Speaker Sheldon Silver has released his list of action items from last week's Assembly sessions. Highlights include:
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced that the Assembly gave final passage to legislation to change New York State's presidential primary date from March 4 to February 5, 2008.
"The earlier primary date will give our state the edge we need to lock in a candidate's commitment to New York and enhance our ability to select the best presidential candidate for the state and nation," said Silver. He noted that by passing this legislation, New York will now be linked with other influential states that have demographic as well as public-policy issues and needs similar to New York State's.
This is really just a political money-grab. By moving the Primary date up the scales are tipped in favor of the candidate who heads into the early primaries with the largest war chest. For example, a Hillary Clinton will have a much better chance of winning the party nomination than a Dennis Kucinich who would more likely gain momentum and votes through communicating ideas and establishing himself as an alternative candidate, rather than coming out of the gates as a favorite. In the middle of it all will be the state party leaders, bleeding media and personnel funds out of the massive campaign accounts with the promise of delegates.
Silver announced the passage of legislation to continue the reimbursement of counseling expenses for relief workers or individuals who personally witnessed the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
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Under the bill (A.6621, Silver / S.3039, Maltese), traumatized bystanders who were within a 10-block radius of the WTC site when the attack occurred and relief workers would continue to have their counseling services reimbursed until December 31, 2007. This benefit is available without regard to the residence or financial difficulty of a claimant. The rate of reimbursement is determined by a claimant's treating counselor or independent medical examiner and is based on a percentage of the counseling service that is related to the claimant's injury that is a direct result of the 9/11 attack. There is no cap on the reimbursement expense.
Undoubtedly we have a responsibility to help relief workers and the families of victims, but to expand coverage to those whom "personally witnessed" the attacks? The entire nation was, in a way, witnesses on that day and what of those who saw the Pentagon attack or the "crash" of Flight 85? Were their experiences any less chilling and upsetting?
As far as the arbitrary "10-block radius," I would have loved to been in on the conversation where they came up with that one. No caps on these reimbursements either - yikes.
Silver joined Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Lt. Gov. David Paterson and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno as well as the minority leaders from each house for a meeting in the Capitol to discuss, in public, a budget for the state's fiscal year 2007-08. Silver and Spitzer urged Senator Bruno and Senate Republicans to
reduce their excessive spending proposal to a level that is closer to the additional state revenue amount of $575 million that all parties agreed to earlier this month.
They may discuss it in public, but we will never see any deal made in public. As far as the additional $575 million is state revenue, more can be found on that fallacy here.
