Results tagged “statelegislature”

Whether gay marriage manages to make it to a vote in the State Senate is another question entirely, but State Senator Thomas Duane thinks the Senate will vote yes on the matter. According to WNYC, the bill's supporters say that there are "secret yes votes...Duane, the bill’s chief sponsor, says he’s had the votes locked up all along. But Duane won’t release the names of those yes votes because, he says, when it comes to gay marriage, senators have to come out of the closet on their own." Of course, Duane isn't naming names, "I’m not releasing my vote count until we’re ready to vote. What people have told me, they’ve told me in confidence. It just wouldn’t be appropriate for me to share that."

While addressing the special session of the State Legislature, Governor David Paterson made it clear that the state's budget problems were real—and that the lawmakers had to deal with it. Paterson, who has proposed $3 billion in cuts to, mostly, education and Medicaid, said, "I will mortgage my political career on this plan. We stand on the brink of a financial challenge of unprecedented magnitude in the history of this state. This is a historic moment. We’re going to have to make historic decisions." He also added, "Unless immediate action is taken, we are going to have challenges to our state financials and cash flow in 4½ weeks. Frankly, we're running out of money. Right now we stand on the brink of a financial challenge of unprecedented magnitude in the history of the state. That's not opinion, that's not exaggeration -- that's fact."

With his proposed $3 billion budget and other issues to contend with, Governor Paterson has called a special session of the State Legislature next month—plus he wants a "leaders meeting" in NYC this Thursday, which seems like it would include State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. among the leaders, since he is the Senate Majority leader.

Last night, the State Assembly voted to approve the gay marriage bill. PolitickerNY reports the vote occurred "after four hours of debate and a technical problem that crashed the chamber's electronic voting mechanisms." Previously, in 2007, the Assembly passed a similar bill 85-61; this year, three Democrats switched their votes from no to yes as did two Republicans. One, Assemblyman Fred Thiele (R-Hamptons), explained, "There’s that little voice inside of you that tells you when you’ve done something right, and when you’ve done something wrong. That vote just never felt right to me. That little voice kept gnawing away at me." Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell (pictured), a vocal supporter of the bill, said during the debate, "I am seeking a piece of paper that is issued by my government that all of you have had. Some of you have had it two or three times, some of you are running for governor managed to marry their cousin and all that's ok. But I don't get one. So it's not about anybody's religion. This is about 'by the power vested in me by the State of New York.'"

Yesterday morning, after the State Legislature agreed to bailout the MTA, Governor Paterson took to the underground, taking a subway to the 42nd Street-Bryant Park stop. He told commuters, "We're going to have a widespread cleanup and clean out of the MTA. And start getting this place working in an effective way. Because the one thing I've learned through this process is no one trusts anything the MTA says." Cut to a few hours later, when MTA CEO Lee Sander announced his resignation.

Last week, State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith was all ready to head to Puerto Rico for a junket with other lawmakers—even though a reporter questioned his travels with critical issues still left unresolved. Smith replied, "What critical issues?" and the Daily News' Liz Benjamin said, "Well, the MTA, for example, mayoral control of schools, gay marriage is still hanging out there." But now Smith is all about staying home, and he's blaming the swine flu! Per PolitickerNY, Smith said, "I myself, unfortunately, have a daughter who was at [St. Francis Prep] who is under the weather. My wife is still under the weather, and I would tell you that my first responsibility is as a husband and a father. And I believe at this point it's probably better for me to stay closer to home than to be on a trip. I still think it's a good trip...but I think I should be closer to my daughter and my wife. God forbid if something were to happen to them and their condition gets worse while I'm away, I would never forgive myself."

Yesterday the MTA revealed that its finances are in even worse shape than originally believed, with declining property tax revenue resulting in an additional $621 million budget gap—even after planned fare and toll increases of up to 30% and service cuts go into effect. With those dreaded changes just weeks away, the authority is still hoping the state will pass some sort of bailout package to help avoid the worst of the cuts. Sadly, the MTA's hopes rest on the Albany legislature, where hopes go to die.

