A statement from Assemblyman Michael Montesano (R,C,I-Glen Head)
(Long Island, NY) “It’s shameful that the governor is claiming that the Legislature is not performing, when in reality this knock-down, drag-out budget battle is because of his inability to secure an agreement based on his political wish list. He has controlled the flow of the budget process for days, trickling out bills and details at his leisure. All the while, my colleagues and I have been here working to flush out the facts of each bill because our constituents deserve to know where their hard-earned tax dollars are going.
“Additionally, his pressure to adopt ethics reform by June is completely unnecessary, as my colleagues and I in the Minority Conference have long awaited the chance to achieve such historic steps forward. However, the governor and legislative leaders have missed countless opportunities for change by omitting ethics reform measures from the past two budgets, and by denying our many comprehensive measures an up-or-down vote on the floor.
“Moving forward, we cannot let this cycle of absolute power continue. We need ethics reform to eradicate this unwelcome culture of corruption and transparency and shed light on the budget process and other legislative actions. We need this now.”
