Senator Lanza Unveils Vision For A More Free New York

ALBANY, NY – Members of the Senate Republican Conference today advocated for their plan to create a more free New York State. The plan includes standing up for New Yorkers’ constitutional rights, doing away with excessive government overreach, and restoring the people’s faith in their government by increasing accountability and transparency. A more free New York is a core tenet of the Senate Republicans Rescue New York 2023 agenda, unveiled earlier this year. Each year, New York loses hundreds of thousands of residents to out migration as they relocate to states that are safer, affordable and free from governmental overreach.

New Yorkers deserve to live in a state where they are free – free to walk down safe streets, free to make the choices they feel are best for their families, free to decide how to heat their home and cook their food, free to exercise their constitutional rights, free from crushing taxes and an overreaching government that hampers their quality of life. We lose more and more New Yorkers every year to other states – we need to reverse the trend of big government and burdensome mandates and create a state that is freer, safer, and more affordable,” said Deputy Senate Republican Leader Andrew Lanza. 
 

“When the Founder’s first conceived of America’s form of government, they envisioned a system that protected the rights of the people. It’s the constitutional system I swore to defend during my service in the United States Army. Unfortunately, the Politicians in Albany’s Ruling Class are obsessed with dictating laws and mandates that infringe on the freedoms we hold dear. Rescuing New York means freeing New York. We should be promoting policies that protect constitutional rights, preserve local control, empower parents, expand wallets, and greatly improve transparency and the ethical integrity of state government. Citizens deserve to breathe the fresh air of freedom on New York soil once again – Senate Republicans are committed to this vision,” said Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt.

“Albany government overreach is threatening local control once again, little by little removing our freedoms – this time, with a one-size-fits-all housing plan that will give themselves the ability to overrule housing development decisions made by our local governments, and force overdevelopment in our communities that some cannot sustain and silencing the residents who live there. There is a need for Affordable Housing, we all recognize that. But it must be done in a manner where localities and local developers have input – NOT heavy-handed, top-down government control.,” said Senator Alexis Weik, SD 8th.

“Excessive mandates emanating from Albany are among the reasons people are running over each other leaving New York.  Government overreach attained new heights during the pandemic and the out of control policies have only become more outrageous by the day.  We are elected to represent the people, not dictate to them.  Instead of trying to control every aspect of life for New Yorkers, it is time to scrutinize the behavior of government - ensure that public money is not being wasted, open up the legislative process, and bring true transparency and accountability back to our state,” said Senator Peter Oberacker, SD 51st.

A More Free New York 

Several proposals in  the Rescue NY Legislative agenda unveiled by Senate Republicans earlier this year focus on solutions that will create a more free New York State:

• Retaining local control and standing up against excessive government overreach – proposals from Albany bureaucrats continue to attempt to supersede local control. This outrageous housing proposal would take control of local zoning out of the hands of municipalities and force burdensome mandates from Albany that would seriously deteriorate the quality of life in communities throughout New York State.
   
• Protecting private property rights by opposing so-called “Good Cause Eviction” legislation.
   
• Promoting parental rights by ensuring school officials are transparent, communicate properly, and include parents in decisions regarding their child and standing up for school choice to empower families to make education choices that work best for their children.
   
• Upholding the state and federal constitutional rights of New Yorkers and opposing unnecessary and inappropriate government mandates. 

• Lessening the tremendous tax burden on New York residents, while Democrats continue to increase taxes on every aspect of New Yorkers’ day to day lives – including new taxes on streaming services for entertainment, food delivery services in New York City, and commuting into the city for work.
• Restoring accountability and transparency in state government and improving oversight by fully restoring the ability of the State Comptroller to review state contracts, limiting the use of messages of necessity and removing non-fiscal matters from being rammed into the state budget

“New Yorkers are leaving in droves for states with lower taxes, more efficient services and thriving economies. Government overreach, excessive mandates and eroding public safety are accelerating their departures. Our citizens have a stark choice: choose leaders who want to continue down this path, or make the rational choice to try something different,” said Senator Jake Ashby, SD 43rd.

“New York State leads the nation in all the wrong categories, including its status as one of the least free states in the country. The infringements on New Yorkers’ rights seem to grow daily. When Albany Democrats know their agenda might face opposition from citizens or local governments, they issue mandates or pass restrictive laws to override the will of the people.. Some of the proposals under consideration right now are downright disturbing. Among them are initiatives that would strip New Yorkers of the right to make decisions on how they heat and power their homes, the type of housing in their neighborhoods, what they can do with their rental properties and more. We are on a slippery slope in New York State and it’s time to put on the brakes,” said Senator George Borrello, SD 57th.

“New Yorkers have suffered under the yoke of two administrations and almost four years of crushing mandates that have forced municipalities, businesses, families, and individuals into immeasurable financial strain and social havoc. Albany elites have imagined themselves into a pseudo-monarchy where their edicts supersede the wants and needs of the average New Yorker - not for any noble intention, but simply because they imagine that they know better than the average New Yorker. This attitude has led to disastrous consequences. The Senate Republican conference has its ear to the ground to understand what New Yorkers truly want and I am proud to stand alongside my colleagues to promote a plan that reflects that understanding,” said Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, SD 9th.

