John Sampson: Senate Dems Accomplishments
By Mike Connery on 06/09/2010 @ 08:13 AM
In this video released by Senator John Sampson yesterday, the Majority Conference Leader looks back at the Democrats first 17 months in power. It's been a rocky road at times, but Democrats have accomplished much in our first term in the majority.
We passed rules reform and opened government up to the people. Reformed public authorities and passed the most sweeping ethics bill in a generation. We brought property tax relief to New Yorkers and saved jobs.
Nevertheless, as Senator Sampson reminds us, much work remains to be done. While Senate Dems were busy working for New Yorkers, Senate Republicans have been standing on the sidelines shouting "no" and obstructing progress at every turn. It's going to take hard work - and a larger majority in November - to truly give New Yorkers the government they deserve.
TRANSCRIPT A year ago today we were a house divided.Trust was broken and the fabric of government was torn.
But for every setback, there is a comeback.
I believe in the politics of hope and the strength of action.
And here is what we have done:
We transformed the rules of the Senate to make the legislative process more open, accountable, and inclusive.
We gave all members an opportunity to advance legislation with a straight up or down vote on their bills.
Equalized resources for all Senators regardless of party.
And used new technology to make every legislative action available to the public through live web broadcasts and the documentation of every legislative meeting in an easily searchable online database.
Then, putting partisanship aside and the people first, we worked across the aisle to pass bipartisan legislation.
We reformed New York City school governance, dragged shady Public Authorities into the light, consolidated local governments, and created a new tier in the state pension system to save taxpayers billions.
We took the historic step of appointing Republican Minority members as Committee Chairs for the first time in Senate history to continue to build a more efficient and functional chamber.
And then we took on ethics reform, passing the toughest ethics and campaign finance law in a generation.
We hoped it would be the first break in the Albany logjam, but the Senate Minority continued their history of building walls to exclude regular New Yorkers and block reform.
That’s ok. Because the work begins again, hope continues to rise, and our quest for ethics reform will not die. We will make it happen.
Changing the way business is done in Albany was no easy task after forty years of dysfunction.
And some achievements many thought were out of reach finally got done.
We passed the Bigger Better Bottle bill cleaning up our environment.
We passed Property Tax and Mandate Relief.
We passed the Family Health Care Decision Act and the HIV Rent Cap after nearly two decades of Republican obstruction.
We passed Rockefeller Drug Reform.
And, Democrats brought Marriage Equality to the floor for the first time in our State’s history.
Recognizing that New York works best when New Yorkers are working, Senate Democrats helped create and save over 400,000 jobs in our first term in the Majority.
From Power for Jobs, to the first in the nation Green Jobs program we are working our way out of financial disaster by putting New Yorkers back to work.
And we did not forget, nor will we ever forget, our greatest responsibility – our constitutional obligation to a quality education for every child in New York.
We gave New York the points we need to win $700 million in the Race to the Top.
The job before us is far from easy, and there will always be bumps along the way.
But giving New Yorkers a government they can believe in is not just a slogan, it is their birthright and our job to achieve.
And we will make it happen.
Video: Darrel Aubertine on the Budget, Power for Jobs, and Property Tax Relief
By Mike Connery on 04/29/2010 @ 12:26 PM
Here's Darrel Aubertine explaining the importance of the Power for Jobs program, the state of budget negotiations, and why Democrats' call for property tax relief makes sense in the overall scheme of the state's finances. (hat tip to Oswego Democrat)
