Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) is responding to the governor’s 2014 State of the State address by challenging him to deliver the tax relief he has promised. Hawley wants to see the governor actually deliver on his rhetoric to bring significant tax relief to upstate New York families.

“It is normal for politicians to talk about tax relief in an election year, but, usually, the so-called relief that is delivered is not enough to give our middle-class families the help they need,” said Hawley. “If the governor is the leader he claims to be, he will pass a tax relief package that takes money from Albany’s special interests and puts it in the pockets of upstate New York’s families. Also, the governor needs to deliver on an unfulfilled promise to pass mandate relief for our counties and municipalities, which would help lower property taxes.”

In addition to calling for tax relief, Hawley renewed his pledge to fight for the Second Amendment rights of upstate New Yorkers. He hopes the courts will find the NY SAFE Act unconstitutional and has also introduced legislation to repeal the SAFE Act in order to hold those who passed it accountable for their actions.

“We are approaching the one-year anniversary of the passage of the SAFE Act. This should renew all Second Amendment advocates’ deep resolve to get this unconstitutional law repealed. I have been working for the past year with Second Amendment advocates to organize our opposition to the law, and I will continue that fight in the coming year,” said Hawley.

Hawley is also pushing for a vote on his “Two New Yorks” bill. This legislation would allow counties to place an initiative on the ballot on whether the citizens want New York to be split into two states due to the divergent interests of upstate and downstate New York.

“Since the SAFE Act was rammed down the throats of the people of upstate New York under the cover of darkness, the frustration with downstate special interests has grown exponentially. When combined with the highest-in-the-nation taxes and unending regulations imposed by downstate bureaucrats, upstate New Yorkers deserve to have their voices heard on whether or not they want to continue to be linked with downstate New York,” said Hawley.