Press release:
Assemblyman Steve Hawley is calling out his state Assembly colleagues for allowing atrocious bills to be passed in the state Legislature late last night.
Among them is automatic voter registration, which automatically registers New Yorkers to vote whenever they interact with what are determined as "qualified" government agencies like the DMV or Department of Health.
A Step Too Far
“I’m all for ensuring we participate in our democratic society to the fullest; that’s the only way democratic societies can work,” Hawley said. “But what was done last night is simply a step too far.
"Superseding the state constitution and writing far-reaching bills, with few checks and balances to ensure they cannot be taken advantage of leads me to believe this will cripple the voting system more than uplift it. Well intended or otherwise, the Downstate legislators need to realize they’ve just opened up a can of worms that will not yield good results.”
In addition to that, the state Legislature passed a redistricting bill that would amend the state constitution and allow for further redistricting in the state. The move comes in a suspected effort on the part of the majority to draw new districts that would be politically advantageous to them.
Disgraceful Politics
“It’s a gross misstep in the use of authority and Majority power, and will almost certainly mean that many voices are at risk of being unheard in the future,” Hawley said. “There really is nothing more disgraceful in politics than trying to uphold your own power and keep the people in the dark.”
Furthermore, the Assembly Majority continues its grip on its monopoly of power by refusing to remove the governor’s emergency powers that he claimed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York. With these powers, he’s continued to hamper businesses like bars and prevent them from reopening and supporting the economy.
The Beef About Chicken Wings
He insists that people order food while ordering alcohol but claims that chicken wings are not substantial food for bars. He added that sandwiches were the "lowest level" of substantive food.
“Chicken wings are a Western New York food, so this feels incredibly personal to me and my constituents,” Hawley said. “We all know the governor’s ‘Big Brother’ method of governance and one-size-fits-all solutions are his modus operandi, but at a time where people are trying to responsibly reopen and follow health codes as they have been instructed, the governor and his administration continue to curtail the attempts of honest workers getting back to a normal routine. It’s despicable.”
