This week started with a memorial service dedicated to the
beloved Assemblywoman Barbara Clark.
Barbara had long been a friend of the League and we are deeply saddened
by her passing. She leaves behind a wonderful legacy as a strong advocate for
the rights of women, children, and the undeserved population of New York
State.
On Tuesday we participated in a press conference with NYPIRG
on the Constitutional Convention urging reforms to the delegate selection
process. The full letter send to the Governor’s office on the issue can be
found here. The remainder of the day was occupied with
strategy sessions on several different issues including ethics reforms and
education initiatives.
Wednesday was a very full day starting with a legislative
briefing for legislators on the education investment tax credit issue. It was a
standing room only briefing with legislators and staff. We were joined by
Fiscal Policy Institute, Citizen’s Budget Commission, Alliance for Quality
Education, Reform Jewish Voice, and New York Civil Liberties Union. The
briefing allowed legislators to learn more about the issue and have their
concerns, both political and substantive, addressed. It was gratifying to see
so many newly elected members attend the briefing. After the briefing we met
with Assembly member Hyndman who had also attended the briefing and expressed
her opposition to the education tax credit (ETC). We discussed the ETC budget
proposal, early voting and automatic voter registration.
At noon we participated in a press conference on the
Governor’s executive proposal on the ETC. It was well attended by fiscal,
faith, and school association advocacy groups. The groups all expressed their
opposition to this flawed budget initiative. A press release from all the
groups can be found here.
Then it was off to do a news interview with channel 10 on an interesting twist
to the current Presidential campaign. The League has received several inquiries
about how they can change their party registration to vote either for or
against certain Presidential candidates. New York State election law does not
allow changes for your party affiliation after mid-October of the previous
year; except in the case of new voters or if you have moved to a new county. We
also noted that New York is a closed primary state and unless you are
registered in a party you cannot vote in a primary election. This is the first
time in my decades of experience that people have expressed an interest in
jumping parties for the specific reason of voting against another party’s candidate.
As we move closer to the budget deadline the halls of the
Capitol and LOB become difficult to maneuver as lobbying organizations make
their final push for money in the budget. We anticipate that the assembly and
senate one house budget bills will come out on March 14th.
Negotiations will then begin in earnest and conference committees will commence.
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