Sen. George Borrello
Commentary, Opinion
Another NY legislative session of missed opportunities, misplaced priorities
Sometimes I feel like a broken record when I talk about what’s happening in Albany — but the failures keep repeating.
This year was no different. While there were certainly worthy bills that passed with bipartisan support, on the dominant issues impacting quality of life and affordability in our state, the session came up short. Albany Democrats once again ignored the real needs of New Yorkers and pushed policies that make life harder, more dangerous and less affordable.
The massive $254 billion budget offers no meaningful relief for families or small businesses. Spending has surged by $84 billion in just seven years, despite stagnant population growth. A modest inflation refund and small tax cut are dwarfed by runaway spending that sets us up for deep future deficits. Medicaid saw a staggering 17% increase, with no attempt to rein in these unsustainable costs.
Meanwhile, $10 million in taxpayer money is being used to fund a legal defense slush fund for the attorney general’s personal misconduct.
Democrats also pressed ahead with their reckless energy agenda. They passed a rebranded version of the so-called Heat Act, which still aims to dismantle our affordable natural gas system, ignoring the fact it will raise utility bills, decrease reliability and deliver no measurable climate benefit. This came even as New York’s independent system operator warned of a looming energy reliability crisis due to the irresponsible shuttering of reliable energy producing plants, like the Dunkirk NRG plant. We also saw the passage of the Packaging Reduction Act, which will create immense burdens for businesses while also adding costs to consumers — an estimated $700 more per year on everyday goods.
On public safety, the failures were just as stark. The governor attempted to address the massive increase in criminal case dismissals caused by the 2019 bail and discovery reforms in the budget, but her proposals were ultimately watered down by Democrats in the legislature. The result is that prosecutors remain bound by laws that led to nearly 50,000 criminal case dismissals last year — five times more than before the “reforms.”
Efforts to close a dangerous loophole in New York’s drugged driving laws were also rejected by legislative Democrats. Because of this loophole, drug-impaired drivers can’t be prosecuted unless the drug is on a pre-approved list of substances or is voluntarily disclosed by the suspect, an absurd standard that endangers lives. There have been numerous tragic cases where extremely impaired drivers caused fatal crashes but escaped prosecution simply because the substance they used wasn’t on the state’s list.
The story is the same on immigration. Democrats refused to roll back dangerous sanctuary policies that shield criminal illegal migrants. The recent and welcome slowdown in illegal migrant inflows is due entirely to federal action, not anything Albany has done to protect New Yorkers.
Finally, Gov. Hochul’s handling of the city of Dunkirk’s fiscal crisis is a case study in political tribalism and failed leadership. Rather than support my legislation to establish a financial control board that would provide bonding authority, fiscal guidance and accountability, the governor and legislature railroaded through a $13.7 million loan to the Democrat-run city on the last day of session without the usually required home rule request. That loan adds millions of dollars in interest to the city’s debt while doing nothing to address the dysfunction or reassure taxpayers that their funds are being managed responsibly.
This session was another missed opportunity. New Yorkers need tax relief, safety, and real leadership. But under one-party rule, all they get is more spending, more chaos, and more excuses.
(State Sen. George Borrello of Sunset Bay in Chautauqua County, has represented the 57th Senate District since 2019.)
