Assembly Minority Leader Charles H. Nesbitt and members of the Assembly Minority Conference today unveiled a lengthy list of issues that remain unaddressed as the Legislature races to finish its annual session.

Topping the list of "unfinished business" are issues ranging from criminal justice reforms to protect women and children and make our communities safer, to reforms aimed at improving government efficiency, and sorely needed new investments in job-creating programs and initiatives to help New York's economic resurgence.

Assembly Minority members pointed at some achievements - including enactment of Assembly Minority initiatives like the "Patriot Plan" of enhanced benefits for New York military men and women, "Penny's Law" to better punish juvenile killers and video voyeurism legislation to stop secret videotaping of women.

"Despite the promise of new bipartisan cooperation in Albany, the Legislature punted on many of the hard decisions that could help improve the lives of New Yorkers by making our communities safer and providing new opportunity for our citizens," said Leader Nesbitt (R-C, Albion). "As a result, the 2003 session will be remembered as one of the least productive on record."

Much of the failed legislation cited by Assembly Minority members included in the conference's NY First legislative plan, unveiled in January, and includes expansion of the successful Empire Zones programs to include every county in the state, legislation to safeguard communities from the continued terrorist threat, and creation of email anti-"spam" registry modeled on the state's popular "Do Not Call" program.

"Because of the typical Albany gridlock that sidelined these good ideas, New Yorkers will have to wait until next year for reforms and initiatives that would deliver better government, more jobs and stronger families and communities."

A list of priority legislation and issues that remains unaddressed at the end of session is attached.

Jobs and Economy

Empire Zone expansion - An Assembly Minority proposal to authorize job-creating Empire Zones in each of the 11 counties that currently do not have one

Agricultural Empire Zones - Existing Empire Zone rules preclude farm families from taking advantage of the incentives offered by the program

Smoking ban revisions - the state's new anti-smoking law imposed onerous provisions on many small business owners that are expected to lead to job losses throughout the state

Power plant siting renewal - the state law governing power plant siting has expired, threatening New York's ability to provide adequate electric supplies to maintain and create jobs

Brownfields/Superfund - the Legislature failed to enact reforms to allow redevelopment of abandoned industrial sites, protecting open space and providing new job-creating incentives

"Scaffold Act" reforms - this outdated law adds thousands of dollars to construction costs and exposes builders and contractors to needless liability

Consumer/Privacy protection

Anti-"spam" legislation - the Assembly failed to pass anti-spam legislation despite an outcry by consumers over annoying junk email

Prescription drug relief (EPIC EXTRA) - as Washington continues to debate prescription drug relief, Assembly Majority members failed to support efforts to provide tax savings for seniors who are forced to spend a large part of their income on medications

Auto insurance reform - Assembly Majority members failed to agree to legislation to reduce auto insurance rates in New York, now among the highest in the world

Vicarious liability - this century-old law which threatens auto leasing in New York State remained untouched even as major leasing companies pulled up stakes and every other state moved toward repeal

Criminal Justice

Repeat DWI - dangerous repeat offenders retained their license to kill as the Assembly Majority refused once again to address this highway menace

Civil confinement of dangerous sex offenders - even as new cases of repeat sex offenders appeared across New York, Assembly Majority members ignored victims' pleas to allow the most dangerous sex predators to be kept safely confined from women and children

Computer luring - Assembly Majority members ignored increased national attention to this growing problem of children becoming victims of on-line predators as they refused to consider new penalties for Internet-based pedophiles

Megan's Law reform - a series of reforms aimed at updating this now-six-year-old law failed to gain support from the Assembly Majority

Video game violence - with growing evidence that violent video games contribute to increasing youth violence, the Assembly Majority rejected efforts to better inform parents of some games' violent content

Consecutive sentencing for serial rapists - would allow the most dangerous sex predators to be kept behind bars for longer periods by allowing sentences for separate crimes to run consecutively

War on Terror

Agri-bioterrorism - this bill would create new criminal penalties for contaminating food and water supplies

Cyberterrorism - this bill would criminalize the use of computer and Internet technology to promote terrorist acts

Chemical and biological weapons - create new criminal penalties for possession or use of these terrorist weapons

Creates crime for placing false hazardous devices - makes a crime of using false devices or substances, which can create panic and pose a threat of real harm

Penalties for terrorist acts in mass transit facilities - increases penalties for terrorist acts in places where large crowds can be expected to congregate, including commuter rail or subway facilities

Disaster planning for state judiciary - provides for disaster preparedness for judiciary facilities and personnel

Codifies NYS Office of Public Security - this office, created by Executive Order, would be made a permanent part of state government

Chemical facilities vulnerability assessment and site security - requires enhanced reporting and planning for facilities that handle hazardous materials and could become targets of terrorist plots

Nuclear facility safety - several bills that would provide enhanced security at nuclear facilities

Government Reform

Budget reform - for the 19th year in a row, lawmakers missed the April 1 deadline for a new state budget and the Assembly rejected reforms designed to improve New York's fiscal standing.

Medicaid reform - costs of the taxpayer-funded health care program for the poor continued to soar, threatening to bankrupt local counties as the Assembly failed to enact any meaningful cost controls or reforms

Municipal liability - the Assembly rejected attempts to expand jurisdiction of the Court of Claims to include all municipal tort cases, potentially reducing the cost of taxpayer-funded legal awards

Mandate relief - school districts and local governments struggling under the weight of unfunded state mandates will have to wait until next year for relief, even as they are forced to raise property taxes an average of 8 percent

School funding reform - No reforms were enacted to streamline state spending on local public schools or to ensure a more equitable funding formula for high-need and rural districts that disproportionately rely on state aid