Topic: Albany
Fair Elections in New York State Now!
February 2, 2012 The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo Governor of New York State NYS State Capitol Building Albany, New York 12224 Dear Governor Cuomo, We write to express our strong support for the pledge you made during your State of the State address to introduce 2012 legislation to create a public funding option for New York state elections. We applaud your leadership in pursuing this vital goal; public financing is the single most important next step to upend the perception … Read More
A Slight Improvement over the Worst-Case Scenario! Huzzah!
So, the tax/infrastructure deal. Some good, a lot bad- it all depends on how you define the baseline. On taxes: In order to judge the tax component of this legislation, let’s analyze each baseline scenario. If the baseline is that the “old millionaires’ tax,” a tax of 7.85 percent on income from $200,000 to $500,000 and 8.97 percent on income over $500,000, was only a 3-year measure that was supposed to expire in 2012, then this legislation is technically an … Read More
A Good Start, but a Ways to Go
The recent agreement between Albany leaders on an ethics overhaul bill is an improvement over the status quo but has some serious weaknesses that will hopefully be adressed in later legislation. First, the good. This bill has very commendable disclosure requirements. Legislators will have to disclose outside income and business with any company doing business with the state and risk a $10,000 fine if they don’t. There would also be a searchable database with all businesses doing business with the … Read More
Letter from Liz Krueger
The following letter was sent from Democratic State Senator Liz Krueger to her constituents on Wednesday, June 17, 2009. Dear Friend, The last two weeks in Albany have taught me that no matter how dysfunctional I thought this place was, it really was possible for it to get worse. I assure you that I share your frustration over the current power struggle and the failure of the Democratic majority to act on important issues that matter to the daily lives … Read More
ACT NOW Condemns Turncoat State Senators
Progressive organization ACT NOW today condemned New York State Senators Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate for caucusing with the Republican Party in the State Senate, allowing them to reclaim the State Senate. The Democratic Party recently regained control of the State Senate in November 2008 after being in the minority party for 43 years. “This is a step in the wrong direction for the State of New York. It is shameful to change the leadership with only 2 weeks remaining … Read More
