The Struggle for Marriage Equality Continues
December 2, 2009
As a member of the LGBT caucus of New York State legislators, I share in the frustration of my community after today’s disappointing vote in the State Senate.
I am extremely proud to be a co-sponsor of the marriage equality bill and to have been part of the Assembly’s historic vote, first in June of 2007, and twice since then, including early this morning as the Assembly passed the measure for the third time. I know that my vote for equality is one of the most important votes I will ever make as a lawmaker.
Despite the tally of votes in the Senate, I believe the fact that the bill came to the floor for debate is a victory unto itself. Polls clearly show that New Yorkers believe in civil rights, oppose discrimination, and agree with marriage equality. No longer do New Yorkers need to wonder whether their Senator stands for the cause of equality or in defense of contemptuous bigotry. Now we know the yeas and the nays, and that knowledge brings us power. I believe that 2010 will bring in a new legislature, one that is truly for all the people of this great state.
I want to thank Senator Tom Duane, and in my own house, Assembly Members Daniel O’Donnell, Deborah Glick, and Matt Titone, for their tremendous leadership and advocacy for the cause of equality.
We will prevail. The drumbeat for marriage equality is loud and clear, and this is an issue whose time has come.
A Personal Message: Marriage Equality Passes Assembly **AND** Rally for Marriage, Sunday
May 14, 2009
I was proud to be part of history and vote in favor of same-sex marriage when the bill was first passed by a margin of 85-61 in the New York State Assembly back in 2007. On May 12th, I once again cast my vote for equality, after a long and emotional debate (I will post video from the debate here, as soon as I get a chance to). We should all celebrate the fact that the bill was passed by an even wider margin (89-52); the message of the marriage equality movement—that love and family know no gender—continues to win hearts and minds.
In 2007, I said that voting in favor of the right to marry was the most important vote I would ever cast, and I still know this to be true. I hope that the second time will be the charm. I am grateful to my friend Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell for his leadership in the Assembly and I pray that 2009 will be the year the State Senate will finally pass the bill, under the leadership of Senator Tom Duane, so that Governor Paterson can sign it and we can finally have equality for all.
This Sunday, after AIDS Walk, I will be taking part in an important rally for marriage equality being organized collaboratively by Broadway Impact, Marriage Equality NY, the Empire State Pride Agenda, Broadway Cares, CivilRightsFront.com, and the Human Rights Campaign. The rally, billed as “LET THE SUN SHINE IN!” is being held from 5-7 pm at Sixth Avenue and West 45th Street, will feature the cast of the Broadway production of Hair, along with many other special guests.
The invitation is below, you can click here to download a PDF of the flyer to distribute to your friends, family, and colleagues. I hope to see you there!
Rosalyn Richter: A Groundbreaking Appellate Court Choice
March 5, 2009
New York State will now have its first appellate court judge who is openly gay and is a person with a disability. Today Governor David Paterson announced that he is appointing Rosalyn Richter, Justice of the New York County Supreme Court, to the First Department of the Appellate Division of New York State. Justice Richter has spent her career as a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community and disabilities rights advocate.
With this appointment the Governor has sent a clear signal to LGBT and disabilities communities that he believes in equality in our legal system. I commend his selection of this outstanding candidate. I know that she will be an outstanding jurist on the Appellate Division representing all New Yorkers.
My joint statement with Assembly Member Richard Gottfried commending the Governor in his selection to this post can be found in the Publications Section of my website.
Taxing Gym Memberships is NOT Good Public Policy
February 25, 2009
In these tough economic times we are all trying to tighten spending and increase revenue, including New York State, as we negotiate this difficult budget. Everyone agrees that sacrifices need to be made across the board and these sacrifices are glaringly evident in Governor Paterson’s 2009-10 Executive Budget. While I understand the need to create revenue, I don’t agree that one of the answers to this problem is to impose a new tax on health club memberships and services.
At the same time that the Governor proposes this tax he has more famously put forward a new tax on sugared drinks, purportedly to fight against obesity. For several months, I have been flooded with letters from constituents who are confused about this contradiction and I agree with them.
