Dec. 21—Home from deployment, Walczyk talks plans for ’25
Sen. Mark C. Walczyk is getting back into the swing of things stateside, after spending the bulk of this year deployed to Kuwait and the Middle East with the U.S. Army Reserve.
In an interview Thursday, the senator said he is spending time with his young family ahead of the holidays and the start of another legislative term in Albany.
“My 1-year-old was like four months old when I left, so I’m really getting to know and love that kid,” he said. “He’s a lot of fun, and my 3-year-old is just pumped, we’ve been spending a lot of time together.”
Walczyk, R-Watertown, said the time he spent abroad has helped give him a new perspective on the work that the armed forces do internationally, and given him a closer relationship to the 10th Mountain Division. While deployed, he worked alongside a 10th Mountain combat brigade and an aviation brigade.
“They always say the sun never sets on the 10th Mountain Division patch, and I can personally attest to that,” he said.
Walczyk is spending half days working with his staff, catching up on the happenings in the state legislature over the last year and working on his policy platform for the upcoming session.
He has some early ideas — including pausing the state’s climate law compliance timeline set by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019. Many independent audits have shown the state is unlikely to achieve the goal of producing 70% of energy used in New York with renewable resources by 2030.
The governor’s office has acknowledged the state is behind on its commitments.
“We need to fully pause that,” Walczyk said. “The governor and the legislature need to think very seriously about nuclear energy, if they’re talking about electrifying the state.”
Foundation aid and how the state government funds public education was a big topic of discussion in Albany this year. Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul proposed a plan that would have led to steep cuts in state aid for about half of schools earlier this year, but that plan was rebuffed by the state legislature.
Hochul no longer appears interested in those same cuts, but Walczyk said he’ll be looking to protect rural districts and preserve fairness in the state education funding scheme.
The northern border has also been the subject of significant discussion at the state and federal levels. A record spike in illegal crossings and drug trafficking rates has led authorities to push for better security along the national boundary.
Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government announced plans to spend more than $1 billion Canadian on new border security and immigration system changes, including on programs aimed at improving coordination with U.S. agencies.
Walczyk’s New York Senate district covers a portion of that border, and he said he’s paying attention. He already co-sponsors a bill that would repeal the so-called “Green Light Law” that blocks the state Department of Motor Vehicles from collecting or distributing citizenship information to law enforcement, which he and other Republicans representing northern border areas have argued makes the region less safe.
Walczyk said he is also focused on issues like government efficiency, infrastructure and storm recovery efforts, building affordable housing, and growing technologies like artificial intelligence.
Walczyk will be sworn in for another two-year session representing parts of the north country, Central New York and the Mohawk Valley in early January. The legislative session starts on Jan. 8.