Nassau County Legislator Diane Yatauro (D-Glen Cove) and majority members approved the 2005-2006 budget for Nassau Community College at a July 25 session of the legislature. The $174 Million budget received bipartisan support. The budget includes a $240 tuition increase for the 2004-05 academic year, making the full-time tuition $2,350.

Last year Nassau Community College received high marks from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The commission described the college as “an excellent institution that is a leader among community colleges at a national level” with a “wide-ranging and targeted array of services.”

Nassau is one of the largest community colleges in New York and one of the largest single-campus community colleges in the U.S.

For more information about the college or to learn more about admissions, call 516-572-7345.

Legislator Yatauro also approved a contract with Macro International for a telephone-based study of Nassau County residents in an effort to gain information on smoke-related health risk factors.

“This study will help the county’s Health Department better target tobacco cessation programs to the neediest populations,” said Legislator Yatauro.

Legislator Yatauro also approved:

• an amendment to the county’s Charity Care law that will expand the reporting requirements for hospitals when submitting their reports containing the charity care policy of the hospital.
• an agreement, on behalf of the Youth Board, with S.T.R.O.N.G. YOUTH, INC., in the amount of $81,465 to implement programs aimed at prevention of gangs and gang violence. Their services will include recruitment, intake and assessment, employability skills training, life skills development, job placement, follow-up and evaluation.

In other business, the legislative committees approved the transfer of funds for DWI Enforcement contracts with various Village and City Police Departments which participate in the county wide Stop DWI program and supplemental appropriation grant funds for the Health Department and the Department of Senior Citizen Affairs, as follows:

• WIC program-$2,147,318 to provide nutrition services and food vouchers to women, infants & children based upon income and nutritional risk.
• $91,203- from the NYS Office for the Aging, to be distributed among Catholic Charities, FCA, City of Glen Cove, Herricks UFSD, LI Alzheimer Foundation, Professional Health Trends, Salvation Army and the Sid Jacobson JCC, to provide info, assistance, counseling, respite and supplemental services to family caregivers of the frail in the County.
• $37,405-Senior Citizens Affairs (HEAP) - for assistance to seniors with home energy needs. It is expected to serve 4,000 clients and $5,000 from the Community Development Corporation of Long Island, for the delivery of 100 referrals for weatherization assistance, which will then be contracted out to Family and Children’s Association.

The next meeting of the legislature will be held on September 7 at 6 p.m.