Since first taking her seat in the State Assembly in 2020, Anna has had bills passed and signed by the Governor dealing with issues ranging from the environment and energy, health, mental health and addiction services, support for LGBTQ+ populations, telecommunications, and financial transparency in government.

Environment & Energy

(A4911, Kelles) PASSED!

This legislation sets up funding for research into agrivoltaics: a program that could help incentivize solar energy production.  Some of the best land in the state for solar energy generation also happens to be the best land for agricultural production.  In an effort to preserve our critical farmlands while steering the state toward renewable energy, this bill provides Cornell University with the resources to develop strategies and plans to prevent land use conflicts and damage to our state’s vast and important agricultural resources.

For more information about Cornell’s agrivoltaics research, visit their website here.

(A7389, Kelles) PASSED!

Proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining utilizes an extremely large amount of energy to earn digital currency.  The passage of this bill put into effect a moratorium on permit renewals for proof-of-work mining operations in electric generating facilities that use carbon-based fuels.

To learn more about the impact of proof-of-work mining on the environment, click here.

(A8275, Kelles) PASSED!

Plentiful and diverse areas of native flowering plants are necessary to support our state’s critically important pollinator species population. A large percentage of our state’s highway systems contain medians. The passage of this bill enacted policies and procedures encouraging the use of these medians as wild areas to support natural habitats and beauty in New York.

(A8866, Kelles) PASSED!

This legislation prohibits well permits from being issued for fracking in New York by use of carbon dioxide injection. This method of fracking carries all of the same risks as water-based fracking as well as new ones, including the release of asphyxiating gasses, leakage that can result in acidic compounds, and leaching of heavy metals into underground aquifers.

(A9043, Kelles) PASSED!

Native plants are a critical resource in maintaining biodiversity in our state.  This bill makes native seeds available more widely in New York, and incentivizes their use in landscaping, land management, and by our Department of Agriculture and Markets.

(A4871, Kelles) PASSED!

With the growth of the electrical vehicle market and a rising number of electric vehicles on the road, more charging stations are needed to promote the use of alternative fuel vehicles.  This legislation will put charging stations in state-owned parking facilities across New York.

Health, Mental Health & Addiction Services

(A4903, Kelles) PASSED!

Elevated levels of substance use disorder in the LGBTQ+ community makes effective treatment even more important for this group. Finding access to treatment that aligns with and affirms their gender identity can be difficult, and dissuade the use of programs that are designed and intended to save lives. This bill’s passage required that treatments in New York are provided in accordance with a patient’s gender identity or expression and preference. 

(A6590, Kelles) PASSED!

Access to care, especially long-term care, in New York is shrinking. This legislation required a statewide study to be done on New York’s strategies to support growth in the state’s caregiving industry, and an incorporating of its findings into a new, need-based strategy supporting good jobs and appropriate investments. 

(A5902, Kelles) PASSED!

In order to make Medical records for individuals in correctional facilities more easily accessible to healthcare professionals, less vulnerable to being lost, and less expensive to maintain, this bill creates a statewide system for electronic records.

(A9102, Kelles) PASSED!

Currently, Medicaid enrollees that utilize EMS services must be transported to a hospital before receiving treatment to receive reimbursement for their costs, even if the enrollee could be better served by being treated at the scene of their emergency.  This bill allows for Medicaid reimbursement for emergency medical services in cases that call for treatment in place.

Stronger New York Economy

(A1260, Kelles) PASSED!

Access to reliable, high-speed internet is becoming more and more a necessity of living and working in the 21st century.  Low-income New Yorkers priced out of acquiring service as well as rural residents that lack modern broadband infrastructure are locked out of equitable access to the internet.  New York has put forward plans to rectify this issue, and this bill makes a technical fix to previous legislation to make the process more efficient and effective.

(A2873, Kelles) PASSED!

Upon entering State service, New York’s employees disclose their assets to support transparency regarding their personal interests.  Notably absent in past disclosures is the possession of digital assets, such as cryptocurrency, as these assets have not been required to be reported since their boom in popularity over a decade ago. The IRS has considered cryptocurrencies like bitcoin as property for tax purposes since 2014.  New York’s public servants have a responsibility to disclose anything that may have an impact on the carrying out of their duties, and digital assets must be included in that consideration.  This legislation, passed in 2023, removed the loophole in the New York’s disclosure statement, requiring that they are reported to the State.

(A5718, Kelles) PASSED!

This legislation amended a long-debated, persistent problem in New York’s insurance law, that restricted the ability of carshares (non-profit organizations that provide access to vehicles for local trips) to get or maintain insurance coverage for their vehicles.  Carshares are a growing service in our state.  For people that can’t afford to or choose not to purchase a car, a shared vehicle to get to the local grocery store, doctor appointments, or other community services is a critically important resource, and reduces transportation emissions.  This bill cleared the way for existing carshares in New York to continue operations that many residents rely on, and enabled the proliferation of this type of service across the State in the future.

For more information about our local carshare non-profits, click here.

(A6527, Kelles) PASSED!

School meals are a lifeline for parents and guardians that don’t have the ability, financially or otherwise, to send their children to school with food to sustain their learning through the day.  New York passed legislation in 2018 to help prevent meal shaming of children in public schools, often associated with unpaid school meal fees.  To bolster those rules and prevent public shaming of kids in school, this bill was passed to prevent public schools from taking families to court to recover unpaid meal fees.

LGBTQ+ Advocacy

(A1273, Kelles) PASSED!

In 2016, New York State formed a group of LGBTQ+ stakeholders to guide the executive branch on certain issues.  This legislation formalizes that informal advisory board to create a permanent voice in Albany for LGBTQ+ residents of the state.

Local Issues

(A4914, Kelles) PASSED!

Born in 1789, Peter Wheeler lived as an enslaved man in Ludlowville, New York until his escape in 1806.  After traveling the world as a merchant, Wheeler wrote his autobiography Chains and Freedom, which details the harshness of enslavement and a reminder that slavery was not an exclusively southern institution. 

(A9345, Kelles) PASSED!

Local fire departments have had difficulty in recent years recruiting new volunteers from within their protection district.  Though State law generally limits non-resident membership in volunteer fire companies to forty-five percent, this legislation allows our Varna Volunteer Fire Co. to rebuild the ranks of their critical first responders with active, young responders from the region.

(A10482, Kelles) PASSED!

Wildlife population management is a critical component of maintaining our region’s ecological health.  Authorization for hunting big game using rifles has been renewed in Tompkins County by the passage of this bill, allowing for it to continue.