Dear Neighbor,

As your representative in the Assembly, I’ve been working for the results we need to bring integrity and accountability back to our state government. In order to achieve these results, we must work in a bipartisan fashion to create public policy that’s right for New York State. We need a government that is more open and accountable.

We’ve already made some great strides in a few short months to reform Albany. We’ve moved beyond any disagreements with the governor and have come together to pass comprehensive reform measures that bring transparency to the budget process. We’ve passed an ethics reform package to bring integrity back to state government. And we’ve passed monumental workers’ compensation reform that makes New York’s economy much more competitive.

I know there is much more work to be done. We have a long way to go to ensure our government is one we can all put our trust into, and I’ll continue my work to make that goal a reality.

Budget Reform: A more transparent process that makes sense

Assemblyman Magnarelli sponsored the budget reform legislation signed into law by Governor Spitzer (Ch. 1 of 2007)

• Among the reforms is the elimination of the $200 million “lump sum” appropriations for local initiatives—an important step in cleaning up the budget process

• Mandates “quick start” budget discussions each November

• Requires that the enacted budget—and not just the submitted budget—must be balanced

• Requires the Legislature to explain the fiscal impact of its proposed changes to legislators and the public before a budget vote

Ethics Reform: Bringing integrity back to state government

Assemblyman Magnarelli sponsored legislation that curtails gifts from lobbyists and creates a comprehensive watchdog agency to ensure the integrity of state government (A.3736A). The measure, which passed both the Assembly and Senate, would:

• Ban virtually all gifts of more than a nominal value from registered lobbyists to public officials

• Toughen penalties for ethics and lobbying law violations Create a permanent watchdog on ethics issues by merging the Temporary State

• Commission on Lobbying and the State Ethics Commission into a new entity, the Commission on Public Integrity

Workers’ Compensation Reform: Making New York’s economy more competitive

• Assemblyman Magnarelli has helped to fix New York’s broken workers’ compensation system—a long overdue move that points New York’s economy in the right direction

• Developed by members of both labor and business communities, the legislation sponsored by Magnarelli and signed into law by the governor (Ch. 6 of 2007) will:

  • Reduce costs for employers between 10 and 15 percent

  • Increase the maximum benefit rate and the minimum weekly benefit for injured workers

  • Create strong anti-fraud measures and new innovative programs to help workers get prompt medical treatment

  • Spur the economy by making New York a more competitive place to do business