cuomo

Cuomo, Mohawk Leaders Sign Casino Pact

Pat Bradley — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:45:00 +0000

Governor Andrew Cuomo and St. Regis Mohawk tribal leaders have signed an agreement to ensure the Mohawks keep their exclusive casino territory in northern New York while paying the state $30 million in gambling proceeds that have been withheld.

Board Of Elections Reform Seen As Key In Albany

Karen DeWitt — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:15:00 +0000

Anti-corruption proposals are proliferating in Albany, following two high-profile bribery scandals. Some of them focus on the long-neglected State Board of Elections, which hasn’t even had an investigator on staff in over a year.

The State Board of Elections is supposed to make sure that elections run smoothly and that all the rules, including the campaign financing laws, are followed by candidates and their donors.

David Soares critical of funding aspect of corruption reform plan

Jaired Crofut — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:51:51 +0000

Following a pair of ethics scandals that have gripped Albany, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is pushing his plans for ending government corruption. Part of Cuomo’s reform package includes ending the practice of cross-endorsing candidates, but Albany County District Attorney David Soares says passing laws without funding to fight corruption won’t work.

Monroe town supervisor in Boston as explosions rock the city

Jaired Crofut — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:56:22 +0000

BOSTON – Two explosive devices went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon while other undetonated devices were located elsewhere along the route.

Three people were killed and over 140 were injured, some critically.

Town of Monroe Supervisor Sandy Leonard was at the Marathon. Her son, who lives in Boston, ran in the iconic race.

Reform groups say Cuomo's plan to empower DA's is a good first step

Karen DeWitt — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:13:39 +0000

Government reform groups say they are pleased that New York Governor Cuomo has now proposed step one in his plan to clean up corruption in state government, following two high profile arrests of state lawmakers.

Barbara Bartoletti, with the League of Women Voters, says the governor’s proposal to give the state’s district attorneys more power to investigate and prosecute bribery cases is a good first step toward systematic reform.

Cuomo proposes empowering DA's to help fight political corruption

Karen DeWitt — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 22:06:00 +0000

New York Governor Cuomo and the state’s district attorneys are pushing for laws to make it easier to prosecute bribery and public corruption cases, in the wake of recent scandals in Albany.

The bills would make it easier for the state’s DA’s to prosecute cases of bribery, and politicians and others involved in bribery schemes. It would also create a new crime of failure to report bribery. Anyone who does not blow the whistle if they discover potential corruption could be charged with a misdemeanor.

Cuomo: 'We must do better' on corruption

Ian Pickus — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:30:04 +0000

In his first major address since last week’s corruption scandals in Albany involving the arrests of state Senator Malcolm Smith, Assemblyman Eric Stevenson and several other political leaders on both sides of the aisle, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled a new ethics reform package in New York City Tuesday afternoon.

Cuomo’s proposal will empower district attorneys across the state to pursue public corruption cases.

NY Budget Passes

Karen Dewitt — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:48:19 +0000

New York State lawmakers were finished work on the state budget Thursday evening, completing the spending plan three days before the deadline.

The Assembly held a marathon day of voting to wrap up work on the budget , after the State Senate finished up in a midnight session earlier.

Debate on the floor included criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, over $90 million dollars in cuts to providers of services for the developmentally disabled. Lawmakers have set up a task force to try to mitigate the cuts.

NY Senate approved budget

Jaired Crofut — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:14:23 +0000

After an all night session, the New York State senate approved a $136 billion budget.

The Assembly is planning to vote on the budget tomorrow and if it is passed, it will be the third time in a row the state has met its deadline.

The budget would raise the minimum wage to $9 over three years and offers a $350 rebate to families with children. It includes a tax credit to businesses that pay the new minimum wage and will also increase school aid by about $1 billion.

New York State Senate finishes work on state budget

Karen Dewitt — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:37:09 +0000

The New York State Senate finished its work on the state budget in an overnight session at the Capitol.

The governor and legislative leaders decided to abide by the normal procedures and let the budget bills “age” for three days before voting, so that anyone who is interested could read them. Some of the bills were not printed until Sunday evening, which made them eligible for voting on Wednesday. Senators abided by the letter, if not the spirit of the law.