Assemblyman Bill Reilich (R,C,I-Greece) today joined with his Assembly Minority colleagues in calling for common-sense “Rules” reforms to make state government more transparent and accountable to the public.
“The Rules reforms that my Assembly Minority colleagues and I support would help end the dysfunction in Albany by changing the way government works so that the public’s interests are put ahead of special interests.”
To transform the way Albany operates, Assemblyman Reilich is supporting Rules reforms that would require:
- All standing committee meetings shall be transcribed and made available on the Assembly website and in the Assembly Public Information Office
- All legislators shall receive equal staff allotments. Currently, the Assembly Majority receives more than twice as much money to pay staff as do their Minority counterparts
- Require immediate convening of conference committees when bills addressing the same subject have been passed by both chambers
- Allow ranking minority members of standing committees to call public hearings
- Committee ratios shall reflect the ratio of majority to minority members that are currently elected to the house
- Require bills with Home Rule requests from local municipalities be considered in committee at the first meeting that is held after the bill has been in committee for three days. Currently, these types of bills are jammed through at the end of session and are often used as political bargaining chips
- All bills reported to the legislative floor must be accompanied by a detailed public committee report to help identify the actual legislative intent
- Allow motions to discharge bills at any time after 20 days have passed since the bill was referred to the committee and until five days before the end of the legislative session
- Require fiscal impact statement on all bills
- Require any bill that imposes a mandate on municipalities to be specifically labeled on the calendar
- Require a super-majority (2/3) vote for final passage of a bill imposing, continuing or reviving a tax.
“We have a mandate to reform state government and we have a common-sense plan that will help us reach our goals,” added Reilich. “Unfortunately, the Assembly Majority has shown in recent weeks that they don’t have the courage to stand up to their leadership or special interests. I implore them to stand with us in order to make the necessary reforms to, once and for all, move this state in the right direction and do what’s in the best interest of New Yorkers.”