congressman, same question, do you support expanding the mandate to over the counter birth control i have to tell you? >>, we have two kids, and that is probably a broad range of what over-the-counter birth control is. without full knowledge of that, i don't know of any restrictions that would prevent insurance providers from covering that. >> no restrictions, but amended to require that they cover over the counter birth control. >> if that is through the aca, the mandate system. >> it is not part of it now, they only cover things that are require a prescription. this new opill doesn't require a prescription. should that be under the mandate? >> there is a number of religious organizations that are opposed. when we get into these kinds of questions, federal mandates that force people that have a position of being in the systems, that is currently in

review in the judicial system. so when we talk about federal mandates, i certainly do not have any opposition to birth control, and nor would i try to admit that in any way. but you are asking the opposite, you're asking for the federal government to take an even heavier hand. in general, i would like for people to decide for themselves. >> 15 seconds for a follow. this'is about health care. this is not a theocracy. we have to make sure we are ensuring the health of individuals in this country as they are preparing for their families i. >> think in a free market, people should decide. >> another yes or no question. senator, both presidential candidates have entertained some form of eliminating federal taxes on tips, despite economists and physical analysts across the spectrum panning the

idea. do you think congress should eliminate taxes on tips? >> first thing i will say is i support the wage system the way it is. there was discussion about the elimination of tips. i don't support that. i believe if we don't eliminate it, they should certainly be a different structure related to the taxation of tips for our service workers. >> yes or no answer as well? >> sure. no tax on tips. >> that was easy. we will start with the congressman. for a decade and a half, the federal minimum wage has been set at $7.25 an hour. the new york minimum wage is approaching $15 an hour. in upstate new york it is scheduled to increase. is it time for congress to raise the minimum wage, congressman? >>, as you mentioned, new york state's minimum wage is already twice the federal level. the federal government mandating higher prices will not affect

new york state. i am here to represent the people of new york. the federal government, it doesn't matter what they do. new york state is what is going to set the prevailing minimum wage. >> just a follow-up, to be clear, are you saying congress should act then? >> it will not affect the people of new york state, so, no. >> senator? >> people across the country deserve a living wage. in this state, we have provided as well as we could with the rising minimum wage. there are many individuals, in the care community specifically, direct support professionals in the disability space, where we have tried to increase their wages. i don't know who can live in this country on 7.25 dollars a, especially if they are an a demanding profession like one of these. talking to my colleagues across this country, that is exactly what is happening in some states. >> we went to go back to over

62nd question and you can wax poetically. senator, sticking with affordability, one child in a childcare center can run an average of $19,000 per year. what can congress do to make childcare more affordable? >> there's a few things you have done in the state already and i am proud to have been a leader on that. number one, we can raise the level above the federal poverty level to make it more manageable for them to go to work if they choose to do so. number two, we have staffing concerns in a childcare solutions. we have provided a 100 million dollar fund so that institutions in deserts or micro deserts which we have many of them in this area, could expand their services to a larger population, or establish new childcare facilities. i also think there needs to be incentives for establishing

different centers at educational institutions and in the workplace, and i do believe that our employers in a tight labor market should be of childcare at those institutions. i do believe that the federal government should be consistent in initiating some of those childcare facilities to be established. >> congressman, what can congress do to make childcare more affordable? >> as a member of congress, have sponsored a bill that does exactly that, particularly for law enforcement professionals. you may know that law enforcement professionals have crazy hours, they are working shift work and they have to be there. we rely on them 24 7, 365. one of the challenges that we have attracting talent to law enforcement, is this very issue of child care, particularly women. we have a crisis of not being able to fill the roles, these

important roles of public safety people. that is why i introduced this bill. it is, i think, a good model to explore how the federal government can get involved in helping with childcare. we are starting with law enforcement first. >> i want to follow up on this issue of childcare and turn to the staffing side of things that the senator referred to in his answer. in addition to the affordability of childcare, there is an issue of simply not having enough spots to care for kids, largely due to the low pay for the workforce and regulations and industry. congressman, what can be done at the federal level to boost the number of providers that are out there? >> it is not only about childcare. i hear this in lots of different arenas. particularly around health care, for example, like memory care for elders, or rehabilitation

care. we faced this when my mother was in declining health. the low pay has very high turnover in places like childcare, which is so critical for working families, particularly single parents. i have a lot of families asked me about some kind of help, that if a family member is helping to take care of their children while they work, that if there is some mechanism for a tax break or a mechanism for payment there. i think those are all things that need to be explored. in terms of raising up our children, i don't think there is much that is more important than that. >> senator, can you expand on what we need to do to boost the workforce? >> our children are our greatest gift. we should make sure that we have them in settings that are safe and with individuals that can do

