Saratoga Standard

Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Ballston Lake) and Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C-Ballston) announced today that new legislation they sponsored to benefit Saratoga County residents has been signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul.

The legislation, sponsored and passed by Senator Tedisco and Assemblywoman Walsh, enables the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office to boost its recruitment efforts. It allows candidates residing in counties adjoining Saratoga to apply for assistant district attorney positions (S.8634).

“These are challenging times for our law enforcement and district attorneys with rising concerns about crime in New York State, as we continue to see with the bail fail law, which has created a revolving door of danger and disaster in New York State and has impacted the 44th Senate District most recently with the robbery at Lola Saratoga Springs. We need to support our district attorneys and ensure they have all the tools they need to recruit and retain the best and brightest prosecutors to serve residents in Saratoga County and protect our communities. That’s why this new law is so important,” said Senator Jim Tedisco.

“One of the greatest opportunities I have as a member of the NYS Assembly is to help my local communities. This session, I was grateful for the opportunity to have sponsored a bill which waives the residency requirement for Assistant District Attorneys in Saratoga County, which passed unanimously in June,” said Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh. “Earlier this week this bill became a law, and its immediate implementation will greatly benefit Saratoga County. The expansion of the pool of eligible applicants for this position will create a smoother process of justice for all involved. I’m thrilled I was able to help our county with such a critical issue.”

Saratoga County District Attorney Karen A. Heggen noted the significance of the new district attorney law: “This new law affords the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office the flexibility that over 20 counties in New York State currently have, which is to hire the most qualified attorneys without concern for where they are residing. I truly appreciate the support of Senator James Tedisco and Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh who sponsored this legislation for recognizing the challenges in recruiting the best and brightest to serve the citizens of our county.”