Message from Liz...
As we approach the final weeks of a particularly unproductive session, there is a lot that should be on our agenda. Issues such as campaign finance reform, medical marijuana, the Dream Act, and the Women's Equality Act are constant topics of conversations with my constituents in the district, with my colleagues in the halls of the Capitol and in the press. But each day the Senate majority coalition sends out the list of legislation that's up for consideration on the floor, and somehow no bills dealing with these issues appear. Instead, we get legislation renaming various sections of roads, creating new crimes for activities that are already clearly illegal under existing law, or making yogurt the official state snack.
This has been the most abbreviated session we have had since I joined the Senate. After completing the budget, the Senate leadership changed the calendar so there was not session for almost the entire month of April. That might make sense if we had actually addressed all the issues before us, but we hadn't. Now as the session nears its end, all those days off seem designed to make it easier for leadership to run out the clock, with the session scheduled to end June 19th.
When the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) formed an alliance with the Senate Republicans to ensure continued control of the chamber's legislative agenda by Republican leader Dean Skelos, the IDC claimed that this would help them advance a progressive agenda, and they specifically pointed to campaign finance reform, medical marijuana, the Dream Act, and the Women's Equality Act as critical pieces of that agenda. Yet they have failed to pass any of these bills. The Assembly is on board. The governor is on board. It is well past time for the Senate leadership to get on board.
I believe we still have an opportunity to pass meaningful legislation before the session ends, and I am working with my colleagues in the Democratic conference and with advocates on these critical issues to keep the pressure on for action. If the majority coalition continues to try to run out the clock, I and my colleagues are ready to debate every bill they do bring to the floor, and highlight how many critical issues they are ignoring. There is simply no excuse for not passing these critical bills this year.
-Liz
A sad PS: Senator Roy Matz Goodman passed away on June 3rd. He was known to many of us as "The Statesman of the State Senate" and was the last of the Rockefeller Republicans. His final campaign for office was also my first, and his graciousness and good humor were on full display from that campaign's beginning to its end, when, victorious after a six-week recount, he jokingly dubbed himself 'Landslide Goodman.' Senator Goodman's personal warmth, his deep knowledge, and his commitment to the public were unwavering, and our entire community has benefited from his legacy of more than three decades of distinguished service.
My condolences go out to Senator Goodman's children, grandchildren, friends, and the countless East Side residents who knew and appreciated him.