“I support Speaker Heastie’s decision on changes to our conference procedure, although I believe it is deeply regrettable that this change was made necessary at all.

“The confidentiality of our conference meetings is sacrosanct. Providing members with the space to freely express their views and ask questions about various issues of legislative importance is a critical component of an effective system of representative democracy in New York State.

“It is a violation of collegial trust and our conference decorum to record these confidential discussions and to disseminate those recordings. Any member who knowingly violates this trust should not be part of the majority conference. Membership in a legislative conference is purely voluntary, and no legislator is under any obligation to join if they do not want to respect their colleagues.”