Ronald Reagan once famously said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help.”
In the final days of this year’s legislative session, those words rang true throughout the halls of the Capitol. From radical climate policies to disastrous criminal justice reforms, the Majority played their greatest hits as they pushed countless initiatives through the Assembly in the dead of night when they thought no one was paying attention.
A prime example of this is Assembly Bill A.3780-E, which would require any new construction in the state with off-street parking to build electric vehicle charging stations. While on the surface this proposal may seem harmless, in practice it will be completely wasteful. Under this law, any new buildings, both residential and commercial, will have to include electric charging stations and parking spots even if there is no demand for them. This is pure legislative virtue signaling trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.
The Majority also took another shot at our state’s justice system by repealing the lifetime ban on felons serving on a jury. It never ceases to amaze me the lengths downstate politicians will take to compromise our public safety. We already have a process for felons to restore their ability to serve on a jury. This initiative will only tip the scales of justice in favor of convicts and take away even more credibility from our “reformed” criminal justice system. I’m all for second chances, but these lawmakers seem more concerned with protecting and coddling criminals than they are with defending victims and their families.
Sometimes failing to do the right thing is just as harmful as intentionally doing the wrong thing. The Majority exemplified this in the final days of the legislative session as they decided to not allow a bill aimed at helping older veterans. I sponsored an initiative (A.2050) that would exempt veterans over the age of 85 from paying state income tax. When the Majority had an opportunity to bring this bill to a vote, they pulled out all the stops to make sure it never saw the light of day. Sadly, this is how they operate. Instead of being transparent with New Yorkers, they’ll try to shut down any bill they disagree with so they can avoid responsibility from their constituents.
Even with the many disappointing and wasteful policies that came out of this year’s legislative session, there was some good that came out of it. For one, we were able to pass the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation for Kids Act. This proposal would help protect children and teens from addictive social media algorithms that are damaging to their sleep, education and mental health by requiring parental consent before using those apps and limiting late-night notifications. This bill exemplified the progress we can make when we work across the aisle to create common-sense legislation.
My colleagues and I also passed an initiative to honor one of our local heroes. Before this year’s legislative session, I partnered with Sen. George Borrello to designate a portion of State Route 77 in the town of Darien as the Sgt. Terry James Garigen Memorial Highway. Sgt. Garigen was a decorated Vietnam war hero who served his community through the town highway department, volunteer fire department and the Region 1 Patriot Guard Riders. I believe serving your country is one of the highest honors an American can have and I’m proud to honor Sgt. Garigen in this way.
Overall, the Majority left a lot to be desired at the end of the legislative session. New Yorkers are still struggling to make ends meet in the middle of an affordability crisis, but they increased spending for wasteful programs. Residents feel less safe than they ever have before, but the Majority continued to pass pro-criminal policies instead of keeping convicts off the streets. We need real solutions to fix these issues. We need to lower the cost of living, institute stronger penalties to deter crime and provide more support for our law enforcement officers.
Since day one I’ve been committed to standing up against these radical and backward policies. As long as I’m in the state Assembly, you will always have a voice representing your interests in Albany as we continue to work toward making New York a better place to live, work and raise a family.
“While New Yorkers are feeling the heat of increased unaffordability and an ongoing public safety crisis, the Majority simply swept these issues under the rug during their final days in Albany,” said Hawley.
“They instead took the opportunity to push through as many radical policies as they could, thinking people wouldn’t notice. The Majority needs to realize that New Yorkers don’t want more useless mandates and regulations. They want results. We need to lower the cost of living, institute stronger penalties to deter crime, and more support for our law enforcement officers. Until they can deliver on that, they’re wasting everyone’s time.”
“Another session has concluded and with it, the hope that this would be the year when those in power would finally tackle the problems New Yorkers care about most.
If my Democratic colleagues read the same public surveys that I do, then they’ve seen that approximately 60 percent of New Yorkers believe the state is on the wrong track and that their top concerns are the cost of living in New York State, the migrant influx and crime. However, judging by the bills and priorities they pushed again this year, it is clear that Albany Democrats aren’t letting New Yorkers’ top concerns influence their agenda.
Here is a yardstick of their ‘progress’:
Due to New York’s sanctuary policies, over 200,000 migrants have flooded into the state in the past two years, creating enormous logistical strains, a $4.3 billion burden on taxpayers, and increased pressure on city services. One city official this week reported that they have more migrants in their DHS system than New Yorkers. My Republican colleagues and I have urged state leaders to rescind sanctuary policies to stop the influx. We’ve also pushed for Laken’s Law to allow law enforcement to cooperate with ICE on migrants who’ve committed crimes. The response to both proposals has been silence and inaction.
Five years into their failed experiment, the toll of Democrats’ disastrous bail reform and other criminal justice changes continues to mount. In just a six-week period earlier this year, four police officers were killed and two others gravely wounded by suspects they apprehended. The National Guard was called in to patrol the dangerous subways, and NYC assault rates are at record levels. Robberies, shoplifting, and DWI offenses have surged to decades-high levels. The governor’s tough talk on retail theft amounted to a meager measure to create a low-level penalty for assaulting a retail worker. Numerous Republican proposals to reverse bail reform, combat antisemitism, and increase penalties for shoplifting, gun crimes, and DWI were ignored.
Unaffordability and our highest-in-the-nation taxes continue to make New York State the number one state for outmigration. The fuel for higher taxes is excessive spending and that trend continued. The $237 billion state budget spends $8 billion more than last year, is twice the size of Florida’s budget and represents the second highest per capita spending plan in the nation. While Texas and Florida post double-digit budget surpluses and tax cuts through prudent spending and strong economic growth, New York State’s debt continues to rise, and its productive, taxpaying residents and businesses continue to leave.
Efforts to meet the reckless goals of the state’s Climate Agenda are driving us toward less reliable and more expensive energy sources. Thanks to our vocal opposition, the HEAT ACT was removed from consideration this year, preserving our natural gas access, keeping energy costs down and saving jobs. However, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Act is another extreme mandate that would impose costly and unworkable burdens on manufacturers without making any measurable impact on the environment. The mandated packaging reduction will result in manufacturers pulling their popular products out of stores in New York, leaving consumers without the option to purchase many of their favorite brands and grocery store staples. Other manufacturers will be forced to pass their added costs onto already inflation-strapped consumers. Either way, consumers lose, a fact that has become the defining feature of all of the left’s climate proposals. The truth is that banning things like cool whip containers won’t save the planet, it will only appease the radical left. BUT, it hasn’t yet passed the Assembly, so I urge them to protect New Yorkers from this terrible bill and let it die.
Ultimately, the session concluded without the legislature’s majorities taking any steps towards addressing New York’s most serious problems and making it a place where people want to live rather than leave. Democrats will have to answer for that when they return home.
They will have to explain to their constituents why crime in the streets and subways isn’t improving and why their pharmacies are still locking up toothpaste and soap but allowing criminals to remain free.
They will have to explain why their tax bill and energy costs are three or four times higher than those of their friends and family members who live in other states.
They will have to answer for why our state continues to invite those who have violated our nation’s immigration laws to come to New York to access taxpayer-provided housing, food, healthcare, education, and legal services and why we shield them from federal authorities, even when they have committed crimes.
I remain hopeful that the concerns and common sense of my Democratic colleagues’ constituents will finally prevail over the demands of the progressive activists who have run Albany’s agenda for the past six years. In the meantime, my advocacy for the hardworking, law-abiding people in our region will continue.”
