Tedisco: Nothing Good Happens at NYS Capitol After Midnight

Statement from Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Glenville) 

“For weeks now, my Senate Republican conference and I have been standing ready to work on this budget while the Governor and Majorities have dawdled.  They have made the budget seven days late and now they’re talking about passing 11 budget bills without the three-day constitutionally required period of evaluation. So much for Governor Hochul’s promises of ushering in a new age of transparency and openness!” 

“I’m calling on my colleagues today to work morning to night to get the job done of passing a fiscally responsible budget, but let’s not substitute political expediency for transparency because it’s been shown time after time that nothing good can happen for taxpayers when the legislature is in session at the New York State Capitol after midnight.”

“Sunlight is the best antiseptic. The Fourth Estate and the most important part of our representative democracy, the voters, shouldn’t wake up with nightmares as their state government passed the largest spending plan in the history of New York State in the dead of night!”

“The Fourth Estate and the public should fully be there to document this budget debate and vote.”

“Ultimately, if the Governor and Leaders think passing a $220 billion state budget in darkness is so good for New York taxpayers, then why don’t they hold their press conferences at 3 a.m. instead of the light of day? Clearly, they don’t because they want a full airing of their ideas to the public through the media so they can be seen and heard.”

“As the famed journalist Bob Woodward popularized, ‘Democracy dies in darkness.’ If an agreement hatched in the dark of night at 3 a.m. is so good for our state then it will still be a good one to be debated and voted on at 3 p.m.”