this challenging work. that is my own piece of legislation that was signed into law, regarding cmb, which protects providers, informing their workers of potential exposure to this virus when working in childcare facilities, and it was particularly impactful when a person is pregnant. but back to the staffing. we have to make sure that these workers are compensated. when you look at other countries as it relates to childcare, it is much more robust, and often much more affordable for families, because there is an emphasis on making sure that we support the systems and stock that will require funding. >> next question is for the senator. in the wake of the 2018 supreme court ruling, some states legalized mobile sports wagering. in new york, it has resulted in hundreds of millions in tax revenue. at the same time, the

proliferation of advertisement in the industry have been blamed for exacerbating problem gambling. in the vein of, say, alcohol regulations, should congress impose stricter controls on how sports betting sites are advertised? >> as we talked about algorithms with tiktok, they are predatory practices here. in fact, i saw something on social media, ironically, an article referencing just that. i do think there is a space for that. if people want to engage in mobile sports betting, they will find that. , again, -- again, it can be addictive and predatory. i am supportive at looking at that. i know that in new york state, a lot of, or a significant amount of funds, i should say, that are deemed as revenue that come to the state, are put back

into the state. and supports are in place to address that addiction. >> she congressman, should there be controls on sports betting advertising? it is interesting to see the proliferation of the industry. >> at one time i'll ago, it was about ticket sales. television rights have taken over and that is where the money is. you saw how much money given to sports in my lifetime. what is very interesting is that this gambling has driven an enormous amount of revenue into the sports formula itself, including for the owners. that is who is of championing this. so long as it is entertaining, gambling on sports, -- i don't do it myself, so i have never

used those apps. maybe it makes it more engaging and entertaining. but, as was mentioned, before, it is addictive. the amount of marketing towards young people and towards kids, marketing towards people that are prone to addiction to this, just like i used to be the case with alcohol and to on television, should be curtailed. >> we are going to give both you and the viewers at home a break from me for a second, and we will share a question that my producer collector this afternoon at armory square in syracuse. >> i have one question. i am a's vegas. i present to you, what do you propose to do about the homeless epidemic, in relation to the drug epidemic, which seemed to coincide? >> congressman, the question was about the issue of homelessness,

and the issue of drug addiction, and the intersection often between those two questions. >> about 10 years ago, i was asked to volunteer at the syracuse rescue mission to do jobs training for homeless men. what it allowed me to do is to engage with them on a weekly basis over, i think, a couple of months to really dive in and try to help them establish the tools of getting back on their feet and back to the workforce. i encountered firsthand what these challenges were. i learned a lot. and as was mentioning in the question, it goes hand-in-hand with substance abuse. one of the challenges we face, in particular is an open southern border since biden and harris have taken over. this has been -- this has led to a flood of fentanyl and other kinds of dangerous, addictive and harmful drugs that is expanding the homeless population. i was just at the syracuse rescue mission a couple of weeks

ago and saw the the incredible work that they do, the amazing services they provide, and how much addiction and mental health is tied into that. so i have been directly engaged and involved in that and i think securing the border, believe it or not, will at least start stemming the flow of drugs into our country. >> state senator, same question. >> listen, when people are addicted to drugs, it can lead to homelessness and that is a tragedy and a cycle that perpetuates itself. when someone has been charged with a crime related to drug use, certainly, drug trafficking is a different issue that we have to address very seriously -- but we need to fund drug courts we. need an expression of drug courts and a real plan towards treatment, towards healing. we want individuals to be successful. we want them to be on the path

towards wellness. sometimes we are basically perpetuating that cycle. we need programs tied to our drug courts to make sure we are truly investing. when individuals may need inpatient care, we need to make sure they can remain with their children. there are programs around the state where women and children can stay together as they are going through treatment. last thing i will say about the comment on the southern border is, my opponent had an opportunity to advance a bipartisan bill that was passed by the senate that would have done a lot, it would have funded our courts, it would have made sure we funded our border patrol . there was an opportunity to do that, but at the direction of the former president, the congressman rejected data, and we still have a brick-and-mortar as result -- rejected that, and we still have a broken border as a result. >> congressman, 32nd.

