Maybe the GBall was right? Here's a story of Albany
politics at its best!
When Elliot Spitzer was running for governor he promised
to right a long-term wrong by allowing same-sex couples to enjoy the
same
benefits that opposite-sex couples do under the law in NY State.
Every state in New England has come of age on this matter but NY lags
behind. Why?
"Why" is a good question!
The Governor introduced the bill
via Assemblyman O'Donnell who submitted it to the floor of the Assembly
on the 17th of May where it was sent to the Judiciary Committee run by
Helene Weinstein and there it sat...
At the same time, the bill was sent from
the Assembly to the Senate Rules Committee (Chaired by Senator Joseph
Bruno) who passed it onto the (S.5884) Senate
Judiciary committee where it sat
since May 17th and sat and sat and sat...
So, now we're at the end of the session and what's
happening?
For those of you who read my emails you know I've been
busting my rump to get this thing moving and I can tell you that my
Assembly rep Sandy Galef has not been helpful nor forthcoming. Emails
to her office are returned with "over quota" errors and a phone call
last week to her Ossining office was not returned. In fact, few in the
Assembly have been helpful on this. Repeated emails to members of the
Assembly Judiciary Committee have gone unanswered until I mentioned
political action... That got two of the sponsors of the bill to
respond with form letters showing their favor for the bill. But what of
the rest? Nada. Silence.
Today:
The Assembly and Senate sessions end this week and the
bill still sits in committee. But I was promised this morning by the
Assembly Judiciary Chair's office that the bill will be voted on today
and likely passed to the floor of the Assembly for a vote. When it gets
there, how will
Sandy vote? Your guess is as good as mine. But she seems to like to
legislate civil rights via the polling process. Following that manner,
blacks would still be slaves, free blacks would still be sitting in the
back of the bus and
women would be home, barefoot, preggers and not able to vote nor own
property. As
someone who has benefited from civil rights legislation because it was
the Right Thing To Do I expect more from Ms. Galef.
Okay, so that's the Assembly side... what of the Senate
side?
The Senate Rules Committee sent the bill to the Judiciary Committee where it sat
and sat and now, at the end of the session, they have no intention of
voting on any more bills. The only way to save the bill on the Senate
side is to have it pulled back from the Judiciary Committee to the Rules
Committee where they can vote to move the bill to the floor. Does Joe
Bruno have the Right Thing in mind?
Who the
heck knows.
But it's
clear that the Governor, though he promised this
bill, had no intention of seeing it through. Simply introducing
legislation is not enough. Working to see it pass - is.
What you
can do:
Call:
Senator Bruno's office at 518.455.3191 and ask that the Rules Committee
pull the bill back from Judiciary and vote to move it to the floor for
a full vote of the Senate before the session ends.
Call Vinnie Leibell's office at 518.455.3111 and ask him
to call Senator Bruno and support the bill.
Call Sandy Galef's office at 455.5348 and tell her you
support civil rights and that she should, too. Now. Not next year, not
next generation, but this session.
And lastly, call the Governor's office at 518.474.8039
and tell him to use his muscle to see this thing get done. It's his
promise and he should back it up with action.
If the State fails at its obligations to its citizens
you can be sure I'll have a summer full of activism on my hands... Do
you really want to subject yourselves to that?
Let's pass this bill this week and bring NY into line
with all our neighboring states..
JmG
