Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia/Kenneth C. Zirkel
Addabbo has represented the 15th District in the State Senate since 2009.
By Forum Staff
State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) has been reappointed to serve as Majority Deputy Whip for the Democratic Conference, he announced Tuesday.
The senator will also continue his service as chairman of the Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee, in addition to serving on the Budget & Revenue, Civil Service & Pensions, Education, Insurance, Veterans Homeland Security & Military Affairs, and Rules committees. It will be the first session for Addabbo to be on the Budget and Insurance committees, he noted.
Photo Courtesy of Sen. Addabbo
Senator Addabbo said that he intends to make public safety one of the highest priority issues during budget negotiations and the legislative session.
As chairman of the Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee, Addabbo said, “I’m thrilled to report that New York mobile sports betting ended its first year of legal action with $16.2 billion in handle, the biggest single-year total in the country, since the US Supreme Court authorized state-regulated sports betting in 2018. Sportsbooks generated $1.4 billion in gross gaming NY sports betting revenue, bringing in a record of over $693 million in state tax revenue to go toward public education, youth sports, and gambling addiction programs. In 2023, New York will look to become the fifth state in the country to allow for regulated online gambling. At a time when revenue is most critical to our state, I am eager to deliver another outstanding and popular source of revenue and greater protections against problem gambling.”
Addabbo said that due to feedback from his constituents, he intends to make public safety one of the highest priority issues during budget negotiations and the legislative session. Health care, education, veterans programs, the environment, jobs, transportation, and addressing the high cost of living in the state are also top priorities for the senator. Addabbo encouraged his constituents to contact his new Woodhaven or Middle Village offices to give input on these or any other issue.