>> this is the most flimsy of arguments. what we are actually part of the house of representatives more than a year ago, house resolution 2, would have secured our border, ended the catch-and-release, would have implemented remain in mexico and would have undone the damage done by the biden-harris administration. it is the weakest argument and not even based in fact. there was never a vote in congress, the bill he described never made it to a vote in congress. it didn't have enough democratic votes in the senate to pass. this is frankly based on a lie. >> leadville he is referring to was draconian and lacked funding to properly support our border patrol agent, our ports, and as a result, it was not going to get anything done. it was done solely for political purposes and it was never negotiated in a bipartisan way. >> i want to come back at least tangentially, to the issue of

substance abuse. during the pandemic the dea issued waivers enabling health providers to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth without an in person visit. with those waivers set to expire, should legislation be authorized by congress extending this flexibility to ensure uninterrupted access to prescriptions such as medication to combat opioid addiction and adhd? senator? >> number one, i am a supporter of telehealth and making sure there is parity when it comes to reimbursement for those services. this is absolutely something that we should be doing when we are in the midst of a staffing health care crisis. unfortunately, it is more and more challenging to get into our health care institutions. this is a way that simply makes sense. we are in the future right now, so let's do the right thing, let's extend this program. particularly for some of our rural communities that have had various health care centers or hospitals shut down. this is the right thing to do. it is convenient.

people don't have to travel several miles to do it, they can build a relationship with an expert in the field. and we should extend it. >> congressman, sin question? >> i am a strong advocate for their health. it is one of the few good things that came out of the covid shutdown, and all these kinds of prescription treatments for addiction, and i would even go further, things like methadone, things like some of the hallucinogen drugs that are being experimented with. we need to get a lot more creative in how we are addressing the crisis not only of mental health, but of addiction. i have personally had a family member that has gone through this, had to seek treatment outside the united states in order to begin this incredibly difficult journey back to sobriety. they have been successful,

because they were outside of the u.s. medical system. there is a lot more that can be done. the fda has to move a lot faster. i am a strong advocate for that, including as it gets implemented over telehealth. >> congressman, sticking it in the same vein, in order to ensure the continuum of care for incarcerated new yorkers receiving mental health or addiction services while behind bars, would you support federal legislation ensuring that medicaid coverage is reinstated prior to their release so there isn't any sort of gap in coverage when they go about their reentry process? >> you know, i have spent a lot of time recently engaged with people in the corrections institution. but mostly corrections officers that have walked me through the unbelievable crisis of violence, of drug use inside the prisons, as well as the mental health challenges that the corrections officers face everyday.

there are violent attacks on these corrections officers, exactly from these kinds of crimes. so if i am going to address the issues going on in our prisons, i will focus on rescinding things like the halt act. and that my opponent has championed, that have made it the best time in new york state to be a criminal. it's the best time to be incarcerated in new york state, because you get special privileges that make it incredibly dangerous for the people that stand up as corrections officers and, frankly, implement what society asked of them. it is to take these incredibly dangerous people off the street. that would be my first priority. >> so, just a follow-up, what would that mean for legislation that would ensure medicaid coverage reinstated prior to their release? >> let's get the halt act repealed. let's stand up for our corrections officers, then we

can talk about medicaid for released prisoners. >> senator mannion, we will take that first part of the question, then we will give you a second to talk about new york state's prisons. the getting reinstated prior to medicaid coverage getting reinstated prior to release to ensure the continuum of care is that something you support? >> when people are incarcerated and pay their debt to society, we want them to be successful. we don't want them to be back incarcerated and therefore, a tax burden to individuals and their lives are further lost. it's the right thing to do. my opponent must not be informed, because i voted no on the halt act, and that was because of my engagement in correctional facilities, talking to the corrections officers, to incarcerated people, to also individuals that work in our correctional facilities outside of the corrections officers, like social workers and health care practitioners in those institutions. i have toured those facilities,

looked. at them i have spoken with everyone and parked made an informed decision and voted against my, party majority because i listened to the corrections officers. they supported me when i run for office. i listened to them and we can treat people in a human way and put them on a successful path toward a dignified future. and we must make sure that we also protect the individuals working in these facilities, that can be very challenging. >> 15 seconds, congressman. >> when we are on the topic of free health care, my opponent has been the champion of free health care to illegal immigrants. this is not the priorities of our government, our government is to the law-abiding citizens, the citizens and families who are struggling to pay for their own health care today. these are not the priorities of the people of central new york and certainly not to provide

free health care for illegal immigrants. it was so radical, i think even the governor rejected your proposal, senator. >> there is not free health care for individuals here that are undocumented. >> if viewers want to learn more about the state's solitary confinement laws, they should check out the capitol press room archives, which you will find at capitolpressroom.org, or wherever you download your favorite podcasts. in new york, they are has been a paid family leave program in place. it covers when you want to raise a new child for an ill family member or assist loved ones when a family member is deployed on military leave. at the federal level, there is a family and medical leave providing up to 12 weeks of unpaid, protected leave. should the federal benefit be expanded to include compensation? if so, what should the benefit be, and how should it be funded?

