It is nothing short of disappointing that the process to generate a state budget has yielded confusion, a missed deadline, at least one emergency extender and uncertainty for residents and businesses who rely on the critical funding included in the agreement....

“Passing a budget extender signals to the rest of New York that One-Party Rule is not working. The inability to meet the April 1 deadline illustrates the Albany dysfunction that people have come to expect. Three Majority lawmakers are deciding the...

Across the nation, we have witnessed school-targeted violence at a rate unlike any we have ever seen in this country. The grief and heartbreak families have been forced to endure as a result of these attacks is unimaginable and it is abundantly clear...

The Assembly Minority Conference today released its final report from its Task Force on School Safety & Security. Assembly members, led by Task Force Chairmen Joseph M. Giglio (R,C-Gowanda), Doug Smith (R,C-Holbrook) and Mike Reilly (R,C-Staten Island),...

Earlier this week, I joined with members of the Assembly Minority Conference and district attorneys to call for changes to the state’s criminal justice policy that is clearly compromising public safety. The “Raise the Age” law was passed in the...

Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R,C-Pulaski) and members of the Minority Conference today announced legislation to reform the flawed “Raise the Age” and improve the level of accountability for those who commit violent felony crimes. The Minority...

New York’s business community has expressed deep concerns regarding the direction of the state and its financial outlook, but it does not appear they will be getting much relief anytime soon. As such, the most recent iteration of the Siena College Annual...

Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R,C-Pulaski) today issued the following statement on the Assembly Majority’s One-House Budget Resolution. The resolution proposes to take state spending to $232.9 billion for the 2023-24 Fiscal Year. The proposed...

Every day, New Yorkers rely on local roads, bridges and culverts to go to work, go to school, run their errands and enjoy our state’s many great recreational destinations. Unfortunately, these same roads and bridges have been financially neglected for...

In January, I wrote a letter to John B. King, Jr., chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), to address a concern raised by students taking classes in the New York State Pathways in Technology (NYS P-Tech) program. Despite a number of COVID...

Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay today announced that he and members of the Minority Conference have filed paperwork to join the ongoing legal challenge to the severely-flawed Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA). Last week, the Minority Assembly...

There is never a bad time to recommit to healthy cardiovascular dietary and exercise habits, but American Heart Month provides an especially great opportunity to actively consider some creative ways to improve overall heart health. As we prepare to head...

Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R,C-Pulaski) presented Nancy Fox, left, founder and director of CNY Community Arts Center, with an Assembly Resolution (K00122) in honor of her retirement and years of dedication to the organization.“Eleven years...

As the Executive Budget proposal inches closer to a final product, its insufficiencies and impacts become clearer. One area of especially great concern is the governor’s plan to intercept federal funding meant to help offset localities’ Medicaid costs....

“Everything about the process to nominate, vet and vote for Judge Hector LaSalle as chief justice of the state Court of Appeals was deeply flawed. It should not take a months-long, public spectacle – and ultimately a lawsuit – to decide who will...

The state budget process is a complex undertaking with an enormous impact on New York’s residents and businesses. At its core, though, the document has one simple aim, improve the quality of life for those living in the state. One way to accomplish...

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Executive Budget proposal, delivered earlier this week, sets another record high for state spending. But while spending big, the $227 billion proposal falls short on specific measures designed to reduce our cost of living. To put...

“Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $227 billion spending plan touched on a number of policy issues and public programs, but there is still no clear path to address how the cost of living is going to improve. Once again, state spending will continue to rise. Not...

We are now a month into 2023, and while it is encouraging to hear Gov. Kathy Hochul claim she is open to changes to the state’s failed criminal justice policy, too little has been done to curb the ongoing spike in violent crime plaguing our communities....

As in so many instances in Albany, basic, fundamental democratic processes are frustrated by political agendas and needless dysfunction. This unfortunate reality is again playing out as Judge Hector LaSalle, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s choice to lead the Court...