Daily Archives: June 13, 2011

Tax cap and ethics reform are what New Yorkers feel lawmakers at the state Capitol should focus on at the end of legislative session. This is according to a new poll by the Siena College Research Institute.

More than 50 percent of those polled put tax cap and ethics reform among their top priorities before the session ends on June 20th.

The poll also shows who voters will likely blame if either issue fails to pass.

Siena pollster Steve Greenberg said, “On the issue of the property tax cap and ethics, Democrats are going to blame the Republican Senate. Republicans are going to blame the Democratic Assembly. So we take a look at Independent voters. On the property tax cap they are evenly divided. They are going to split their blame between the Senate and the Assembly, but on the issues of ethics reform, more Independent voters are going to blame Senate Republicans than Assembly Democrats.”

Only 29 percent included Governor Andrew Cuomo’s third priority, which is the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York State.

Source

The ethics reform package, known as the Public Integrity Reform Act of 2011, passed the state Legislature overwhelmingly today.

The vote was unanimous in the Senate, but Assemblyman Joel Miller, R-Poughkeepsie, voted against it, saying the package is weak.

“Where people are willing to point out where the bill is significantly flawed, they will vote for it because everyone is afraid of the consequences. Well in my district, I am known for speaking exactly what the truth is. And if lied, I’d create a problem at the polls,” Miller said on the Assembly floor.

“But by telling the truth, at least I can continue a pattern and people should know that this bill is far from perfect. And so I will be voting in the negative, even though I don’t see a plethora of other red lights there” also voting no.

Aside from Miller, the bill was praised by lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo—who introduced the legislation.

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