The conclusion of this week marks the end of the first half of the legislative year, and I wanted to take the time to review what has happened over the last three months. I have met with some wonderful people and groups; we have seen the passage of significant legislation such as the Assembly Majority’s flimsy, hollow and inadequate “ethics reforms” and, of course, the always controversial budget.

One of the many events from the first half of the legislative year, the one that most sticks out in my mind is the “Local Roads Matter” rally that was held at the Capitol in early March. It was wonderful to see so many of our hardworking men and women from across the state unify and show solidarity for a common objective. We can’t be thankful enough for the jobs our highway and local road workers complete. The final 2016-2017 State Budget will help decrease the discrepancy between the five-year capital plans of the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Each department will include approximately $27 billion of funding committed by the state. There is also $100 million included in this year’s DOT capital plan for the new PAVE NY program, which will be distributed to localities through CHIPs.

Some of the significant legislation that has passed thus far was the Assembly Majority’s “ethics reforms.” After a tumultuous year, the Assembly Majority’s ethics task force finally suggested a few reforms that would help clean up the Legislature. These suggestions were underwhelming to say the least. A redesigned website, along with making committee votes public knowledge, does not address the true root causes of the corruption scandals that crippled Albany last year. We, as a Legislature, must still institute term limits for legislative leadership and pension forfeiture for elected officials convicted of felonies while serving in office. The Assembly Minority Conference continues to call for these hard-hitting reforms year after year and is continually rebuffed by the Assembly Majority.

Finally, my colleagues and I were able to fully restore the GEA education cuts in this year’s budget as promised. Last year, my colleagues and I restored $600 million in education funds. This year, we recovered the remaining funds and were able to provide the largest amount of education funding in our state’s history. For the 117th Assembly District, I was able to secure over $452 million in aid (over $19.5 million more than last year). While this year’s budget was lacking overall, I am proud of the educational funding portion and what my conference was able to achieve.

This year’s legislative season may be half-way done, but there is still much work to do. I am excited to spend these next two weeks in district and meet with the great people of our 117th Assembly District and hear what you think of the legislative year thus far.

I welcome your thoughts on this or any other legislative matter. Please contact me by emailing blankenbushk@assembly.state.ny.us or by calling my office at 315-493-3909.