and fought for the first-ever household mapping study to actually identify coverage and service gaps across the state. Michelle knows that improving infrastructure to meet our current and future needs must be a top priority and that’s why she will continue to elevate these issues until our infrastructure is safe and reliable.

Funding Education

In her first term, Michelle fought to fully fund Foundation Aid, delivering on a 30-year promise to fully fund our schools and ensure that all children have access to a good quality education. Michelle also secured funding to create hundreds of new Pre-K slots, because she knows early educational support can be key to success later in life as well as needed childcare for parents. Michelle will continue to fight for high-quality, affordable education for every student from all walks of life across our district.

Public Safety

Michelle has been a champion in the Senate for community-led initiatives that keep people safe. This year, she secured over $5 million to support our local police departments and first responders and expand gun violence prevention programming that will make our communities safer and more supportive for our kids. A leader in combating the opioid crisis, Michelle has worked side by side with our local police and service organizations to train community members on how to spot an overdose and save a life with Narcan. She has brought that advocacy to Albany, sponsoring several pieces of legislation to address substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery, including a bill that requires SUNY & CUNY Schools to train RAs on how to administer Narcan and keep an on-site supply in all student housing.

Strengthening our Farms & Food Supply

Michelle knows that agriculture is a key part of our upstate economies, which it’s why she’s committed to protecting our family farmers. As Chair of the Senate’s Agriculture Committee, Michelle secured the best budget for agriculture in our state’s history, two years in a row. In her first year, she wrote legislation to make New York’s farm to food bank program permanent, creating a new market for our farmers while also getting healthier food to the people who need it most. And earlier this year, Michelle drafted legislation to require government agencies that purchase food to spend more of their budgets with local NY farms, making sure our tax dollars stay local and that everyone using an agency’s services eats locally sourced, healthy food.