“Excessive government regulations and mandates drive up costs on taxpayers and chip away at the rights and freedoms of all New Yorkers.  These common-sense proposals push back on such government overreach by protecting the rights of citizens, improving accountability, and restoring our system of checks and balances in state government,” said Senator Patrick Gallivan, SD 60th.

“New Yorkers should be able to make their own choices when it comes to how they live their lives. Unfortunately, those who control our state’s government think otherwise and have imposed many burdensome mandates onto residents, families, businesses, local governments and schools. The troubling approach we are currently witnessing where those who govern believe they know better than those they serve will only worsen the exodus from our state,” said Senator Joseph Griffo, SD 53rd.

“For Democrats, unfortunately the answer to any problem is always more government. They are all too willing to tell us how to live our lives and how to raise our children.  Mask and vaccine mandates, making choices for our children in school, and ill-conceived Housing Compacts are just a few examples of their government overreach.  Because of this government first philosophy, life in New York has never been worse, and people are afraid for the future. Only by empowering New Yorkers to make their own decisions for themselves and their children can we make things better. We stand with all New Yorkers in declaring enough is enough,” said Senator Jack Martins, Vice Chair of the Senate Republican Conference.

“For far too long, our residents have been dealing with dictates from Albany and we need a fundamental shift in how our state operates. From unreasonable COVID mandates to an unfair energy choice ban to the undermining of local control, New York State is working to control the lives of all New Yorkers by restricting their rights. Every elected official in New York State needs to realize they work for the people of this state and that Albany control needs to end,”said Senator Mario R. Mattera, SD 2nd.

“The Governor wants to raise The MTA Payroll Tax 47 percent and the Senate Democrats are proposing to create new taxes and surcharges, all in an effort to throw more money into the black hole of the MTA. The Senate Republicans have a different approach. Our conference believes that MTA leadership needs to be held accountable for its fiscal mismanagement, not rewarded with hundreds of millions of dollars more from the taxpayers. That's why we sent a letter, requesting that the State Comptroller conduct a forensic audit of the MTA. We feel the MTA needs to focus on eliminating waste, fraud and abuse before they ask for another taxpayer-funded bailout,” said Senator Dean Murray, SD 3rd.

“New Yorkers across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions I represent, and statewide, are worried about the direction this state government keeps heading under one-party, all-Democrat, extremely liberal control.  They see New York becoming less safe, less affordable, less economically competitive, less responsible, and far less free and hopeful for the future.  We need to rebuild respect for the Constitution, restore legislative checks and balances, get out from under extreme executive control, and reestablish the importance of local decision-making,” said Senator Tom O’Mara, SD 58th.

“New York has held the infamous distinction of being the highest taxed and least free state in the nation for years. Under one-party rule, Albany's policies have eroded the personal and financial freedoms of residents, which has directly resulted in New York leading the nation in outmigration.  Unless state government enacts real changes to reduce the financial burdens and restrictive measures it places on citizens, then we will continue to lose residents at alarming rates,” said Senator Anthony Palumbo, SD 1st.

"Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats have made New Yorkers less safe, less prosperous and less free. The American Dream in New York is being stifled by radical Democrat policies causing hard-working New Yorkers to flee the Empire State in record numbers because of soaring taxes, increased crime, and burdensome regulations and endless mandates on everything from vaccines to personal safety to even housing. New Yorkers are abandoning the place they have called home in favor of states with more freedoms and less government control on their daily life. I’m proud to stand with my Senate Republican colleagues to unveil our common-sense plan to make New York more free, transparent, and accountable to the taxpayers we are elected to serve,” said Senator Steven Rhoads, SD 5th.

“From excessive taxes, regulations and mandates to radical crime and social policies, New Yorkers are leaving our state in droves for more freedom and opportunity. The plan advanced by my Senate Republican colleagues and I would make our state more safe, more affordable and more free,” said Senator Dan Stec, SD 45th. 

“The role of state government should be to protect our most vulnerable citizens and remove obstacles for citizens so they can be everything they can be with the God-given talents they’ve been given — and then just get out of the way! Unfortunately, our state has too often had a difficult time getting out of the way in managing people’s lives with burdensome over-mandates and regulations that curb our freedoms and opportunities for citizens and small businesses to be everything they can be,” said Senator Jim Tedisco, SD 44th.

“Mandates placed on New Yorkers by Albany Democrats are out of touch and overreaching. They will stop at nothing to restrict, mandate, tax, or over-regulate every aspect of our lives. Senate Republicans stand up for the constitutional rights of New Yorkers, allowing them to make the correct decisions for the well being of themselves and their families,” said Senator Mark Walczyk, SD 49th. 

“A smaller government is a better government. Governor Hochul has proposed grabbing control of everything from local zoning to people's gas stoves. It is a pattern of excessive overreach that must be stopped before more people flee New York State,” said Senator Bill Weber, SD 38th.

To view the entire Rescue NY Legislative agenda, click here.