With less than 20 days remaining in this year’s regularly-scheduled legislative session, Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt (R,I,C- Greenwood Lake) has called upon her colleagues to focus on the real issues remaining unaddressed in New York State.
“Passing a timely budget was undoubtedly a major success. However, issues like mandate relief, independent redistricting and job creation were placed on the back burner while we focused on the budget. It is now time we work to systematically address what New Yorkers want corrected,” the Assemblywoman stated.
Assemblywoman Rabbitt has taken up the fight for legislation targeting unfunded mandates. With schools and local governments tasked with abiding by costly state mandates and having to do more with less due to cuts in the state budget, the assemblywoman is calling on Albany to enact mandate relief legislation to help alleviate the burden from schools and local governments.
“We have made changes this legislative session which have been long overdue,” Rabbitt stated. “We must keep the ball rolling to lift the burden of unfunded mandates off the shoulders of our already crippled schools and local governments.”
Redistricting legislative districts to respond to changes in US Census demographics is another top priority for Rabbitt. Historically, this process has favored the political parties who are in charge of drawing border lines. The assemblywoman and her colleagues are pushing for an independent redistricting commission to place the authority in the hands of an unbiased, politically neutral body. Additionally, she is pushing for ethics reform to go hand-in-hand with the accountability legislators have to do what is in the best interest of the people not in the best interest of themselves or their political party.
“As improving transparency and fairness falls under the realm of ethical responsibilities, we must extend the conversation of ethics to encompass not just individual’s actions, but also the structural process this government must initiate,” said Rabbitt. “Let’s keep politics as far out of the equation of redistricting as possible. We cannot draw lines based on the will of one group while sacrificing the system of representation we must adhere to.”
Rabbitt also is focused on putting back to work the 800,000 unemployed New Yorkers, many of whom who have begun to look outside of the Empire State for work. Rabbitt is working to provide businesses the tools needed to create jobs. The economy has faltered, but in its recovery we are seeing businesses with high profit margins that should be able to create more jobs within their ranks; however, New York State taxes dip deeply into their pockets and sap their finances.
“I call upon my colleagues to fight with me to put New Yorkers back to work,” the assemblywoman stated. “For the sake of the economy, we need every willing hand to be on task and contributing to the revamping of our financial system.”