Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo announced plans to seek an eighth term in the New York State Assembly. She was first elected in 2004 to represent the City of Binghamton and Towns of Union and Vestal.

“It’s an honor to serve the people of the 123rd District,” Lupardo said. “I’d like to continue using my years of experience and seniority in the Assembly to help improve the quality of life in our community.”

The Assemblywoman currently holds a number of leadership positions at the Capitol including Chair of the Assembly Committee on Aging and Co-Chair of the Legislative Aviation Caucus. She is a member of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, having previously served as the group’s elected Chair representing women legislators in both the Assembly and Senate. She also serves on the following Assembly committees: Economic Development; Higher Education; Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development; and Transportation.

Since first taking office, Lupardo has worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass numerous pieces of legislation that address local and statewide concerns. Most recently, she has focused on issues of importance to seniors, passing bills to protect older New Yorkers from fraud and abuse, allowing those in assisted living to receive hospice care, and creating new senior tourism opportunities.

She is a well-known champion of local foods and farmers, passing several bills to advance the industrial hemp industry in NYS, a crop that is transforming  the state’s agricultural and manufacturing sectors. She was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Industrial Hemp Working Group.

The Assemblywoman plays a key role in the ongoing effort to revitalize the Southern Tier securing tens of millions of dollars for local projects including such as Binghamton University’s Innovative Technologies Complex, SUNY Broome’s new Center for the Culinary Arts at the Carnegie Library, and the Agriculture Development Center at Cornell Cooperative Extension.

In 2015 Lupardo was named by Speaker Carl Heastie to represent the Assembly on the Strategic Implementation Assessment Team. This group is responsible for reviewing plans presented by the state’s ten economic development regions, including the Southern Tier.

Assemblywoman Lupardo plans to continue positioning the Southern Tier to take advantage of economic opportunities, while addressing the challenges residents face on a daily basis. These challenges include high poverty rates, the lack of affordable child care, and transportation.