Bad Day for Accountability as Democrats Reject Open Government Measures

Those expecting transparency and accountability in state government were disappointed by assembly Democrats last week when they rejected measures by GOP lawmakers to provide more public access to the legislative process.

“Our conference proposed a number of sensible resolutions that would bring tangible, fair changes to the way business is done in Albany,” reported Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano, co-sponsor of the bills. “It’s a shame our Democratic colleagues are not in favor of seeing democracy and accountability in the People’s House,” DeStefano said.

The new procedures would require a publicly-accessible video archive of committee meetings, allow press in the assembly chamber, and ensure that members can deliberate on issues before the legislature.

“These moves may seem small, but they would have been impactful in the fight for transparency and accessibility in state government,” DeStefano said. “With a state that suffers from the highest taxes in the nation and a crime wave caused by the policies of these Democrats, they can no longer keep people in dark about what they’re up to.”