Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) said today that he is tired of the Legislature providing a disproportionate amount of aid to New York City, and showing a blatant disregard for the needs of upstate New Yorkers. Hawley wrote to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie asking him to bring the Two New Yorks legislation to the floor and allow a vote to gauge public opinion on the issue. The bipartisan, non-binding measure would be an important step toward understanding whether New Yorkers feel that the amount of aid allocated upstate and the amount sent downstate is equitable.
“In the eyes of the Legislature, NYC and its welfare policies take precedence over upstate businesses and taxpayers,” said Hawley. “I have introduced legislation that will simply gauge the interest of New Yorkers in a non-binding way. For instance, the battle over minimum wage and the implications it would have on farmers and upstate small businesses was completely overlooked by our downstate counterparts. Such disconnect has been present for many years, which is why this legislation is long overdue.”
