Democrats in the State Assembly want to raise New York’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $8.50. At 17 percent, it would be the biggest one-time increase in the minimum wage in state history.
It would also be the wrong move at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons. Read More
ALBANY—State Assemblyman Dov Hikind has revived his proposal for racial profiling by security personnel, in light of the attempted bombing of a passenger jet landing in Detroit.
"I think this is a unique situation," said Hikind, who introduced a similar bill in 2005 after the London subways were attacked and NYPD officers began Read More
ALBANY—The path is now truly clear for the State Senate to consider a bill legalizing same-sex marriage today.
The legislature is still in extraordinary session, so the measure had to be re-passed by the State Assembly to become law. That chamber has previously approved the bill twice, and affirmed it once again Read More
ALBANY—Here's some early morning reading: a $2.8 billion deficit reduction package.
The Assembly passed two bills containing this these measures last night. Here are links to the main bill, and another.
The highlights, as distilled by the Associated Press:
-$1.6 billion in cuts and temporary cash transfers from agencies to Read More
ALBANY—It was midnight in the Capitol, and according to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the bills on a deficit reduction plan were still "somewhere in the printing process."
"I mean, it's the same base bill that's been drafted and distributed for weeks. What's printing is working on another version of that," Silver said in Read More
ALBANY—Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell just said his chamber will pass a bill legalizing same-sex marriage tonight. Again.
"It's my understanding we're doing it again today, I believe the Senate will be doing it as well," said Danny O'Donnell, who is openly gay and sponsors the bill in that chamber.
The Assembly has passed the Read More
ALBANY—David Paterson said he was disappointed with reports that a vote on a bill legalizing same-sex marriage was a carrot in negotiations over a budget deficit that concluded today.
"The fact that marriage equality, somehow, was manipulated into being part of the DRP negotiation, is something that I think is reprehensible," Paterson said during Read More
ALBANY—Several members of the Assembly Democratic conference let their frustrations with what they see as State Senate's inability to coalesce around a deficit-reduction agreement boil over in a closed-door conference this afternoon, sources said. Some members suggested cutting an agreement with David Paterson and leaving it on the Senate's desk. That chamber is at Read More
ALBANY—It's official -- they're gone.
The Assembly just recessed until Monday at 2 p.m. State Senators did not bother to gavel into session today; at least half a dozen of the members of the Democratic majority left last night. The Senate is expected to return to session Monday afternoon.
Republicans in both chambers have Read More
ALBANY—One of Congressional candidate Dede Scozzafava's colleagues on the other side of the aisle in the Assembly is defending her political "courage."
"She has been an outstanding assembly member," said Danny O'Donnell, a Manhattan Democrat. "She gets along with everybody, she is somebody who is not strident on issues and has shown flexibility on Read More
ALBANY—The State Senate is returning next month.
Travis Proulx, a spokesman for the chamber's Democratic majority said that a session has been called for 10 a.m. on August 6. Senators will take up a bill which cleared the Assembly authorizing mayoral control of schools, as well as four chapter amendments agreed to in Read More
ALBANY—State Senator George Winner just suggested Paterson's appointment of Richard Ravitch is an impeachable offense.
"I think that any time you're talking about willful violation of the constitution for political purposes, as I believe the governor is doing, I think it's a fair game to take a look at it," the Elmira Republican Read More
ALBANY—State Senator George Winner just suggested Paterson's appointment of Richard Ravitch is an impeachable offense. "I think that any time you're talking about willful violation of the constitution for political purposes, as I believe the governor is doing, I think it's a fair game to take a look at it," the Elmira Republican just told Read More
ALBANY—Everyone expected that there would be legal action if David Paterson moved to enact bills passed during the coffee-run coup. Apparently that wasn't necessary to trigger a suit.
State Senator Darrel Aubertine, a Watertown Democrat, filed suit against several Assembly staffers for not performing what he asserts is a "ministerial" duty of Read More
ALBANY—Everyone expected that there would be legal action if David Paterson moved to enact bills passed during the coffee-run coup. Apparently that wasn't necessary to trigger a suit. State Senator Darrel Aubertine, a Watertown Democrat, filed suit against several Assembly staffers for not performing what he asserts is a "ministerial" duty of sending along the Read More
