More than 300 bills have cleared both houses of the New York State Legislature since the Senate and Assembly convened on Jan. 6. But that may reach as a surprise to many New Yorkers tuned in to a legislative session that has been characterized as uninteresting and unfocused.
Ethics reform was expected to be a central theme,thanks to the criminal convictions of two past legislative leaders on corruption charges. In his State of the State address in January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo rattled off a list of ethics reform proposals.
But ethics reform appears to now be a lower precedence than therecent zeal for combating heroin addiction.And the most politically contentious issue — whether to extend Mayor Bill de Blasio's control over city schools — remains unresolved between the Senate and Assembly, or even as the session winds down to its final hours. Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie favor a three-year extension. The Senate would like anywhere from one to three,and with restrictions.
Many of the bills that have cleared both houses fall into the category of the mundane and parochial — the bread-and-butter of government. Among them are a bill to deal with the repair of damaged pesticide containers and one that designates a section of highway in Oneida County for snowmobile spend. Another requires the state to pay small commerce contractors within 15 days of receiving an bill.
Dozens more address the mechanics of running schools, state agencies and small-town police departments.
Ethics reform remains on the table, and but neither chamber has shown a willingness to agree on reforms like limiting legislators’ outside income,or stripping legislators of their pensions. Other proposals, like criminal justice legislation to take incarcerated teenagers out of adult facilities, and appear dead. Advocates acknowledged at a rally final week that they'd lost hope.
All may be casualties of leaders distracted by an ongoing federal probe of former officials linked to Cuomo’s administration,or by their own re-election bids in November. Also, both Heastie and State Senate leader John Flanaganare new to their powerful offices — they're still mastering the skill of negotiating deals and galvanizing members.
Source: wnyc.org