Dear Friend:
With
multiple, ongoing investigations now pending against the Governor, an
increasing number of residents have reached out to express their desire
to see the Governor’s Emergency Pandemic Powers fully rescinded.
While
these powers were necessary at the start of the pandemic, the
Legislature's Majority has neglected its obligation to provide necessary
oversight or act as a check on the Executive Branch. It is
clear that it is past time to bring balance back to Albany and ensure
that lawmakers are doing the job they were elected to do. Every single day that we have been in session this year, my colleagues and I have put forth an amendment that would fully repeal these emergency powers, and every day—despite widespread bipartisan support for the measure—the Legislature’s Supermajority rejects the proposal outright.
Yesterday,
we learned that the leaders of the Senate and the Assembly made a
backroom deal with the Governor to put forth a proposal aimed at
addressing his Emergency Powers. After careful review of the legislation, it is clear that this proposal is not a repeal of the Governor’s Emergency Powers—it is an absolute sham. It
does nothing to meaningfully change the current circumstances, does
nothing to restore balance in government, and it even removes the
original April 30th expiration date, essentially extending the
Governor’s control indefinitely.
After everything we have learned in the past weeks—a cover-up of nursing home deaths, multiple sexual harassment allegations, accusations of bullying of lawmakers, press and others—the
Legislature has a duty to get back to doing the people's work
by advancing a clean repeal of the Governor’s Emergency Powers.
To read my full statement on this bill, and to view the legislation in full, please click here.
With
the bill expected to be voted on as soon as tomorrow, I will be working
tirelessly to push for a clean repeal bill that brings transparency and
accountability back to state government. You can check my
website, serino.nysenate.gov, or follow me on social media for real-time
updates. I encourage you to share this message with friends and family
who may be interested in this latest news from the Capitol.
No comments:
Post a Comment