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North Country Assemblyman Blankenbush blames Democracts for voting down 'sweeping rules reform package' he supported

Posted 1/15/16

A North Country state legislator says he supported of what he calls “a sweeping rules reform package for the Assembly” and blames Democrats for voting down the measures. “Assembly Democrats had …

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North Country Assemblyman Blankenbush blames Democracts for voting down 'sweeping rules reform package' he supported

Posted

A North Country state legislator says he supported of what he calls “a sweeping rules reform package for the Assembly” and blames Democrats for voting down the measures.

“Assembly Democrats had an opportunity to act on ethics reform today, but instead they chose to keep the status quo and voted down important reforms for the second year in a row,” said Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush, R-Black River. “Last year should have been a sobering wake-up call to state elected officials that ‘business-as-usual’ misdeeds and behavior are no longer acceptable. Assembly Democrats, however, are more concerned with partisan politics than passing meaningful ethics reform.

“The people of New York deserve far better from their government; we need to work together across the aisle to bring much-needed openness, accountability, and transparency to our house.”

Blankenbush said the reform package included 17 proposals “that would bring greater transparency to the Assembly.” Among them were term limits for legislative leaders, committee chairpersons and the speaker of the Assembly.

The defeated proposal included, according to Blankenbush:

• In the case of a vacancy, allow each candidate for speaker to be available to answer questions in open session about the candidate’s qualifications, background, experience, objectives, plans, and proposals.

• Allow each member two minutes to explain his or her vote for Speaker

• Impose eight-year term limits on the Speaker of the Assembly

• Require a two-thirds vote of all members elected to the Assembly when session extends beyond the eight-hour limit or after midnight

• Allow each member of the Legislature, during each two-year term, to bring one substantive piece of legislation of his or her choosing to the floor for a vote

• Require equal funding for every member’s individual office, regardless of party affiliation or seniority

• Require a roll call of each floor amendment considered to be made available electronically within 24 hours of the vote

• Allow one-third of the members of a committee to petition for a hearing on a bill or an oversight hearing.

• Impose eight-year term limits on the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the Assembly

• Require committee roll calls to be made available electronically

• Require all standing committees to be recorded and webcast live and made available on the Assembly website when practicable

• Impose eight-year term limits on committee chairs

• Declare a motion to discharge to be in order if the bill or resolution is sponsored by at least 76 members of the Assembly or by a vote of the majority of all members of the Assembly

• Require a roll call of each motion to discharge considered to be made available electronically within 24 hours of the vote

• Provide that the number of majority members on a standing committee be in the same ratio as the majority members of the Assembly are to the entire membership of the Assembly

• Require a two-thirds majority vote for Messages of Necessity submitted by the Governor to be accepted

• Require resolutions to age three days prior to a vote unless the Speaker and the Minority Leader waive this rule