Assemblyman Dave McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick) today claimed victory and commended his Assembly colleagues on finally passing one plank of the Women’s Equality Act (WEA). McDonough said this is something he and his Assembly Minority colleagues have been fighting for the past few years, and this victory may open the door for more WEA bills to be passed by the house.

“I am glad that leadership in the Assembly has finally stepped up and chosen to bring this legislation to the floor for a vote,” McDonough said. “New York’s women have been waiting far too long for the Assembly to act on this issue, and today, we have finally taken a step toward gender equality. I have been fighting for passage of the WEA as separate pieces of legislation and not for use as a political tool. I am happy to see this measure pass, but it should have happened years ago, not just when it is politically advantageous.”

McDonough’s comments come after the Assembly today passed A.506, which enacts the Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act. The Assembly Majority had previously refused to move separate women’s equality bills, introduced by members of the Minority, through committee.