A spoonful of loopholes makes the medicine go down. A new ethics bill drafted in the New York state legislature will require elected officials to disclose their annual income in greater detail. Currently, lawmakers fall into one of six heavily redacted income brackets, the largest being "$250,000 or more." The new bill would include "109 narrow bands of income topping out at $10 million," the Times Union reports. But buried beyond the disclosure hype is a curious new ethics board whose members can dismiss ethics charges with a mere two votes. more ›

Buckle up, fans of cheap buses, things are about to change. Kind of. Despite increased scrutiny, the city doesn't have much say over where the Bolt- and Mega buses of the world could do their thing but a new bill in Albany would allow the city (i.e. the MTA and community boards) to assign designated pick-up and drop-off locations and require a permits to operate in the city. The bus companies seem okay with the idea, as do riders...as long as it doesn't hurt those ridiculously cheap prices. We'll take clogged thoroughfares in exchange for $1 tickets to Boston anytime! more ›

The city's off-track betting operation says it'll be closing its locations this Friday, because the State Senate failed to vote on a bailout package. NYC OTB CEO Greg Rayburn said, "We've continued today to do two things. One is to prepare for the shutdown, if it's necessary. And that could come as early as this week. And two, to continue to talk to people in the Senate and explain to them what the provisions are in the bill, answer questions and urge them to come and act before Friday, because, realistically, once you close, you close." more ›

Yesterday, Governor Paterson, in the waning days of his term, called a special session of the State Legislature, in hopes of getting them to balance the budget. But since actually balancing the budget would require lawmakers to make $315 million in spending cuts, they did nothing. Which is about par for the course when the very same lawmakers needed four freaking months to pass a budget. more ›

Yesterday, the State Legislature adjourned without making a deal to save the city's Off-Track Betting establishments. While the city is ready to close the branches and lay off workers, the Daily News reports, "The question now, as one lobbyist says, is whether the city's OTB is 'really dead, or Freddy Krueger dead.'" Well, Governor Paterson thinks it's really dead. more ›

Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams attended Governor David Paterson's holiday fundraiser and offered up a zinger from the beleaguered head of the state that shows how much he really loves the State Legislature. And by love, we mean despise. more ›

The State Assembly passed a $2.8 billion deficit reduction plan last night and, according to the Times Union, "The Senate is expected to pass the bills with bipartisan support in a session scheduled for 10 a.m. today." Of course, this is not the $3.2 billion in reductions that Governor Paterson has repeatedly said the state needs, but he said he'd take it anyway, "I would not describe it as a 'deal' because a deal means that all parties accept the agreement... It does give us about $600 million in cuts or other actions that require legislative approval, so we would not cut off our nose to spite our face." more ›

The State Senate and Assembly have reportedly come up with $2.9 billion in cuts to the state budget, but the Times Union reports, Governor "Paterson, however, immediately claimed that wouldn't go far enough, and said he would move to unilaterally cut aid to localities." As in not pay social service agencies and public schools—Paterson said, "Unfortunately, the Legislature’s last best offer does not take sufficient action to restore New York State’s long-term fiscal stability." more ›

With NY State running out of money because the State Legislature has been unable to offer a plan for billions needed in budget cuts, Governor Paterson announced he was moving ahead with a plan for $1.6 billion in savings, "I first presented my Deficit Reduction Plan on October 15, and since that time the Legislature has refused to take necessary action to maintain our State’s fiscal stability. As I said directly to New Yorkers last week, if legislators won’t face up to their responsibility and join me in making the tough decisions - I’ll do it myself. I will continue to fight every single day to keep New York State afloat in the midst of this historic economic crisis - with or without the help of the Legislature." more ›

Even though the State Legislature has been in special session the past few weeks at Governor Paterson's request because of the state's huge $3.2 billion deficit, no action has been taken to, you know, deal with the deficit and cut the state budget. Yesterday, Paterson asked for special, emergency power to cut the budget himself, which lawmakers, naturally, thought was crazy. Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos declared, "This is not the old Soviet Union." more ›

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." more ›

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." more ›

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. more ›

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.'" more ›

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. more ›

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." more ›

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. more ›

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.) more ›

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. more ›

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." more ›

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." more ›

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." more ›

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." more ›

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." more ›

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. more ›

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." more ›

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." more ›

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." more ›

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.” more ›