We can’t on one hand penalize people for drinking too many empty calories in a soda and on the other penalize them for trying to be healthier on the tread mill at their local sports club. It doesn’t make any sense. As the budget negotiations in Albany continue I will fight for a budget which takes our current economic troubles into account while at the same time ensuring that New Yorkers are not unfairly burdened.
I have written Governor Paterson to let him know of my opposition to the tax on gym memberships. That letter can be found in the Publications section of my website.
The Executive Budget: Beginning the Conversation About Shared Sacrifice
December 19, 2008
Governor David Paterson presents the 2009-10 Executive Budget to the NYS Legislature.
As we all expected, the Executive Budget is the result of a painful reality of our difficult economic situation. It demonstrates what we have known for months: balancing the budget will require shared sacrifice.
I am very aware of the obligation that I share with my colleagues to ensure that necessary cuts and tax increases are done in such a way to ensures that higher education remains affordable, the commitment to funding our schools is maintained, quality health care is available to every New Yorker, and that mass transit is adequately funded.
There are many cuts that I am uncomfortable with as I am sure the Governor is. As an example, Senator Tom Duane and I wrote to Governor Paterson in November to ask that the relatively small amount of funding allocated for the Bridges to Health program be maintained, only to discover today that its funds have been frozen and its full implementation delayed for many years. This is a program to provide services to medically fragile, severely traumatized, and chronically disabled children in the foster care system. I will continue to advocate for its funding.
Despite this, I respect that the Governor made tough choices from a poor set of available options and I did not envy his task. Over 50% of our state’s spending is designated to healthcare and education, so it is impossible to avoid cuts in these areas when balancing our budget. I also know that our budget can’t be balanced on cuts, nor would I want it to be. You have probably heard that the Governor has proposed a new range of taxes and fees, some of which have gotten more attention than others (like the ’sweet tax’ proposed tax on non-diet soda drinks which Governor Paterson recently defended in an editorial posted on CNN.com).
Two of these fee increases concerned drivers; the first is a 25% increase on car registration fees and the second is a 25% increase in driver license fees. I wrote to the Governor in November to suggest these fee increases (see my blog post on this topic, Increasing Driver License, Car Registration Fees Could Raise $550 Million for Cash-Starved MTA), and I am happy to see them included in the budget. But I am disappointed that these fees are not designated for mass transit funding as I suggested, but rather to plug holes in the general operating budget. It is important to me to ensure that even as we repair the massive shortfalls in the 2009 budget we plan for mass transit funding for the future. Designating funding for mass transit from drivers’ fees can achieve both.
We are in the midst of an unprecedented global financial crisis that threatens our economic security. People are losing their jobs and their homes. Pensions are losing their value and families are making horrible choices about necessities. I have no doubt that we will pass a budget that contains significant cuts in spending and increases in fees and taxes. And I will continue to demand that this sacrifice is shared and not shouldered by the most vulnerable New Yorkers. Continuing to advocate for more progressive tax structures is one way that I will work to achieve this.
It is very important to me to hear what you think about the Executive Budget. It is by no means a final version of what we will pass in 2009. The Governor himself emphasized yesterday that it is a starting point for dialogue. The PDF of the Governor’s presentation can be found on his 2009-10 Executive Budget website.
Increasing Driver License, Car Registration Fees Could Raise $550 Million for Cash-Starved MTA
December 1, 2008
So it’s “official,” our country has been in a recession since December, 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, which announced the non-news earlier this morning.
Of course, we already knew this to be true for many months. On November 20th, MTA CEO Elliot Sander told the MTA Board, that new economic forecasts show projected deficit gaps of “$383 million for 2008, $1.441 billion for 2009, $2.394 billion for 2010, and nearly $3 billion in 2012, before prior-year carryover or gap closing actions.”
As I’ve blogged before, I am very concerned about the fiscal outlook for the MTA and how cuts to services, capital projects, system maintenance, and increased user fees will impact riders. But the negative effects spillover beyond transit users. The MTA is the lifeblood of the New York metropolitan area and when it suffers, so does the regional economy.
