Lawmaker Tapped to Head Renewed, Bipartisan Effort to Identify Savings, Eliminate Wasteful Spending, Streamline Bureaucracy
ALBANY, NY -- Senator Jeffrey D. Klein, (D-Bronx/Westchester), has been selected to lead renewed efforts to uncover waste, inefficiency and mismanagement throughout state government as a co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Task Force on Government Efficiency, it was announced today.
Senator Klein headed the Task Force on Government Efficiency when it was first established in early 2010.
Albany, NY -- Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assemblyman Mike Spano yesterday passed resolutions in the New York State Senate and Assembly respectively, recognizing Yonkers Schools Superintendent Bernard Pierorazio for being named Superintendent of the Year by New York State Council of School Superintendents. The resolutions passed both houses unanimously.
May 14, 2010, Yonkers, NY -- "Today, my colleagues and I joined City workers in an impromptu march to bring a unified message to City Hall that the Yonkers State Legislative Delegation wants to work with all of the stakeholders to save our City from devastating cuts to the municipal workforce, and will continue to fight for every State resource available. After a productive hour-long meeting between all of the leaders of the municipal workforce and members of the Yonkers State Legislative Delegation, everyone concluded that we must work together to ensure that the City of Yonkers weathers this fiscal crisis without decimating our workforce, or the essential services that our hardworking men and women provide. During this difficult economic time, name-calling, finger-pointing or passing-the-buck will only distract us from what is really important, which is serving the people of this City. I was pleased to sit down with all of my Assembly colleagues, municipal labor leaders and, eventually, Mayor Amicone to discuss how we can move forward in an honest and productive dialogue. I believe that we must continue this open and inclusive conversation throughout this budget process to ensure that the people we collectively serve get the information and the respect that they deserve.”
New York State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins represents the 35th District, NY.
(L-R): Senate Majority Conference Leader John L. Sampson, Dr. Karl P. Adler, and Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Valhalla, NY -- May 6, 2010 -- On Thursday, May 6, 2010 Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins (35th District - NY) and Senate Majority Conference Leader John Sampson with the New York Medical College (NYMC) announced an award of $3.25 million to NYMC for a Hudson Valley Biotechnology Center for Disaster Medicine and Emerging Infections. Funding was secured through the New York State Senate Gen*NY*sis program to upgrade and modernize an existing building to accommodate this biotechnology facility.
Yonkers, NY -- April 26, 2010 -- "The roundtable discussion held on Sunday April 25th, at the Yonkers YMCA was a productive discussion between Federal, State and County government officials, City Council Members and more than two dozen civic leaders, clergy members, community-based organization leaders, law enforcement officers and health and education professionals, all of whom are dedicated to violent crime prevention through youth development and anti-gang initiatives in the City of Yonkers. The 19 shootings in the City of Yonkers this month alone provide more than ample evidence that these problems continue to escalate, yet Mayor Amicone and the Police Commissioner chose not to participate in this discussion and refused the invitations that were extended to both of them.
Albany, NY -- April 6, 2010 -- Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins (35th District, NYS), as a member of the Senate Task Force on Government Efficiency, continues to work with her colleagues to examine spending practices in State agencies. Established in March, the Senate Task Force on Government Efficiency was formed to uncover inefficient government spending and develop productive solutions to put taxpayer dollars to better use. Last month, the Task Force held hearings on excessive spending practices recently found within the New York State Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) and State University of New York (SUNY) system.
Albany, NY -- In response to the Governor’s fiscally reckless plan to delay income tax refunds, Senator Liz Krueger noted the Senate Minority went back to their old playbook of pass-the-buck politics, reprising an unrelated and costly bill (S3985/Winner) that does nothing to address real budget reform.
“Voting to expel a member of the New York State Senate is not a decision to be taken lightly, but in the case of Hiram Monserrate it was necessary to protect the integrity of the body. It is unfortunate that Mr. Monserrate was unwilling to respect his constituents or the institution of the Senate by resigning upon his conviction. After an exhaustive bipartisan committee review of all his actions, the Senate had no choice but to act. Violence against women is unacceptable and because of his actions, Hiram Monserrate had demonstrated he was not qualified to serve as a member of the Senate. The already announced Special Election next month will ensure the people of this district do not lack for representation.”
Yonkers, NY -- owns will
be able to save money by sharing highway maintenance equipment thanks to
legislation approved by the New York State Senate yesterday. Senator Andrea
Stewart-Cousins (D-35th District), Chair of the Senate Local Government
Committee, said that the legislation (S5426) can significantly reduce the
burden on local taxpayers by allowing county, city, town and village highway
superintendents to share services and equipment across municipal lines. This
will alleviate the need for every municipality to purchase equipment and
administer services, thereby providing savings for taxpayers.
"Following Hiram Monserrate's conviction*, I requested his resignation from the New York State Senate. Based on the information before the public, I found his behavior deplorable and his conduct well below the standard by which elected officials should be held.
New York, NY -- In an effort to break the Senate stalemate, Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) and a number of his Democratic colleagues including Senators Diane Savino (D- Brooklyn/Staten Island), William Stachowski (D- Erie), Craig Johnson (DNassau), Brian Foley (D- Suffolk), Darrel Aubertine (D-Jefferson/Oswego/ St. Lawrence) and David Valesky (D-Cayuga/Madison/Oneida/Onondaga), proposed a longterm bipartisan operating agreement that would get the Senate back to work. The agreement was presented to Republican leaders and Senators Dean Skelos and Pedro Espada, Jr. at a meeting with Governor Paterson Tuesday afternoon.
Three weeks of a 31-31 split Senate. Tensions are high—and not just back at home. The media is beating up on us all pretty effectively, constituents are yelling, and staff are frustrated without answers to endless questions.
Albany, NY -- Senate Democrats and Republicans are following Gov. David Paterson's call to hold a special session this afternoon after he threatened Wednesday to take them to court and withhold their paychecks if they left Albany.
"Ahead of the court’s call for the Senate to negotiate and compromise in order to create a governing agreement, the Senate Democratic Conference proposed a fair and bipartisan solution that would end Pedro Espada and the Republican leaders’ stranglehold on democracy. But our calls have been ignored. Therefore, I urge the members of the Senate Republican Conference to replace Pedro Espada with a leader willing to meet in good faith and find a workable solution.
