Statement From Senator Patty Ritchie

This year’s legislative session came to a close with the Senate failing to address any of the needs of upstate taxpayers and communities. Downstate members continue to ignore the state’s affordability crisis, the mass exodus of families from upstate and the hostile regulatory environment imposed on small business.

Instead, the Senate opted for a radical agenda that included a series of new taxes, free college and driver licenses for illegal immigrants, gutting an already struggling agriculture industry and expanding access to late term abortions, just to name a few.

I would like to say this list of priorities comes as a surprise to me, but it does not. Earlier this year this same group turned away 25,000 good paying jobs in New York City, while here in upstate, it is a constant fight to preserve just one.

While in the waning hours of session, the legislature did approve assistance for shoreline communities suffering with the aftermath of unprecedented flooding, I continue to have questions on how these funds will be deployed.

As many had predicted, we now know what happens when one party and one area of the state controls state government. More importantly, it reinforces the need to stand up for the serious needs of our region and the very real challenges impacting the suffering rural communities that make up the bulk of our state. Be assured, I remain committed to doing so.