On September 15th, the Citizens Budget Commission (CBC) testified before the Ravitch Commission and outlined a number of practical suggestions for how to increase dedicated mass transit revenue.
Today, I wrote to Governor Paterson to urge that two CBC proposals be included in his 2009 Executive budget: Raising car registration fees and driver license fees by at least $50 annually.
When CBC President Carol Kellermann testified before the Ravitch Commission she noted that today the cost for a driver license in New York is under $6 annually. Raising annual fees for driver licenses to $50 would yield nearly $300 million. New York has the 8th lowest vehicle registration fees in the country (according to the CBC’s 2006 study South Carolina has the lowest at $12, and Maine has the highest at $435), and raising the vehicle registration fees would net an additional annual revenue stream of $250 million.
With the Ravitch Commission’s report due to be released on Friday, now is the time to be examining all the options including this one and other good ideas like reinstituting the commuter tax.
Recently, New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. outlined a proposal to impose a weight-based transit-dedicated assessment of $100 for vehicles weighing 2,300 pounds or less, plus $.09 for every pound of curb weight over 2,300. This is an interesting idea that I believe merits further study. It differs from the CBC proposal which would see a flat fee increase for car registration fees.
In these tough financial times, I believe that it makes sense that those who choose to drive should help bear the costs of maintaining our public transportation infrastructure. These two new recurring revenue streams would constitute a good start in getting the MTA’s finances back on track.
In my letter, I suggested that during the first two to three years of this budget crisis, the MTA be given the flexibility it needs to put this revenue towards its operating deficit. But in the long term this money should be used for capital needs. After the third year I suggested that these recurring funds be dedicated 70% towards the MTA’s capital plan and 30% towards the NYS Department of Transportation Five Year Capital Plan - a fund which finances highway, tunnel, and bridge projects across the state.
I told the Governor that if these proposals were not included in the budget, I was prepared to introduce them as a separate piece of legislation. My letter to Governor Paterson can be found in the Publications area of my website.
Another MTA Fare Hike: It Doesn’t Have to be Déjà Vu (all over again)
July 22, 2008
Just last year, I stood on the steps of City Hall with Gene Russianoff of NYPIRG’s Straphangers Campaign to protest an MTA fare hike. Now it’s happening all over again.
It came as no surprise to me when a MTA official leaked to the New York Times that once again the MTA is facing widening budget deficits. New York State has all but abandoned its fiscal responsibility to the MTA for the last decade and a half, leaving the Transit Authority’s fiscal health up to the volatility of real estate taxes, while forcing the MTA to balance shortfalls on the backs of middle and low-income straphangers through repeated fare hikes. The MTA is once again looking at another fare and toll hike, which would be only the second time in the 100 year history of the subway that fares are raised in back-to-back years.
While the MTA’s budget deficits look grim, and a fare hike seems unavoidable, it is only because New York State refuses to unshackle itself from one of the most regressive income tax structures in the country. What most New Yorkers don’t even realize is that if they make $45,000 a year they are in the same income tax bracket as New York’s elite millionaires and billionaires.
Last March the Assembly Democratic Caucus announced a plan to raise $1.5 billion in revenue for transportation through a less than 1% income tax surcharge on those New Yorkers earning over a million dollars. While Governor Paterson and the State Senate did not embrace this plan at the time, I believe the current state of the MTA’s finances demand that the Governor take a second look. If Governor Paterson has the foresight to call the legislature back to Albany to pass some form of the millionaire’s tax he would break the cycle of balancing the MTA’s budget on the backs of straphangers who can least afford to pay.
But an income tax surcharge on those earning over a million dollars is only a short term solution. If Governor Paterson has the vision and the fortitude he should champion a more progressive income tax structure as the centerpiece of his 2009 legislative agenda, such as the Working Families Party has put forward, we should go far beyond just plugging the MTA’s budget gaps and instead reinvigorate our State’s fiscal health, while giving millions of middle- and low- income New Yorkers tremendous tax savings.
