Senate switch leaves business unfinished
WNYT NBC 13
Albany, NY
http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S970539.shtml?cat=300
ALBANY – A slew of legislative bills will not be acted on now in the state Senate, especially if the leadership change is taken up by the courts.
So people who were counting on the Legislature to act may be disappointed.
No one knows for sure how all of this will play out, but critics agree the Senate implosion will create gridlock and many issues will remain unresolved.
Outraged protesters from across the state gathered Tuesday outside Sen. Pedro Espada’s office at the state Capitol.
The group Citizen Action of New York blames Espada for the apparent Republican takeover of the Senate. They’re frustrated and worried their agenda will be ignored with Republicans in charge of the upper house.
“There were historic reforms that have never been passed in the history of the state that were going to be passed in the next few days and they came in and usurped the authority of the voters of New York,” said Maurice Mitchelle of Citizen Action of New York.
The group was pushing campaign finance reform to make elections more equitable in New York. They fear the issue is dead for this year with the power struggle.
“We’re not even sure if the Senate will be able to convene in their chamber tomorrow because the doors are locked,” said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group.
Horner says the list of unfinished business at the Capitol is pretty long. He’s not sure how much will get done if this takeover stands.
“It’s more likely that the governor’s more fiscal conservative proposals, a cap on property taxes a cap on spending, are going to be more likely to move through the Senate,” Horner observed.
They’ll be more likely than same sex marriage, although Elissa Kane and Lynne Lekakis are holding out hope. They got married in Albany five years ago. Their marriage is not recognized by New York State. They’ve been fighting ever since to get the attention of lawmakers. While they’re disappointed at the Senate takeover, they don’t view it as a setback.
“There are folks on both sides, Democrats and Republicans, who support having a dialogue on the Senate floor bringing it to a vote,” Kane said.
Other important issues that remain unfinished include Rockefeller drug law reform and the STAR tax rebate program.
The regular session ends in two weeks.