New York is among the bluest of blue states in the country, with 5.79 million registered Democrats and only 2.73 million registered Republicans, as of April 2016.
That’s a margin of well over 2:1.
With this overwhelmingly large number of registered Democrats to Republicans, how is it possible that the state Senate has Republican leadership?
The main reason is because of a rogue group of eight Democrats, called the Independent Democratic Conference, who have broken away to create a ruling majority with their state Republican Senate counterparts.
If the Democrats of the IDC stayed with mainstream Democrats, there would be a slim 32-31 Democratic majority.
So, you may ask, why would “Democrats,” typically committed to Progressive ideals, vote in lockstep with Republicans?
The answer is simple, power and money.
By joining the Republicans, the eight members of the IDC, led by Jeff Klein, of Senate District # 34, receive higher stipends as committee chairs and larger funding for staff.
The state Assembly has a very different makeup, with its strong Democratic majority of 107 Democrats out of a possible 150 seats.
As a result, state government often sits in a stalemate on important legislation put forth by the state Assembly, because the slim Republican/IDC Senate majority block any Progressive legislation put forth.
If the state Senate weren’t horrifically gerrymandered, and followed the same proportion of elected offices by party as the Assembly, there would actually be 45 state Senate Democrats.
All New York State and federal election districts are redrawn every 10 years, with the next redistricting commencing in 2020.
Who is in the majority in the state Senate three years from now will have strong influence over how new election districts are drawn, and will directly affect how state will be governed for the following 10 years.
There has been tremendous pressure on the IDC to rejoin their mainstream Democratic peers, and work with them to pass the Progressive legislation that has been blocked.
So far the IDC has made it clear they aren’t coming back, which directly hurts the very constituents who elected them to support the ideals of the Democratic Party.
Here is a partial list of legislation, by issue topic, that never made it out of committee or failed to pass because of the Republican/IDC majority.
Note, “A” stands for Assembly, “S” stands for Senate, and bills with no “same as” do not have a Senate sponsor:
LGBTQ
· GENDA – A04558 Same As S00061-B Healthcare
· Universal healthcare – A05062. Same As S03525-A
· Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act – A01378. Same As S03668
· The Reproductive Health Act – A01748. Same As S02796
· Limits denial of coverage of additional treatment related to health care services – A01129. Same As S03568
· Relates to access to reproductive services – A06221. Same As S04432
· Relates to price gouging of medicine – A06731. Same As S04508
Criminal Justice Reform
· Restructures domestic violence sentences – A04409. Same As S02036-B
· Creates the office of the correctional ombudsman – A09939. Same As S08059
· Seals possession of marijuana records – A10092. Same As S08047
Housing
· Taxpayers may contribute on their personal income tax returns to the homeless – A00022
· Prohibits an owner from adjusting the amount of rent upon the renewal of a lease – A03809. Same As S02828-B
· Restricts rentals adjustments for capital improvements – A03957
· Repeals provisions permitting rent increases after vacancy – A05567. Same As S00951
Immigration
· DREAM Act – A04311. Same As S01251-B
· Prohibiting detention of immigrants based on administratively issued detainer warrants – A03049 (Note No Floor Vote Yet But Made It Out Of Committee)
· New York State Reuniting Families Act – A02432. Same As S02516
Voting Rights
· Voter friendly ballot act – A00204
· Early voting – A08582. Same As S03813-C
· Allows online voter registration – A10370
· Allows voting by mail (even if you don’t need absentee) – A03874. Same As S04456-A
Wage/Leave Policy
· Ups home health care workers minimum wage – A10320. Same As S07998
· Expands family leave – A03870. Same As S03004-A
· New York State fair pay act – A06937. Same As S02707-A
Education
· Full day kindergarten funding – A08692. Same As S07070-B
Ethics
· Limits outside income, close LLC loophole and other ethics measures – A09535
Some highlights to note: New York City four-year-olds receive full day Universal Pre-K, while Long Island’s children do not; there has been little ethics reform despite a wave of political corruption; and New York is one of the least voter friendly states. New York’s crazy and dysfunctional politics mirrors the insanity in Washington.
Long Islanders and the whole of New York deserve better. It’s time to get involved.
