Albany, N.Y. – Following the enactment of a controversial law in North Carolina, Governor Andrew Cuomo has banned all non-essential state travel to North Carolina.
The law in question bans individuals from using restrooms that do not match the gender indicated on their birth certificates. Opponents argue the measure discriminates against members of the LGBT community.
In a statement released Monday night, Governor Cuomo said, “In New York, we believe that all people – regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation – deserve the same rights and protections under the eyes of the law. From Stonewall to marriage equality, our state has been a beacon of hope for the LGBT community, and we will not stand idly by as misguided legislation replicates the discrimination of the past. As long as there is a law in North Carolina that creates the ground for discrimination against LGBT people, I am barring non-essential state travel to that state.”
The ban specifically focuses on publicly-funded or publicly-sponsored travel – with the exception of travel that is deemed necessary for New York State law, the protection of public welfare, health or safety, or if it was part of a prior contractual obligation. The ban went into effect Monday night.
SOURCE :: 13WHAM
You can read the executive order here: E.O. 155.
United States Attorney Preet Bharara feels emboldened, sources say, following the conviction of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver — on all of seven corruption charges. Despite lacking a “smoking gun” to constitute an explicit quid pro quo, the jury handed Bharara a sweeping win. Such is the public’s appetite for corrupt politicians, observers say.
Three sources are confirming that Bharara intends to indict Governor Andrew Cuomo on January 2nd — along with a half dozen associates and former staffers — on public corruption, racketeering, conspiracy, and honest services fraud.
The Chronicle is unable to confirm widespread rumors that the former staffers are Howard Glaser, Joe Percoco and Larry Schwartz.
Glaser resigned in June of last year as Director of State Operations and was thought to be Cuomo’s top aide. Percoco left a $175,000 job with the Governor on October 25th of this year, and was known as Cuomo’s “political enforcer.”
Schwartz was caught up in the Moreland Commission scandal. He is thought to be guilty of obstruction of justice for actions he took in the hours immediately following Bharara’s confiscation of Moreland Commission documents.
One of the three sources — a longtime Albany insider — says that there are at least three additional targets of the investigation, including Alain Kaloyeros, the head of SUNY Polytech who, at $800,000, is the highest paid state employee.
The other two men are said to be from Buffalo and have been “involved in the Administration’s economic development deals in particularly unseemly ways,” but the source would not elaborate.
SOURCE :: Buffalo Chronicle
ALBANY – We’re No. 1 – in corruption. No other state has more legislators forced out of office by ethical or criminal issues than New York, according to a study released on Monday.
In fact, the state set a national record for the number of lawmakers kicked out, or chased out of office since, 2012, the Center for Public Integrity, a good government group, found in a new study.
We’re talking about a gold medal-winning corruption performance by New York.
– John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany
The tally of 14 lawmakers does not include former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who is on trial for corruption, or his counterpart in the state Senate, former Majority Leader Dean Skelos, whose trial is scheduled for later this month.
The reported noted that Skelos is the fifth straight Senate leader to be charged with using his office illegally for personal gain.
Overall, the state received a grade of D Minus and ranked 30th in the nation — tied with Florida — for measures it has put in place for transparency and accountability.
“We’re talking about a gold medal-winning corruption performance by New York,” said John Kaehny, executive director Reinvent Albany, an advocacy group. “It’s a pretty bleak moment for public governance.”
Albany’s secretive budgeting process, commonly referred to as “three men in a room,” landed it dead last in the budgeting category, with a grade of F.
Nevertheless, the Empire State fared better than other states. Eleven received the lowest grade of F.
Alaska walked off with the highest overall grade, but that was just a C.
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s independent audits earned a B+, highest in the nation in that category, helping lift the state from its dismal rating of 37th in 2012, which was the last time the survey was conducted.
The report said that DiNapoli’s office is effective “because of its robustly-funded” office, “which is headed by an elected official who is largely protected from interference by the governor or Legislature.”
“The office issues an annual report, which is publicly available and has shown little hesitation to go after state agencies, such as in a recent audit that identified $500 million in waste in the state’s Medicaid program,” the study said.
The study measured 245 “indicators” divided into 13 categories: public access to information, political financing, electoral oversight, executive accountability, legislative accountability, judicial accountability, state budget processes, state civil service management, procurement, internal auditing, lobbying disclosure, state pension fund management and ethics enforcement agencies.
SOURCE :: NYPost.com
Governor Cuomo will be in Rochester today, July 9th, for a special event for local lawmakers, dubbed “Capital for a Day.” This “day-long” event is a chance for local lawmakers to meet with the governor and other senior state officials to “advance local priorities for growth and improvements in the community.” Additionally, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will be in attendance.
What are the chances that they’ll invite me to these meetings to discuss firearms policies in New York?!
As with the current NY SAFE Act, having more than 7 rounds of ammo in your magazine is defined as criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a Class D Violent Felony. A felony is defined as a crime punishable by death or imprisonment in excess of one year. We consider these crimes below to be WORSE than having more than 7 rounds, however, New York State disagrees. These crimes below are lesser crimes than possessing more than 7 rounds of ammunition.
120.70 – Luring a child | E Felony
121.11 – Criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation | A Misdemeanor
125.10 – Criminally negligent homicide | E Felony
130.20 – Sexual misconduct | A Misdemeanor
130.25 – Rape 3rd degree | E Felony
130.40 – Criminal sexual act 3rd degree | E Felony
130.52 – Forcible touching | A Misdemeanor
130.53 – Persistent sexual abuse | E Felony (repeat child molester, must be caught and convicted in two separate cases before the charges even reach this level)
130.65A – Aggravated sexual abuse 4th degree | E Felony
130.85 – Female genital mutilation | E Felony
135.05 – Unlawful imprisonment 2nd degree | A Misdemeanor
135.10 – Unlawful imprisonment 1st degree | E Felony
135.45 – Custodial interference 2nd degree | A Misdemeanor
135.50 – Custodial interference 1st degree | E Felony
135.55 – Substitution of children | E Felony (switched at birth type of thing)
135.60 – Coercion 2nd degree | A Misdemeanor
150.01 – 5th degree Arson | A Misdemeanor
150.05 – 4th degree Arson | E Felony
178.10 – 4th degree Criminal diversion of prescription medications and prescriptions | A Misdemeanor
178.15 – 3rd degree Criminal diversion of prescription medications and prescriptions | E Felony
220.28 – Use of a child to commit a controlled substance offense | E Felony
240.05 – Riot 2nd degree | A Misdemeanor
240.06 – Riot 1st degree | E Felony
240.08 – Inciting to riot | A Misdemeanor 240.10 – Unlawful assembly | B Misdemeanor
240.15 – Criminal anarchy | E Felony
240.20 – Disorderly conduct | Violation
240.61 – Placing a false bomb or hazardous substance 2nd degree | E Felony
250.45 – Unlawful surveillance 2nd degree | E felony (Hidden cams for sexual gratification)
255.25 – Incest 3rd degree | E Felony
263.11 – Possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child | E Felony
263.16 – Possessing a sexual performance by a child | E Felony
Something to think about….