Politics

Assemblyman to introduce corruption bill

Monday, May 6th, 2013, 12:46pm

ALBANY - There is a bill in the works that would deny convicted politicians of their taxpayer-funded pensions.

Since 2000 at least 26 state lawmakers have dealt with ethical problems or criminal charges. Three of the last five state Senate majority leaders have either been indicted or have gone to jail for corruption.

Rotterdam Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara sits on the Government Employees Committee. The committee recently rejected a bill that would have removed pension and retirement benefits for any elected official convicted of a felony related to the official duties.

He says he's moving the bill out of committee for the full Assembly to consider.

"I think that when we're elected to office, the voters place their trust in us and I think we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard," Santabarbara said.

The assemblyman say a new bill, slightly revised, is already in the works.

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Schoharie County Board of Supers oppose NY SAFE Act

Submitted by WNYT Staff

Friday, February 15th, 2013, 3:29pm

The Schoharie County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Friday morning opposing certain provisions in Gov. Cuomo’s New York SAFE Act.

The board says the law violates the constitutional rights of gun owners.

The law calls for stricter background checks and limits the amount of ammunition a magazine can hold.

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Fracking opponents pack NY budget hearing

Submitted by WNYT Staff

Monday, February 4th, 2013, 5:23pm

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Poll: NY voters evenly split on fracking

Submitted by WNYT Staff

Monday, February 4th, 2013, 1:24pm

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. (AP) - A poll shows New York voters nearly evenly divided on natural gas drilling using hydraulic fracturing.

The Siena Research Institute poll released Monday says voters statewide were split 40-40 percent when asked if the Department of Environmental Conservation should lift a 4 ½-year-old moratorium on fracking. The remaining 20 percent had no opinion. In the Southern Tier region where drilling would most likely start, the poll showed 48 percent opposed and 47 percent favored lifting the ban.

The poll found opponents of fracking were far more passionate in their positions than supporters were.

The agency has a Feb. 27 deadline to complete fracking regulations or let them expire.

The telephone poll conducted Jan. 27-31 surveyed 1,154 registered voters and has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.

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NRA: NY’s quick gun law passage nixed opposition

Submitted by WNYT Staff

Thursday, January 17th, 2013, 5:37pm

The National Rifle Association said the secretive negotiations and lightning-fast passage of New York’s tough new gun control laws squelched the powerful gun lobby’s ability to mount opposition.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he had to engineer quick enactment to prevent a counterproductive buying spree of now-outlawed guns.

The legislation was negotiated over the weekend, introduced on the first day of the 2013 legislative session and signed into law the next day.

The NRA, which has thwarted such restrictions nationwide, had members working the phones but didn’t have enough time to coordinate a public rally. The gun-rights group and some New York lawmakers say the rushed legislation also undermined public input and meaningful debate.

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Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon deliver anti-fracking comments

Submitted by WNYT Staff

Friday, January 11th, 2013, 6:36pm

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Supporters and opponents of the contentious gas drilling process called fracking have delivered tens of thousands of comments to New York state officials considering whether to allow it.

Led by Yoko Ono and her son Sean Lennon, opponents of hydraulic fracturing showed up in Albany on Friday with boxes containing what they said was 204,000 comments in opposition. The comments were gathered during an intense 30-day effort featuring online coaching and comment-writing workshops.

Industry representatives also are delivering comments to the Department of Environmental Conservation. They argue that proposed rules are so strict they'll effectively prevent drilling in New York's part of the lucrative Marcellus Shale formation.

A decision by the state is expected by the end of February.

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NY Rep. Gibson won't sign no-tax pledge again

Submitted by WNYT Staff

Thursday, November 29th, 2012, 10:49am

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A spokeswoman for Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson says the congressman who supported a no-tax pledge as a candidate won't sign the same pledge when his new term begins.

Gibson represented the 20th Congressional District when he signed the pledge championed by conservative anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist. Now, Gibson represents the 19th district in eastern New York and spokeswoman Stephanie Valle says he won't re-sign the pledge.

She says he still opposes raising tax rates for individuals or businesses but "will consider all comprehensive packages" negotiated by congressional leadership and the Obama administration. Gibson calls for closing loopholes and limiting some deductions in the tax code.

The question over tax hikes has taken on importance as leaders try to negotiate a way to avoid year-end spending cuts and tax increases.

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