Assemblyman Chris Friend (R-Big Flats) was pleased by the positive turn taken in the successful passage of an early state budget. The late-night deal-making and closed-door sessions so typical of Albany politics were avoided in this year’s transparent...

The one-house budget resolution put forth by the Assembly majority contains several provisions which would enhance the quality of life for our residents and New Yorkers in general. However, their proposal is, in general, a failure on nearly every issue...

Assemblymen Chris Friend (R – Big Flats) and Phil Palmesano (R, C, I – Corning) would like to encourage area hunters and outdoorsmen to attend the third annual Sportsmen and Outdoor Recreation Legislative Awareness Day, to be held in the Legislative...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R-Big Flats) is urging small business owners, non-profit organizations, farmers and owners of multiple dwellings that sustained direct physical flood-related damage from Tropical Storm Lee to apply for a grant from...

Assemblyman Chris Friend (R – Big Flats) is pleased by Governor Cuomo’s recent announcement that New York’s Department of State is issuing another round of grant money to support local communities devastated by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm...

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R–Big Flats) voted yesterday in favor of his sponsored legislation which would help ease the pain of parents of a stillborn child by allowing for the issuance of a posthumous birth certificate for these children. “One...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R-Big Flats) this week voted in favor of Assembly bill 5502, which will end the practice of health insurance companies requiring that patients purchase prescribed drugs through a mail-order pharmacy. “This mandate...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R- Big Flats) this week voted against legislation that would increase medical liability insurance costs in New York. Assembly bill 694-A, which enacts the Patient Privacy Protection Act, prohibits the defending party from...

I voted today in favor of the Public Integrity Reform Act of 2011, which contains the necessary reforms to make government and elected officials more accountable to the people that they represent. Governor Cuomo has touted this bill as important and historic....

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R- Big Flats) today attended the Assembly Minority’s Dairy Day, joining colleagues and representatives of New York’s dairy industry. Attendees were treated to delicious complimentary samples of milk, cheese, yogurt...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R- Big Flats) yesterday spoke in opposition to legislation that would place a moratorium on issuing any new permits for gas or oil drilling using hydraulic fracturing. The legislation could potentially close 14,000 wells...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R- Big Flats) this week joined state lawmakers at a roundtable discussion about the sale of wine in New York grocery stores. Legislation has been introduced in both the state Senate and Assembly to allow for the sale of...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R- Big Flats) wants New Yorkers to take advantage of the opportunity to submit their ideas on how to streamline government. Governor Cuomo has launched the Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission’s web site...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R- Big Flats) is appalled by recent reports and articles that uncovered a costly, complex, and inefficient bureaucracy in charge of Albany’s $3 billion government operations budget. The state Office of General Services...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R- Big Flats) today reiterated the need for mandate relief for schools and local governments. The issue has recently taken a backseat to property taxes, despite the direct connection between high property taxes and unfunded...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R- Big Flats) is appalled at former New York City Mayor Ed Koch’s shameless political attacks against lawmakers who refuse to support Sheldon Silver’s politically-biased redistricting plan. Friend is a co-sponsor of...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R- Big Flats) today welcomed cadets from the United States Military Academy at West Point. The cadets were in attendance as part of the Assembly’s West Point Day that honors the young men and women who dedicate themselves...

The budget merges agencies, catalyzes economic development, and provides for efforts to right-size and curb the cost of government. These bills do not contain the sweeping reforms expected, but they do address many of the harsh realities facing New York....

Instead of dealing with New York’s harsh fiscal realities, the Assembly Majority passed a budget that raises taxes by $4.9 billion, approves $1 billion in new spending, and does little to address long-term spending. The budget also fails to provide...

Assemblyman Christopher Friend (R- Big Flats) met with a group representing the Southern Tier Library System. The group came to Albany as part of the New York Library Association’s Library Day to protest the governor’s budget cuts to libraries. Friend...