>> if we want to support our families with new children, we absolutely should be supporting them with, again, programs that individuals that are working would be paying into, that employers would be paying into, to make sure that these families can make these decisions, whether they will care for a family member, for a new child, whatever the case may be. these are the things we should be doing. when you look at other places in the world that have these programs that allow families to support each other, those are the things we should be doing. we also have to look at the variety of different professions out there, because some individuals that work in certain capacities like in steel workers, construction, they have a multitude of different employers as they are not eligible for some of the paid family leave. so i am supportive of the moves we have made in the right direction. i also believe we need a system in place where people can care for their family members and not have to make those hard decisions and, of course, have guardrails around the program.

>> repeat the question for me,? >> please should there be a paid family program level -- paid family leave at the federal level, and how should it be funded? >> there should be paid family leave for the reasons we have talked about, to support working families. that we can have more children. a lot of people don't have children or they are put off child rearing because of the cost. the information has been out of control in the last three and half years. we have seen prices rise on everything from housing to all the groceries. having a robust economy is a great place to start. to support working families. we really need to change the incentives -- change the policies of the federal government that actually start reducing costs and making life more affordable. paid leave for new mothers and

fathers, i definitely would support. >> congressman, next question is for you. for nearly two decades ago, congress created the law effectively shutting the window for civil claims against gun manufacturers and distributors. should these federal liability protections for negligent or reckless behavior by a gun company remain at the federal level? >> there is always a strong attempt to go around current law and actually to use the law to selectively go after political opponents. this is an excellent example of trying to enact nationwide gun control by implementing tort liability onto the gun manufacturers. we have a crime problem in america. a crime problem in new york

state. that problem comes from cashless bail. from the halt act. from raise the age. it comes from the incredibly reckless policies that have come out of albany under the participation of my opponent. these are the things that have to change. in fact, my opponent said that resending cashless bail would be a mistake to repeal. i disagree with him. i disagree on the lawfare that is trying to go around the second amendment and the constitutional rights that we have. >> senator, 90 seconds to answer the question. >> i appreciate that. first of all, i am supportive of responsible gun ownership. there were only two counties in the state where rifle hunting of bears and deer was not

allowed. in onondaga. and it took two years to do that. we did it. we have great ownership of sportsmen's clubs. i have spoken at their meetings. i am for responsible gun ownership. but there is consensus across this country and certainly in the 22nd district, that we need to make sure that weapons of war are not in the wrong hands. a piece of that has to do with a responsible manufacturing and the sale of guns. as it relates to the comment about bail, first of all, there was great consensus about the fact that bail laws of needed reform. the consensus didn't just come from the advocates, it came from the enforcement and from district attorneys. i was not in office when those laws were passed. if you watch my opponent's aps messaging and his commercials, he will make it seem like i was.

that is simply not true. >> thank you, senator. congressman? >> these were his words, repealing cashless bail would be a mistake. not my words, editor, those are your words. i don't know a single law enforcement professional in new new york state that agrees with you. >> in my four years in the state senate, three times i was a very strong voice in advancing changes to those bail laws that were flawed. we give judges greater discretion, made more crimes bail-eligible, we addressed the reoffending issue. i listened, i responded, and i have done what i could to make significant changes to those laws prior to me being in office. >> new york policymakers legalized recreational use of marijuana and since then there's been an effort to set up a legal marketplace. at the same time though marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, creating challenges for businesses in the

empire state at every step, such as accessing basic financial services. should congress take any steps to make it easier for these businesses to operate, or does the status quo on marijuana make sense at the federal level? >> the status quo does not make sense. the fact is because marijuana still at the federal level is listed as a schedule one drug, it is not able to use the banking system. and i have never used marijuana, i have -- i am not personally interested in it. i think it is a very good potential for medical treatment. friends of mine that have been through cancer and through chemotherapy have strongly advocated that there be easier access to cannabis treatment, particularly here in new york state. in the poison control center here in syracuse, my concern is

that products are being marketed to children. many times they are packaged like candy. we all remember, if you are my age you remember what the tobacco industry was like in the 50's, 60's and 70's, actively marketing to young people. it has to stop. there has to be a lot more control over what the chemicals are. and the potency of marijuana products. there is a lot more that can be done. >> i supported the legislation in new york state because i believe marijuana should be legal first of all, because its use was pretty prevalent. we need the regulation behind it. we need a controlled setting. we need changes at the federal level, because when talking with individuals that are establishing, either processing or retail sales, there absolutely has to be a system that works as far as securing financing