Last night's votes to sustain the Governor's vetoes are unprecedented in the New York State Assembly. Historically, bills brought to the floor are never voted down. The voices of the rank and file members, acting on principle, were finally heard. This is a turning point in the road towards reform in this house of the Legislature.

Nobody wants to withdraw money from important programs, but the absence of reform in the budget made funding these worthwhile projects impossible at this time. We are hopeful, however, that these steps will lead to necessary negotiations that will result in funding for many of these programs in the near future.

The budget, as originally passed, simply spent too much money and contained none of the reforms necessary to hold down spending, protect taxpayers and provide help to local governments throughout New York. Sustaining the Governor's budget vetoes was necessary to force Speaker Silver back to the table to negotiate in order to achieve reforms and produce savings, particularly in the area of Medicaid, which is growing at an alarming rate in New York.

Besides enacting reforms, the Assembly Majority should be focusing on important issues such as legislation to address the Court of Appeals decision on the death penalty. Action on this legislation is especially important in the wake of the senseless, cold-blooded murder of two New York City police officers. Last night, Assemblyman Chris Ortloff (R,C-Plattsburgh) attempted to force action on this measure that is so crucial to public safety, only to be summarily dismissed by the Assembly Majority.