Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
sheldon_lg.jpg

NYU's Brennan Center for Justice just published an update of the famous 2004 report that described in excruciatingly precise detail just how deeply lousy New York State government has become. I haven't had the chance to read it yet but the title of the 2008 edition pretty much sums it up: "Still Broken."

The New York Times editorializes this morning:

New York’s government is still a secretive, boss-driven,anti-democratic disgrace.... Legislative leaders, especially Assembly Speaker SheldonSilver, have had “a stranglehold on the flow of legislation at allstages of the legislative process.” Most members have little say. Committees are run like shadow puppet theaters. Details aboutlegislation are hard for the public to get, unless they subscribe to abill-drafting service for $2,250 a year.

After the jump, some bullet-pointed lowlights from the report...

    • In both chambers, but especially inthe Assembly, leadership maintained a stranglehold on the flow oflegislation at all stages of the legislative process.
    • Committee meetings were infrequent inboth chambers and sparsely attended in the Senate, where members canvote without being physically present.
    • Most standing committees in both chambers failed to hold any hearings on major legislation.
    • There were no detailed committeereports attached to major bills in the Senate, and the Assembly rulesdo not require substantive reports to accompany bills reported out ofcommittee.
    • Legislators introduced anextraordinary number of bills in both houses during each session, whileonly a small percentage received a floor vote.
    • 100% of the bills that leadership allowed to reach the floor of either chamber for a vote passed with almost no debate.
    • Senate records indicate that many ofthe bills that received a floor vote lacked critical and requiredinformation about their fiscal impact, usually passing the full chamberwithout any meaningful debate or dissent.
    • The use of conference committees toreconcile similar bills in each chamber remained the exceedingly rareexception, rather than the rule.
    • Member resources were distributed inequitably in both chambers on the basis of party, loyalty and seniority.
    • Much of the legislative processremains opaque; records are difficult to obtain without burdensome"freedom of information" requests, and key records of deliberation-suchas "no" votes on procedural motions in the Senate-are not maintained.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Hundreds of Community Groups — From the Far Right to the Socialists! — Demand Daylighting

Two hundred New York City groups from across the ideological spectrum joined calls to ban parking at corners in order to improve safety and visibility, also known as daylighting.

October 24, 2025

Vision Zero Cities: Bicycles Are Not Cars So They Shouldn’t Have to Follow the Same Rules

The default in nearly all states is to impose the same traffic rules on bicycles as on motor vehicles even though the needs of cyclists are so different.

October 24, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Today’s the Day Edition

Mayor Adams's new 15 mph speed limit is officially goes into effect today. Plus more news.

October 24, 2025

Cough, Cough: DEP Considers Largest Ever Exemption Request to City’s Anti-Idling Law

Academy Bus claims no technological alternatives exist for heating and cooling buses without idling. Advocates warn an exemption would "gut" the city's 50-year-old idling ban.

October 23, 2025

Truckers to US DOT: Busways Are Good for Us!

The federal government has obviously lost its trucking mind.

October 23, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Protect The Election Edition

How to be a bike monitor at election sites. Plus other news.

October 23, 2025
See all posts