NY State Senate Democrats have finally offered their thoughts on how to help out the MTA—and mass transit commuters who otherwise will face significant service cuts and fare hikes. PolitickerNY sums up the plan's features: "A $1 surcharge on taxi rides in the 12 counties served by the M.T.A., raising $190 million; a sliding payroll tax on all businesses within that region, raising $1.49 billion; a $25 fee on motor vehicle registration, raising $130 million; a 25 percent increase on the fee to obtain a drivers license, raising $10.5 million; an eight percent increase on fares; and an increase in tax on rental cars, raising $35 million." (An 8% subway and bus fare increase would be preferable to a 25-30% fare hike.)

The State Legislature could save the MTA from having to enact severe fare hikes and service cuts if the Senate can agree on a bailout plan. (Riders would still face relatively moderate fare hikes and service cuts.) While the governor and Assembly support helping the MTA, the Senate has been split—though the Democrats have a majority, some Democratic Senators have been adamantly against ideas like tolling East River and Harlem River bridges. Which means the spotlight is on Republican Senators.

During his rousing introduction of gay marriage legislation, Governor Paterson emphasized, "Our work to correct injustice cannot depend on factors like timing or guaranteed success." And that's a gamble he's taking—in an interview with the NY Times, Paterson admitted he's not sure if the bill will pass through the State Legislature, "I’m more optimistic that it gets done. I’m not necessarily sure that it can be done." He also thinks some Republican Senators (the Assembly already passed the bill in 2007) might end up supporting it. Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-LI) told the Times he would probably oppose the bill—"It’s a difficult decision because it has so many people locked in on both sides. It may not seem like that from the epicenter of the world called Manhattan. But out here in the suburbs, there are mixed emotions."—but also admitted his colleagues might be flexible, "This is a serious matter, and it deserves serious consideration." And on Thursday night, Paterson told CNN's Wolf Blitzer the gay marriage bill was not an attempt to help his horrible approval numbers: and besides, he's still running in 2010, "The real desire is to have me not run, because they know, if I do, I will probably win."

After saying he would renew the push for same sex marriage in the Legislature last week, sources tell CityRoom that Governor Paterson will introduce legislation on Thursday: It "reflects the governor’s desire to press the issue with lawmakers in Albany as other states move ahead with efforts to grant more civil rights to homosexuals... [However] The fact that Mr. Paterson is introducing a bill does not, however, mean that action in the Legislature is imminent. It could take months — even longer — before the bill makes its way through the appropriate committees and onto the floor of the Senate and the Assembly." The State Assembly has previously passed a gay marriage bill in 2007, but it stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate. Though the Senate is now controlled by Democrats, the majority is fractured and Senate Majority leader Smith's spokesperson said last week, "Currently, there are not sufficient votes in the Senate to pass the marriage equality bill."

Governor David Paterson announced that he would re-introduce same-sex marriage legislation this month. Paterson told Ithaca TV station WGRZ, "We'll put a bill out and let the people decide one way or the other."

The big $131 billion NY State budget may have finally passed, but its contents are still... unclear. The Post (naturally) offers criticism from the Republican minority: Senator Marty Golden (R-Brooklyn) says, "They haven't broken down where all the stimulus money is going. How do you vote on a budget that's not broken down and has only whole numbers? We asked for a breakdown and they told us [Friday] a list was forthcoming."

The State Legislature has been discussing the massive $131.8 billion but failed to pass it by its April 1 deadline. While the "three men in a room"—Governor David Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith—claimed their budget talks were super-secret so they could get the budget passed in time, WCBS 2 points out that the plan backfired, given that the discussions were held so late it was "too late to get all the bills printed in time to meet a required 'aging process' intended to give the public and lawmakers time to review the plan."

A week after the MTA approved a "doomsday" plan to raise bus, subway and commuter rail fares by about 23% and implement drastic service cuts, the State Legislature is trying to come to a solution over how to help rescue the agency. And now sources say that East River and Harlem River bridge tolls are out—and a 50-cent taxi surcharge may be part of the plan.

Last night, the State Legislature struck a deal on the budget. According to the Times-Union, "In broad strokes, the agreement closes the state's estimated $16.2 billion budget deficit through $6 billion in federal stimulus dollars, $6 billion in cuts to an array of programs, and $4 billion in new revenue through an increase in the personal income tax on affluent New Yorkers."

