Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is a sponsor of Assembly Bill 4788, which passed the Assembly today. The bill would require New York State Authorities to webcast their meetings for the public. While many in the chamber were applauding...

Today, after two years of holding the bill hostage for political posturing, the Assembly Majority finally brought legislation to the floor to protect the victims of human trafficking and bring its perpetrators to justice. I am proud to have...

Today, I stood in opposition to the Assembly Budget Resolution, which outlined the Majority’s vision for New York. This vision included funding for the unconstitutional SAFE Act, funding cuts for our roads and bridges in the CHIPS program, a draconian...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R,C,I – Big Flats), the Ranking Minority Member of the Local Governments Committee, is taking issue with Gov. Cuomo’s property tax proposal in his 2015 Executive Budget. Assemblyman Friend says the proposal doesn’t...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R,C,I – Big Flats) will be fighting to include the executive branch and Gov. Andrew Cuomo into whatever ethics reform package the Legislature takes up this year. We have a governor who is within the purview of United...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R,C,I – Big Flats) is calling on Gov. Cuomo to release his school aid runs to the public. The governor has refused to release the school aid runs ahead of the budget, using them instead as political leverage for his controversial...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R,C,I – Big Flats) today joined his colleagues and members of the organization Blue Lives Matter NYC to raise awareness of the group’s mission. Blue Lives Matter works with the families of fallen officers around the...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R,C,I – Big Flats) is calling on Gov. Cuomo and the two houses of the Legislature to remove the DREAM Act from the proposed budget for the state. In a 30-day amendment filed by the governor, the future of the Tuition...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R,C,I – Big Flats) has signed on to Assembly Bill A.3134, legislation that would bar convicted sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools, childcare services, and parks. Recently, the New York Court of Appeals...

We heard a lot of promises last week when Assemblyman Heastie assumed his role as Speaker of the Assembly, including an assurance of a new focus on ethics reform. In his first week as Speaker, the legislature considered no ethics reforms. We have the...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R,C,I – Big Flats) has renewed his insistency on adopting ethics reforms following the news that over $500,000 in taxpayer funds will be paid to the Assembly staffers sexually harassed by former Assemblyman Vito Lopez....

Assemblyman Chris Friend (R,C,I – Big Flats), who had been a vocal critic of former Speaker Sheldon Silver, is calling on his Assembly colleagues to not squander this opportunity to reform the Chamber. “This is the first change in...

The initial pressure members of the Majority have faced in regard to removing Speaker Silver has finally taken hold. As Speaker, Silver fostered a dangerous environment for the women of New York. His former Chief of Staff, Michael Boxley, was arrested...

I would like to thank Gov. Cuomo for his continued attention to the economic distress of Upstate New York. Unfortunately, the joint State of the State and Budget Address was just the same failed strategy of politically picking winners and losers. The...

Speaker Sheldon Silver has used his position to benefit himself, his political allies, and chosen colleagues. I applaud U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara for his work to make our government more ethical. This speaker can no longer serve on the people’s behalf....

Assemblyman Chris Friend (R,C,I – Big Flats) is condemning the state’s decision to push back a mandatory report on Gov. Cuomo’s controversial START-UP NY Program. A report was due on December 31, 2014, but has been rescheduled to April 1, 2015,...

Today, I joined my colleagues in the Assembly Minority in calling on Speaker Silver and the Assembly Majority to have an up-or-down vote on the eight individual women’s equality measures passed by the Senate yesterday. These eight vital reforms should...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I –Big Flats) today condemned the Assembly Majority’s re-election of Speaker Sheldon Silver. Silver has recently come under federal investigation for his outside earnings and has a past marred in scandal. “The...

“In recent years, New York State has experienced a frightening increase in opioid use in both its street and prescription forms. Heroin, in particular, is emerging as a public health concern in every community. Recent legislative laws such as I-STOP...

“Monterey Shock is the prime example of what correction facilities are supposed to be. It has a greater than 80 percent graduation rate and only a seven percent recidivism rate. The inmates are provided with an opportunity for drug counseling; a high...