Tagged: Capitol Bureau

The state’s Attorney General and Assembly Speaker have proposed an early voting system for New York that they say can improve voter participation and democracy.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman teamed up to press for New York to join 32 other states and allow early voting.  

Governor Cuomo says he’ll know in a couple of weeks whether two key items on his end of session agenda will become law- an abortion rights bill and public financing of political campaigns.

The governor says Republicans who co lead the State Senate continue to oppose a measure to clarify a women’s right to choose abortion. The GOP has also steadfastly been against public financing of campaigns.   

“It is a fundamental ideological difference on choice and public financing,” Cuomo said. “I get it.”

Governor Cuomo says he hopes to soon create a special government restructuring board that can work with local governments in financial crisis to help cut costs and perhaps share services or merge with other governments. He says many municipalities have been “unable to pay their bills for a long period of time”, and more state aid won’t change that.

“Our solution has been, we come up with an annual subsidy to get the city from one year to the next,” Cuomo said. “But that just kicks the can down the road.”

Recent bribery scandals involving state legislators have fueled discussion on campaign finance reform at the Capitol, with several politicians and advocacy groups pressing for publicly financed campaigns.  But a key faction in the legislature, Republicans in the State Senate, remains opposed.

Opponents of hydro fracking are charging there’s a potential conflict of interest with a consultant to Governor Cuomo’s environmental agency. They are asking that the years-long review of fracking in New York be restarted. The controversy caused the consultant in question to sever all ties with a gas industry lobby group.

It all began on Monday with a letter.