News from Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb
Assembly Office:
933 Legislative Office Building • Albany, NY 12248 • (518) 455-3751
District Offices:
607 West Washington Street • Suite 2 • Geneva, NY 14456 • (315) 781-2030
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For Release: IMMEDIATELY, January 27, 2014
Contact: Michael Fraser, (518) 455-3751/(518) 859-8518
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb (R,C,I-Canandaigua) Statement On Assembly Vote On Women's Equality Act

It appears that the Assembly Majority has learned nothing during the past year. The individual provisions in the Women's Equality Act should be considered as separate bills. These measures languished in 2013 because of the same fatally flawed process the Majority has decided to use once again.

Meaningful reforms failed last year NOT because of the merits of the bills, but because of the legislative process that was used. The women of New York State watched Albany politics stifle what should have been historic reform. It's alarming that we appear to be headed down the same path.

By introducing a single piece of legislation, the Majority has once again threatened the future of measures that can enact pay-equity provisions, strengthen sexual harassment protections, create new human trafficking laws, and end a variety of discriminatory practices against women.

We have a chance to give a gift to generations of women. Unfortunately the Assembly Majority approach is driven by special interests and political leadership more concerned about the wrapping than the contents of the package.