State lawmakers worked late into the night to pass the tax code reform bill. The Assembly finally voted on the bill around midnight Thursday, only 34 hours after details of the plan were released to the public in a press release from the Governor. The rapid passage has been met with criticism from good government groups. Our Nick Reisman has more on that.
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NEW YORK STATE -- Governor Andrew Cuomo took office nearly a year ago, pledging the most transparent administration in state history. But after a tax overhaul proposal was quickly rammed through the legislature without much input from the public on the specifics, good government groups are crying foul.
“This was sort of old style Albany politics. We only learned recently this was under serious consideration and in a matter of days a deal came together. No public hearings, no normal legislative process,” said Russ Haven of NYPIRG.
Lawmakers approved the economic package late Wednesday and into early Thursday morning, only hours after final bills were printed. It was a significant victory for the governor, but questioning how the process was completed put him on the defensive.
Cuomo said, “I don’t know that there is an issue that has received more attention, more discussion, than the Millionaire’s Tax. Literally, I’ve been talking about it for two years. Everyone has an opinion, everyone has an opinion. If there is a person in the legislature who is sitting in a seat and said they never thought of this Millionaire’s Tax, then that is a person who shouldn’t be serving in the legislature.”
Only eight state lawmakers voted against the bill. Among them was Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, who said the lack of information was unusual, even by Albany standards.
“I think it was rushed and I don't think it was open and transparent at all. I think that the magnitude that we're trying to talk about here in terms of raising taxes by $2.7 billion and even some the tax cuts, the repeal of the MTA tax cut, should have been made at a public forum, public hearing,” Kolb said.
This isn't the first time Cuomo has been criticized for working in the dark. After his office released heavily redacted documents on his plane usage in response to a routine information request, the administration launched a website called Citizens Connects, which includes question and answer sessions with agency chiefs. There's also a section meant to include Cuomo's daily schedule, but that hasn't been updated since August.