Statement from Senator Patty Ritchie on Governor's Veto of Measure to Relieve Counties of Indigent Defense Costs

I am extremely disappointed in the Governor’s veto of legislation, passed unanimously by both the Senate and Assembly that would have provided sorely needed mandate relief to taxpayers in Central and Northern New York, as well as across the state.

With this measure (S.8114)—which I was a prime sponsor of—the state would have been required to absorb the full cost of state mandated legal services for the poor over the course of the next seven years, saving Jefferson, Oswego and St. Lawrence Counties $5.6 million a year, when fully effective.

As a strong supporter of this measure and other efforts to provide relief to taxpayers, I am committed to redoubling my efforts, alongside my colleagues in both houses of the Legislature and with the Governor, to make enactment of this reform a top priority in the new session about to get underway in Albany.