Taxpayer-funded mailings from N.Y. lawmakers criticized

By Jill Terreri

The campaign literature that fills mailboxes this time of year is as much a fixture of the seasonal political landscape as debates and television advertisements.

But what taxpayers on the receiving end of those mailers might not realize is that in some cases, they paid for them.

State lawmakers send out state-funded mail to constituents as a way to inform them of what's going on in Albany, they say. Critics say the mail, the entire cost of which is paid for by taxpayers, increases closer to election time for majority members, especially those in tough races.

Both houses of the state Legislature have rules that govern who can send the mailings and when they can be sent.

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http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20081011/NEWS01/810110328/1002/