Press Releases

National Safe Boating Week Begins Saturday, May 22

The warm weather brings with it many great recreational opportunities. With New York’s abundance of incredible waterways, summer boating season is one we can all look forward to enjoying. Tomorrow, Saturday, May 22 kicks off the Safe Boating Council’s...

Statement from Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay on Gov. Cuomo Profiting From Book Deal

“Today we learned that Andrew Cuomo’s book deal was worth more than $5 million – yet another fact he hid from the public until finally forced to reveal it through tax disclosures. His decision to publish a self-promotional book during the deadliest...

How Much Will New York’s ‘Green New Deal’ Cost Taxpayers?

Predictably, a public hearing on the implementation of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) yielded little information about how much the massive environmental bill is going to cost New Yorkers. The size and scope of the bill is...

Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay on the Ongoing Impeachment Investigation

“Exactly two months ago, it was announced that the Assembly Committee on Judiciary would open an investigation into the actions of Gov. Cuomo, to determine if impeachment proceedings would be forthcoming. After eight weeks, where are we? What progress...

New York Tax Freedom Day Worst in America

Once again, New York has found itself on the bottom of several major tax rankings, highlighting why so many residents have left the state and why our economic recovery will be an uphill climb. According to a report from the Tax Foundation, New York has the worst Tax...

Barclay Presents Pulaski’s Warren Leib with Assembly Resolution

No caption provided
Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R,C,I-Pulaski) (left) recently presented Warren Leib with an Assembly resolution commending him on his distinguished career in education and for his dedicated service to the Pulaski Public Library. Mr. Leib recently...

Statement from Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay on The Extension of The State’s Eviction Moratorium

“Today’s vote to extend a blanket moratorium on evictions is harmful to both landlords and tenants. The extension passed today severely limits the ability of already struggling small property owners to recover from the economic damage the COVID-19...

Ending Restaurant & Bar Restrictions Is A Step in The Right Direction, but More Must Be Done for Industry

New York small business owners and employees received some long-awaited good news this week from Albany as two burdensome restrictions hampering restaurants and bars were eliminated. The Legislature successfully rescinded one of Gov. Cuomo’s Executive...

Barclay, Barlow Partner With Red Cross To Host Blood Drive In Oswego On May 7

Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R,C,I-Pulaski) announced that he will host a blood drive with City of Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow to benefit the American Red Cross. The drive will be held on Friday, May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Roy C. McCrobie...

Statement From Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay On The Governor’s Bar & Restaurant Curfew

“The governor’s arbitrary curfews put bars and restaurants at a serious disadvantage and caused undo harm to small businesses fighting for survival. Lifting senseless curfews on these establishments has been a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if.’ Assembly...

Statement from Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay on New York Losing a Congressional Seat

“The Census numbers released today confirm New York’s state of decline that we’ve witnessed for a decade. Losing a Congressional seat diminishes our level of representation in the halls of Congress and is the result of ongoing population loss...

NYS Assembly Minority Conference Will Continue to Advocate for The Disability Community

The needs of every single New Yorker must be accounted for as we continue to transition out of lockdown and into more regular activities. The disability community, which was hit particularly hard by both the physical and emotional impacts of COVID-19,...

New Guidance Allowing for Graduation Ceremonies A Positive Sign of Progress

The gradual reopening of New York’s businesses and movement toward normalcy in daily activities has provided a lot of optimism and hope for our small business owners, consumers, employees and residents of New York. To that end, my colleagues in the...

Tax-And-Spend Budget Will Have Relocation Ramifications

Earlier this week, the Majority Conferences passed a back-room budget deal that completely disregarded every rule of fiscal responsibility. The 2021-2022 Enacted Budget is $18.7 billion more than last year’s spending plan. New York state is now planning...

Barclay: Cuomo & The Majority Co-Conspirators Continue To Injure NY’s Bars & Restaurants

Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R,C,I-Pulaski) issued the following statement after Gov. Cuomo extended his executive order which requires bars and restaurants to close by 11 p.m. As of April 5, the 11 p.m. curfew was lifted for pool halls, casinos,...

As New York Slips Further into Unrest, the Majority Does Nothing to Make Streets Safer

New York’s criminal justice system has deteriorated to dangerous levels. At the direction of the Majority in the state Legislature and New York City, we have seen drastic changes to parole and bail policies that have undermined police officers and put...

Statement from Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay on Legalization of Recreational Marijuana

“Many are going to celebrate the passage of the ‘Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act.’ But we didn’t solve any problems today, we only created new ones.Majority members will claim victory, but they ignore the inherent dangers associated with...

Budget Priorities That Will Break the Bank

The process of developing the annual State Budget officially begins when the governor presents his spending proposal in late January. But the terms of negotiations become clearer once legislative majority conferences offer their financial plans, which...

Despite Federal Bailout, State’s Long-Term Growth Requires Drastic Change Of Course

New York state is set to receive $12.7 billion in federal funding as part of the recently negotiated American Rescue Plan. These funds are much needed as the state was facing a major budget gap created by prolonged lockdowns and disruptions to businesses...

Statement from Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

“While I welcome the decision to launch an impeachment investigation to look into alleged misconduct by Gov. Cuomo, the Assembly Committee on Judiciary must proceed with urgency. Minority members have called for impeachment investigations for weeks....