Senator Kemp Hannon (R, C, I - Nassau) who represents the 6th Senate District is seeking reelection this November. He serves as the Chair of the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Health and is the Assistant Majority Whip, a leadership post in the Senate Conference. He is also the Chair of the Health Budget Subcommittee.
Senator Hannon is well respected and highly regarded nationally as an expert in the health care industry. He serves in many capacities with the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL). Included here are the Task Force on Streamlining and Simplifying Insurance Regulation, former Chair of the Health Committee, as member of the Health Forum where he represents New York in the national debate on health care and health care finance in addition to working with legislative representatives from each state working toward cohesive state and federal health policy.
Active on many fronts within the State, Senator Hannon is recognized as the principal architect of the New York State Health Care Reform Act (HCRA), legislation which vastly improves all aspects of health care delivery and financing for all New Yorkers. The Senator created landmark legislation with the Patient Health Information and Quality Improvement Act, which extends patients access to information about healthcare providers, such as physicians and hospitals, ultimately improving patient care. A leader in health care legislation and a champion of reform, Senator Hannon is responsible for numerous laws recognizing the importance of preventative medicine, medical research and treatment of disease. He continues to be committed to supporting significant legislation in the areas of long term care, health insurance, women’s health issues, and organ donation.
Senator Hannon works tirelessly to promote and protect the public health of all New Yorkers. He continually supports legislation to ensure New York State is a healthier safer place for families to live with programs such as Child Health Plus (CHP), and Family Health Plus (FHP), and for seniors, the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) program. These nationally recognized programs provide coverage and support for many people otherwise unable to afford medical care and prescription drugs, and all were developed, in part, under his leadership.
Through his leadership of the Health Committee, Senator Hannon focuses on the importance of women’s health issues. He co-sponsored the Women’s Health Care and Prevention Care bill, providing women with direct access to OB/GYN and improved screening practices for cancer and osteoporosis. A champion of preventative screening, he also sponsored legislation requiring insurance companies to cover mammograms for women at high risk, and to cover reconstructive surgery following mastectomies. He supported the bill creating a law establishing requirements for maternity care and hospital stays after giving birth.
Recognizing the critical need for accountability through government, Senator Hannon helped to establish the Senate Medicaid Fraud Task Force. Serving since its inception, the Senator introduced and passed legislation to establish an independent office of Medicaid Inspector General to integrate, consolidate, and coordinate further investigation into Medicaid fraud and determine how the system can be improved. As co-chair of the Senate Medicaid Reform Task Force, he proposed the first comprehensive review of Medicaid and a substantial number of reform recommendations have been proposed and implemented as a result of this work. Today, the Task Force continues to examine, current State and Federal laws, and regulations relating to New York State’s Medicaid fraud detection process by convening public hearings across the State.
In addition to his accomplishments in health care, Senator Hannon has established key laws in the areas of technology, finance and tax reform.
As a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Task Force on Government Reform, the Senator is charged with reviewing all aspects of Senate rules and the legislative process. He continues to propose and implement reforms designed to strengthen the work of the Legislature.
In his capacity as chair of the Council for State Government standing committee on Suggested State Legislation, Senator Hannon works to identify, research and select exemplary state legislation on topics of major interest to states for use as model legislation.
Committed to improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers, Senator Hannon continues to fight for tax relief on many levels. His successful tax relief programs include a new child tax credit for parents of school-age children, the elimination of New York State’s marriage penalty tax, and the State tax on clothing and shoes under $110. In 2006 alone, he sponsored a cap on the New York State Gas Tax, ensured the college tuition tax deduction was available to everyone regardless of income, and used budget surplus to provide tax rebate checks directly to homeowners. Senator Hannon fought to keep the Enhanced STAR cost-of-living adjustments in place. This year’s COLA increase is 13.6 %. In addition, he established the first Empire Zone in Nassau County, providing tax breaks to businesses in the area and helping bolster the local economy. He constantly reviews tax laws to see where changes benefiting the taxpayer can be made.
The Senator first served as Chairman of the Committee for Housing and Community Development. Senator Hannon also served as an Assemblyman of the 17th District prior to his election to the New York State Senate. While in the Assembly, he was the Republican floor leader in the Assembly, serving as the Minority Leader Pro Tempore.
An alumnus of Chaminade High School, Boston College and Fordham Law School, Senator Hannon is Special Counsel to the law firm Farrell Fritz P.C. in Nassau County and is active in community and civic affairs. He resides in Garden City with his wife, Bronwyn, and their twin daughters, Alex and Maddie.
The Senator’s district encompasses the communities of Franklin Square, West Hempstead, Lakeview, Garden City South, Garden City, Hempstead, Uniondale, East Meadow, Salisbury, North Bellmore, Levittown, Island Trees, Bethpage, Old Bethpage, Plainview, Plainedge, Farmingdale, Seaford, North Massapequa and Massapequa Park.
Standing Committee Assignments 2006: Health (Chair); Codes, Corporations, Authorities and Commissions; Elections; Finance; Judiciary; Rules.
