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Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

Albany Corruption Points Out Need for the Right Reforms

It was recently reported that two Albany lawmakers from Downstate were involved in corruption and bribery.  One lawmaker, Assemblyman Eric Stevenson, is accused of accepting more than $22,000 in bribes from four adult daycare centers, with the understanding that he would put forth legislation that would benefit the centers.

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Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

Laws Created More Child Sex Abuse Crimes; Still More Needs to Change

We hear about cases on the news and we see mug shots of those who are charged or convicted of some heinous child sex abuse act. There is no excuse for these perpetrators and sickens the majority of us who have to read these stories. The good thing about these news stories is that when we see them reported, we know our law enforcement is catching more of these types of perpetrators.

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Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

Budget ‘Robs Peter to Pay Paul’

Last week, I talked about the State Budget in this column and this week, I wanted to expand on some elements in the budget. We passed a $141.2 billion spending plan before the April 1 deadline but it wasn’t without its problems. One of the biggest problems for me was the “sweeps” that took place. While “sweeping” is nothing new to New York, this year the budget used a bigger broom and swept more money from various funds into the general fund.

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Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

Budget Misses Opportunity to Move State Ahead

The 2013-14 New York State budget passed with total spending at $141.2 billion. Overall, we missed our opportunity to create a better state and left things status quo. We missed the chance to make our state friendlier to all businesses and provide real relief for taxpayers. Instead, we extended energy taxes for all residents, while providing tax credits to the film industry.

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Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

Local Roads, Bridges Need More Funding through NY Works

I recently joined several local highway officials in Albany to advocate for an increase in state aid for local roads and bridges. With budget negotiations under way, we cannot short change our localities and provide them with funding that is inadequate to keep roads and bridges passable.

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Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

Public Dollars Should Not Determine Candidates

Public financing of political campaigns is on the Governor’s agenda this year. Cuomo said in his State of the State address in January, the state should mimic what New York City has done and publicly fund campaigns. In this column, I want to outline for you why I believe publicly financing campaigns is a bad idea

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