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Recently there have been a number of constituents reaching out about what the Legislature is going to be voting on when the 2022 NYS Legislative Session resumes on January 5th.\u00a0 As always, I love outreach from those I represent and I responded that to be clear, January 5th which is the first day of the new legislative session is not a legislative day per se, instead it is the day when the Governor delivers the State of the State Address.\u00a0 Therefore, no legislation is acted on that day.\u00a0 When I informed those who reached I immediately received back a list of COVID-19 related bills that they were sure were going to be acted on January 5th.\u00a0 Nothing could be further than the truth.<\/p>\n
I looked at the list which is included in this blog (in the photo above that has been circulating on social media) and I realized it must be groundhog day since the same photo was circulated around last year at around the same time.\u00a0 To be clear, there are bills that have been introduced in the New York State Assembly.\u00a0 Those eight bills are a mere fraction of the over 9,000 bills introduced each legislative session which is a two year period.\u00a0 That being said, just because a bill is introduced does not mean that it will be get passed through the house nor does it necessarily mean it will actually get passed in both houses and then get signed into law by the Governor.<\/p>\n
When I look at the list it is clear that an entity with a political agenda is picking what I call “red meat” bills to essentially take advantage of individuals who are struggling through this pandemic and play on their worst fears.\u00a0 Statements like “FORCED VACCINATIONS” definitely strikes a nerve as well as “ELIMINATES PARENTS RIGHTS.”<\/p>\n
Now to be honest if I saw this list I too would be saying “What the heck is going on!?” However, like anything one has to look beyond the headline or just the description to check on a few things. All too often getting to the facts requires a deeper dive that many do not have the time or capacity to do, especially if it is not part of what you do for a living.<\/p>\n
First, the title or leading statement of a bill is not always a reflection of what a bill intends to do or what it would practically do if it became law.\u00a0 Therefore it is always important to view the bill in it’s entirety and one can find the bills and more info on the Senate or Assembly web site under Bill Search<\/a>. When I post information about bills that I sponsor, I include the link to the full bill text and memo for context. The information is free, available to the public, and readily available for individuals to review.\u00a0 Secondly, it is important to note to see if the bill in the Assembly (or Senate) actually has a sponsor in the other house.\u00a0 As a reminder, just like we learned as a child from a singing bill on Schoolhouse Rock, a bill cannot become law unless both houses pass the bill and only then can it go to the Governor for review to be signed or vetoed.\u00a0 As you can see by the bills on this list, some of the more controversial bills do not even have a Senate sponsor so those bills are not close to the point of becoming a law by any stretch of the imagination.<\/p>\n One bill that has gotten a lot of attention is A416 which is described as a bill ” that allows the Governor to imprison without trial anyone she considers a threat to public health.” The actual title of the bill is “Relates to the removal of cases, contacts and carriers of communicable diseases that are potentially dangerous to the public health.” If you look at the bill, which I do not support, you will see it was established six years ago.\u00a0 That is interesting on two fronts since the Governor at that time was a male but also the bill was drawn up in regards to an issue that bubbled up during the Ebola Crisis in NYC when a nurse refused to quarantine and there was a threat of that disease being spread quickly and if contracted was fatal.\u00a0\u00a0 The bill that the sponsor continued to introduce each session which he is entitled to do but has NOTHING to do with today’s concerns.\u00a0 This was sent out with the rest of the list about this time last year and one of the Buffalo news stations did a deep dive on the issue.\u00a0 Take a look at this story<\/a> to find the real truth behind the politically motivated facade.<\/p>\n Now to my point in sharing this example and my comments above.\u00a0 When you see these photos sent around it is fine to react; however, it is the responsible step to find out what is truly going on. That is why I encourage you to reach out to your legislator that represents you to find out, even if it is not his or her own bill.\u00a0 It is our job to respond to those we represent and fortunately I have had many reach out initially upset about the bill only to be more upset not at me but those who are spreading or spinning untrue stories.\u00a0 Sadly, that is the day we live it and yes we are entitled to our own opinions but not our own facts!<\/p>\n