The Farm Labor Wage Board will be meeting within the next few weeks to discuss the current 60-hour overtime threshold that is currently in place for farmers. I urge the board to keep the current threshold rather than reduce it. I join in this bipartisan...

Since the beginning of the pandemic I have consistently argued against mandatory vaccinations. This is why I am opposed to the governor’s plan to mandate vaccinations for healthcare workers, stating they all must have the shot by September 27 or risk...

On Wednesday, Albany’s Assembly Majority shamelessly extended the eviction moratorium through January 15, 2022. Not only was this decision reckless, but it was unnecessary. New York received over $2.6 billion in federal funds earlier in the year that...

Earlier this week, Kathy Hochul became the 57th governor of New York and the first female to hold the position. I extend my congratulations to Gov. Hochul on assuming this historic role. With this being said, the new governor has many issues to face and...

“The attorney general made it clear to New Yorkers and the world that Gov. Cuomo is a serial sexual predator. He must resign immediately.”

“Earlier this afternoon the governor declared an emergency over gun violence, citing rising shootings in metropolitan areas across New York state. His plan is far too little, far too late. This session, our conference was laser-focused on cleaning up...

“The State of New York is not in the midst of an emergency. We are 15 months removed from March of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic is under control in our state and across the nation. According to the governor’s own numbers, the state positivity rate...

***Editor’s Note: for a video on Assemblyman Blankenbush’s remarks, click here Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) is opposed to the governor’s latest directive that will require children as young as two to wear a mask in daycares or...

“The final budget deal just released by Gov. Cuomo is nothing short of shameful. It is a reckless $212 billion wish list. This deal cut between the governor, Senate and Assembly Majorities falls short of what our constituents expect from state government....

“Let’s be clear, the Majority proposal to ‘remove’ the governor’s emergency powers is nothing more than a performative stunt. The bill is not a clean bill like the one that was proposed by my Minority Conference colleagues, where we simply called...

Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) is joining his Minority Conference colleagues, Voices for Seniors and Rochester resident Miss Gelsey Randazzo Markese in calling for the subpoena of New York State Commissioner of Health Dr. Howard Zucker....

“Today, I firmly stand behind Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt and Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay in demanding bipartisan investigations into the governor’s mishandling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This issue should not...

“Today we finally received an accurate report on nursing home deaths and numbers in New York during the pandemic. The report from Attorney General James confirms what many of us hoped not to be true - the governor was involved in a cover-up. The attorney...

Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) was placed on several committees for the upcoming legislative session in Albany, along with being named to Minority Leader Will Barclay’s leadership team as an assistant minority leader. Blankenbush will...

The Division of Budget has yet to disperse $2.9 billion of CARES Act funding received from the federal government to help New York address the costs of the COVID-19 pandemic. New York state received approximately $5.1 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funds...

Today, Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) cosigned on to a letter to Gov. Cuomo requesting that the Farm Laborers Wage Board wait in recommending any changes for New York farmers until growing season data can be accurately compiled. The letter...

“The Assembly Minority Conference has tried to rein in the governor’s emergency powers but, unfortunately, the Majority has blocked all our efforts to do so. As our governor likes to tout every press conference he holds, our state has successfully...

Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) joined the Assembly Minority Conference in writing a letter to the governor requesting authorization for schools to hold graduation ceremonies for high-school seniors. “Our seniors have faced an unconventional...

“Throughout this pandemic, we have seen the governor take more control over our state than ever before. Without legislative approval, he has issued more than 30 executive orders and has changed over 260 laws. “The Legislature had an opportunity...

“As many of you know, the Mohawk Valley and North Country regions were set to begin Phase 2 today. County executives and business leaders were in contact with state officials with the plan to move to the second phase, but at the 11th hour, the governor...