Albany's plan to help out the MTA is stuck in the State Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith has questioned whether the March 25 deadline is a real deadline. The MTA has previously said it would pass a series of severe fare hikes and service cuts if it didn't get aid but Smith said yesterday, "We’re just not sure if those deadlines are one that they put for the sake of getting a vote."

Forget that talk of an imminent MTA bailout—the Post conducted a survey of State Senators and found, "Unless five Democratic state senators can be convinced to change their minds, the plan to bail out the MTA by imposing tolls on East and Harlem river bridges is dead in the water."

Former State Senate majority leader Joseph Bruno was indicted on 8 counts yesterday for allegedly taking in $3.2 million in "consulting fees" that were actually payments from various parties who wanted the once powerful legislator's influence. Bruno, who spent 32 years in the State Senate, 13 of them as Majority Leader, said the FBI had conducted "a three-year fishing expedition that smells really, really bad and it really stinks," and vowed, "After being hounded for three years, I am being indicted on a prosecutor’s sleight of hand. I’ve been a fighter. And I don’t plan on changing now.”

NY1 reports that State Senator Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn) introduced legislation preventing "city officials from running for a third term without the approval of voters." He said, "To brazenly push them aside and attempt to silence their voices is not what we should do as elected officials. For this, I am sponsoring a bill on the state level that will change term limits for the entire state." Last week, Assembly Member Hakeem Jeffries also introduced a bill that would require a public referendum fora term limits extension; Jeffries' stance: "A few dozen politicians should not determine the fate of term limits in a city of eight million when the public has spoken – not once but twice."

Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver is up for re-election this fall, and while he's likely to win it, one woman is making sure one of his challengers has her help: The Daily News reports former Assembly staffer is helping challenger Paul Newell with his campaign because Silver "ignored her accusations of rape against one of his top aides" back in 2001.

Last month, the NY Times found that an actuarial consultant who reviewed legislation pending in the State Legislature also had financial ties to labor unions. The consultant, whose expertise was used to examine the financial impact of bills (like retirement, pension benefit bills), even admitted he skewed his analysis to support unions. Now, the city has found the consultant's work underestimated costs by $500 million.

When Governor Paterson says things like “People who live together for a long time would like to be married — as far as I’m concerned, I think it’s beautiful,” don’t you just want to give him a big hug and buy him an ice cold Schmitt’s? Well, not everyone is heartened by Paterson’s push to have out-of-state marriages recognized in New York.

Governor Paterson issued a memo telling all state agencies to recognize legally performed, out-of-state same-sex marriages as valid marriages. This memo was, based on the February Appellate Court ruling, said gay marriages "should be afforded the same recognition as any other legally performed union."

State judges have been agitating for a salary raise for a while, but since state legislators are determined to link judicial raises to legislator pay raises. Now judge are planning a "rule-book slowdown" and other ways to get back at the Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver and the state legislature.

The MTA unveiled its 2008-2013 Capital Plan, which explained almost $30 billion will be needed to improve mass transit and complete projects like the Second Avenue Subway, the East Side Access plan and more by 2030 (many of those projects will also be delayed). Though the current MTA capital plan doesn't expire until next year, the MTA presented this plan because the state congestion pricing legislation required them to present a plan by the end of the first quarter of 2008.

The NY State Legislature has long been considered the most dysfunctional state government in the country, and NY Sun has a great article giving weight to that statement: "The Empire State's Legislature employs more people than any other state legislature in the nation." Well, all that dysfunction has to be enabled from someone - or many someones!

After years of warnings, the city's Off Track Betting business may be out of luck as Mayor Bloomberg said the city may pull its funding and let the gambling business close. He told the OTB Board of Directors, "The City simply cannot take dollars away from schools and hospitals to pay for a gambling operation. We have no business subsidizing betting parlors at the expense of City taxpayers, particularly at a time when we're asking all agencies to cut their budgets." And what's more, the board agreed and approved the shutdown!

Weighing in on the modified congestion pricing plan the Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission recommended, Mayor Bloomberg said:

"The Commission has done a thorough and thoughtful job. They've taken testimony from hundreds of residents, community leaders and civic organizations. They've held dozens of public meetings and have analyzed mountains of data. Although the final recommendation varies from our original proposal, I accept it.

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