Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

For years, local governments have dealt with increasingly insurmountable financial stress forced upon them by Albany.

If a store, restaurant or any organization started losing customers, people in charge would make adjustments or they’d be out of business.

This week the governor presented his $178 billion Executive Budget proposal for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

Recent changes to criminal justice law have missed the mark, and the outcry from law enforcement experts, victims and the public has made it abundantly clear we cannot continue on this path.
What was sold to the public as a way to improve our justice system has rapidly descended into a public safety crisis.

The pageantry and ceremony of the opening days are welcome reminders the New York State Legislature has an important role to play in shaping the lives of millions of people, some of whom were on hand at the Capitol to hear their elected representatives speak about how they plan to make New York stronger.

January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month–a time dedicated to raising awareness of birth defects, their impact and prevention where possible.

As many of us gather with family and friends over the holidays, some of those celebrations will include special meals and desserts. Because we have access to a wide selection of food year-round at local grocery stores, it is sometimes easy to forget where our food comes from but New York’s farmers are agriculture leaders.

On December 16, the law allowing undocumented immigrants the ability to obtain a New York State driver’s license went into effect. The fact that this is now the law is a stunning reversal from 12 years ago when then-governor Elliot Spitzer proposed the measure.

For the last nine years there has been a national effort to collectively support local businesses with Small Business Saturday. Since 2010, this initiative has served as a reminder that gifts and services purchased locally for the holidays supports businesses and jobs in our backyards.