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Statement from Senator George Borrello on Coronavirus Legislation
March 3, 2020
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“Last night, the State Legislature was presented with a piece of emergency legislation that sought to capitalize on the coronavirus as an excuse to inappropriately and excessively expand the powers of the Governor.
“As is often the case in Albany, this egregious power grab was strategically tied to $40 million in funding for coronavirus preparations. While I fully supported the funding appropriation, I could not support handing the Governor the power to act unilaterally during any event he deems an ‘emergency.’ The bill would have given him sweeping and sole authority to suspend and alter any state or local law or rule and issue directives. It unnecessarily added language to allow the Governor to declare a wide spectrum of events as ‘disasters’ – even blight -- giving him ultimate authority.
“During my time as County Executive, we had several crises arise that required quick action by our Legislature to approve emergency appropriations. Those occasions were never used as opportunities to expand the power of the executive and diminish the role of lawmakers. Had I attempted such a move, my colleagues would have voted “no” and rightly so. Many of my fellow legislators in both the Senate and Assembly, from both sides of the aisle, expressed serious concerns with the overreach in this bill. That is why I could not, in good conscious, vote in favor of this measure."
The Senator’s remarks on the bill are available here.
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