Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling on school districts in the 124th Assembly District to end the ‘sit and stare’ policy. The ‘sit and stare’ policy is when students who have opted out of the high-stakes Common Core...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is worried about the harassment of conservative activists in other states, and is growing more concerned that such an environment could infiltrate New York. A recent article by the National Review, “Wisconsin’s...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to not emulate the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap and trade program agreed upon by the New England states. The program is a tax that...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) responded to comments made by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan about the federal government’s “obligation” to step in and ensure at least 95% of students take the high-stakes Common Core tests....

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats), a sponsor of Assembly Bill 3656, better known as the APPLE Plan, saw the bill defeated during an Assembly Committee on Education meeting. The bill would have put a two-year moratorium on the Common...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is urging the Assembly to take up a critical ethics reform bill this week as a report of pension payments to convicted former legislators has gone public. Assembly Bill 4659, which would strip pensions...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling a letter written by Nancy L. Zimpher, chancellor of The State University of New York, ridiculous, and a gross misrepresentation of the current education system landscape. “You simply...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is going on the offensive regarding highly-questionable spending in the state budget that passed in the early morning hours of April 1. It has been recently discovered that the state allocated nearly...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) has signed on as a sponsor of Assembly Bill 6025, better known as the Common Core Parental Refusal Act. The legislation ensures parents are made aware of their right to opt their children out of the...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to end his START-UP NY program following the release of a government report citing poor job-creation numbers from the controversial program. The report released this week,...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) views the budget’s squandering of $1.5 billion in bank settlement funds as a missed opportunity to solve some of the longstanding economic issues in New York State. The funds went toward what has...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) cites Albany’s lack of desire to cut taxes and eliminate regulations and mandate relief as primary reasons why the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) ranked New York last in economic outlook....

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is expressing his concerns for teachers as the new teacher evaluations set forth in the budget seem to be in flux. During last week’s debate, the Assembly Majority stressed the autonomy of the state...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling out Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his hypocrisy regarding the governor’s advertising of buttons stating, “Everyone is Welcome in New York.” Last year, the governor stated those who held traditional...

The overwhelming majority of this year’s budget was forced through the Legislature without any input from the minority conferences and without any input from the people of this state. This budget was crafted behind closed doors and left members of the...

“Today’s decision by Gov. Cuomo to ban non-essential state travel to Indiana because of the decision to reinforce individual religious liberty through its version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) is highly hypocritical. This governor...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) voted in opposition to the debt services budget bill (A.3002-A) that came before the Assembly today. Friend contends that the bill violates the state constitution because all new debt on behalf of the...

“The resolution the Assembly Majority brought to the floor today commemorating Gov. Cuomo for his upcoming trip to Cuba is a tacit endorsement of the human rights violations the Castros have been committing for over 55 years. The governor meeting with...

“Yesterday’s video released by Project Veritas regarding Cornell Assistant Dean of Students for Student Activities, Joseph Scaffido, and his willingness to allow a certain organization on campus is very troubling. The Islamic State and Hamas are very...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling for all settlement funds awarded to the state be used to benefit ailing local and state infrastructure, be used to pay debt services, and have the state assume full control of the Medicaid...