Press release:
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today outlined his priorities for the last scheduled week of the legislative session. He pushed for the Assembly to take up real ethics reform, including passage of a bill that would strip public officials of their pension and retirement benefits for abusing their office.
“Looking back on this year’s session, I can’t help but label it the corruption session,” Hawley said. “If the fall of two of Albany’s most powerful politicians has taught us anything, it is that we need to prevent future abuses of the public trust. I called on legislative leaders last week to pass pension forfeiture for corrupt politicians and my request has fallen on deaf ears. With only days left in Albany, let’s put integrity back into government and show our citizens we are for real when it comes to ethics reform.”
Hawley, a small-business owner for more than four decades with years of experience in the agriculture and insurance industries, commented on the lack of pro-business initiatives during this year’s session.
“New York is certainly not open for business as the governor claims,” Hawley said. “It is no wonder that businesses continue to move out of New York State in search of less oppressive economic climates. This year’s budget brought virtually no tax or regulatory relief for our business owners and reinforced the exorbitant tax breaks given to the select few companies who participated in the START-UP NY program. This program has proven to be a dismally costly initiative, which needs to be shut down immediately to cut our losses. We still have time to bring the Small Business Full Employment Act, A.5898, to the floor for a vote and leave session having accomplished something meaningful for the thousands of family-owned small businesses across the state.”
The "ethics reform" portion
The "ethics reform" portion of this (Press release), in my opinion, falls into one of two categories:
(1) A poorly constructed joke, or,
(2) A weak public relations attempt
Hawley said ... "I called on legislative leaders last week to pass pension forfeiture for corrupt politicians and my request has fallen on deaf ears."
It didn't fall "on deaf ears", Mr. Hawley. And, for you to even suggest THAT, I believe, is insulting to the intelligence of your constituents.
Proposing a bill for legislators to sign, which "would strip public officials of their pension and retirement benefits for abusing their office" IS A JOKE!
Thinking like that runs akin to asking the "Holley squirrels" to post fluorescent posters on the trees they hang around.
Some states have Initiative and/or Referendum processes. Such processes allow citizens of many U.S. states to place new legislation on a popular ballot. Is NY one of those states?
Well, from a paragraph found at http://www.iandrinstitute.org/New%20York.htm
I'd say NO.
The paragraph reads, "In 1999, Governor George Pataki in his first “State of the State” address called for the establishment of the initiative and referendum process, however, the state legislature wasn’t interested in supporting establishing the process. In 2002, Pataki once again called for the legislature to pass a constitutional amendment establishing the initiative and referendum process. The proposal was strongly supported by the state’s Independence Party, Conservative Party and Republican Party. In April , the New York Senate passed the initiative amendment with only three dissenting votes. However, as of the writing of this history, the State Assembly had not acted on the Governor’s proposal."
How about it, "government scholars of NY'? Do the PEOPLE of NY have any recourse in getting laws passed that the legislative branch refuses to touch?
My guess would be, probably not. The King, and his Court, aren't about to let the people have any power short of electing the 'law makers'. And, the absolute WORST part of it is, no matter if 100% of the people want their legislator to vote a certain way, that legislator can vote against their constituent's wishes. If THAT isn't CORRUPTION, then I don't know what is!
a persons pension and their
a persons pension and their criminal activity have nothing to do with each other. you can not take away some ones pension because they acted up.... I wish steve would use his time more wisely. hey steve how is the repeal of the safe act going?
oh, to restore trust in
oh, to restore trust in government ? the government has been lying to me since I learned to read and write. unless my family or other relatives are running the government, if I live to be a 100, I will never trust or believe anything they tell me.