There is little time left in the legislative session and much work left undone. I have been advocating for legislation that would help families by addressing issues that matter most to them. These bills would reform our education system, reduce taxes, and remove job-killing regulations; however, the will of a powerful few keeps these common-sense solutions from seeing the light of day.

In the Assembly, bills have to pass through the committee system before they come to the floor for debate and voting. The committees are controlled by the Assembly Majority Conference.

Many good ideas are pushed aside for the agenda of special interests. It is unnerving that these individuals set the entire course of policy in our state and have the power to block good ideas from the democratic process.

For example, one of the greatest concerns of my constituents is Common Core. This year, my colleagues and I held over 11 hearings on the matter across the state. We took the time to listen to parents, teachers, and school administrators about the hasty implementation of Common Core. Out of these hearings we developed the Achieving Pupil Preparedness and Launching Excellence (APPLE) Plan.

Recently, one of the largest components of the APPLE Plan was before the Education Committee. The bill would place a moratorium on Common Core testing until it was fully reviewed, and then it would slowly phase in testing to limit the stress placed on our children. Sadly, it was killed in the Education Committee and will never be voted on.

We’ve advocated for real, unfunded mandate relief for our municipalities so we can help lower property taxes for hardworking families. We’ve pushed for policies that would make New York more job- and business-friendly. We’ve worked hard to develop positive solutions for New Yorkers, but these efforts are constantly pushed aside for an agenda that appeases special interests.

Additionally, the Assembly Majority uses its influence to push legislation through committee that is diametrically opposed to the interests of pragmatic, upstate residents.

A prime example of this misplaced prioritization is proposed legislation that would require firearms manufacturers to produce pistols with microstamping capabilities. Microstamping-ready firearms produce a unique alpha-numeric code on the firing pin identifying the make, model, and serial number of the pistol. The technology is unproven and imposes burdensome costs on manufacturers. It infringes on our constitutional rights and would obviously be rendered ineffective in the event that a firearm is stolen.

The legislation cleared the Codes Committee on June 3 because the Assembly Majority would rather make political statements than help upstate manufacturers.

The legislative session is nearly over. People deserve more from their government. In order to do anything worthwhile, we’re going to need to collaborate and work together. Politics should never interfere with the work of the people.

I welcome your thoughts. Please contact me by calling my office at 493-3909, or by emailing me at blankenbushk@assembly.state.ny.us.