This year’s legislative session generated a lot of headlines for the powerful downstate leaders ensnared in a corruption scandal, but not a lot of headlines for the work it failed to accomplish. This is yet another year where downstate took care of their own first, and left us here in Western New York without much to speak about.

In a session marred by scandal, more so than usual by Albany standards, we should have been able to come together and pass a pension forfeiture measure for legislators who violated the public trust and committed a felony related to their position. I feel so strongly about this cause that I sponsor Assembly Bill 4659, which would do just that. The legislation has never been acted upon by those across the aisle, despite a promise that this crucial measure would be included in the budget. Instead, the New York City-dominated Assembly Majority backed out of its promise to include the amendment at the eleventh hour, and we left Albany without the meaningful ethics reform we deserve.

We left Albany without a repeal of, or even moderations to, the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act. This law, which adversely affects upstate communities, and infringes upon one of our most important rights, must be repealed. I am proud to say that not only was I one of the few legislators to speak out against this atrocity of a bill in 2013, but I was also one of the first to author legislation calling for a full repeal of it. I thought we had a unique opportunity to include SAFE Act reforms or outright repeal with the end-of-session budget negotiations regarding rent control, but Western New York did not have a voice in the room. Albany continues to operate with a three-men-in-a-room style, despite corruption issues knocking out two of them earlier this year. This legislation, Assembly Bill 3943, has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Codes, but was not acted upon by the downstate-led Assembly Majority.

The Common Core curriculum and high-stakes testing model is still intact despite the wide scale opt-out movement and opposition by myself and my colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference. Throughout my time in the legislature, I have fought to put an end to this flawed testing model for students and families, and this year, I voted against a radical teacher evaluation overhaul that unfairly rates teachers based on the outcome of these ridiculous tests. Education isn’t about how well you feel one day a year; it’s about the day-by-day learning and intellectual growth of our children. No one knows this better than our local teachers and parents, the people our education system should empower.

Albany needs to do more for the people of Western New York, and I go there each year to fight for our communities. We need change and the grassroots tide is turning. We will continue to fight for these and other issues because it’s what’s needed to make New York more affordable, more family friendly, and make its government more ethical.

If you would like to discuss these issues or any other state or local issue, please reach out to my hometown office located at 411 Main Street right here in East Aurora. The phone number is 716-655-0951, and my official legislative email address is dipietrod@assembly.state.ny.us. My staff and I look forward to meeting you.