The 2011-12 state budget made a number of positive strides toward the significant reforms New Yorkers have demanded and rightfully deserved. Unfortunately, this spending plan falls short in several key areas, representing a missed opportunity for the...

The decision to restore funding to some of our state’s most vital agricultural programs is a crucial victory for our farmers and rural residents here in Western New York. This year’s budget contains additional aid over the governor’s proposal for...

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) recently applauded the return of the sales tax exemption on clothing and footwear. In 2010, Assemblyman Hawley voted against a measure to enforce a four percent sales tax on clothing and footwear under $110. As...

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) recently welcomed students from the Oakfield-Alabama (OA) Leadership Class to the State Capitol in Albany. The high school juniors, who belong to a group of exceptional OA students that are learning the values...

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) recently commented on the restoration of funding for Video Lottery Terminals (VLT) at Batavia Downs. The governor’s proposed budget sought to eliminate over $500,000 from revenue sharing with the town and City...

The Assembly Majority has released a one-house budget bill which, predictably, lacks a sound financial plan and fails to address the inequity between upstate and downstate taxpayers. This budget sends our agricultural industry out to pasture, treats upstate...

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) recently met with highway superintendents and employees from Genesee, Monroe, Niagara and Orleans counties. The group gathered in Assemblyman Hawley’s Albany office to discuss ways in which state government can...

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) is sponsoring legislation that seeks to limit public assistance benefits to true New York residents. The bill seeks to implement a 90-day residency requirement for such applicants. “One of Albany’s worst-kept...

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) today called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to rescind inequitable cuts to education funding that unfairly burden Western New York’s children. In a letter to the governor, Assemblyman Hawley detailed the ways that...

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) today called attention to a pair of bills that would force bicycle riders to pay for license plates and corresponding registration fees. The legislation would impose a $25 fee on plates for personal riders, with...

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C – Batavia) is hosting his regular monthly outreach meeting for Genesee County residents at the Old Courthouse in Batavia this coming Wednesday. “The meeting will provide the people of Western New York with an...

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) today called attention to proposed cuts in the executive budget that unfairly targets Western New York while sparing downstate regions from economic hardship. Under the governor’s proposal, state funding for...

Governor Cuomo has repeatedly warned that this year’s budget would be painful, and today’s presentation confirmed exactly that. Spending cuts are desperately needed to right New York’s fiscal course, but these cuts must be made with caution and...

New York State Senator George D. Maziarz (R, C – Newfane) and Assemblyman Stephen Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) have asked the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court in Rochester to expedite a ruling on the recently appealed case involving Verizon Communication...

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C – Batavia) recently announced that he will become the prime sponsor of pending legislation preventing the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) from increasing restrictions on landowners that burn refuse on...

In today’s State of the State Address the governor acknowledged the dark times ahead, but looked to a brighter future on the horizon. Many of his cornerstone proposals, from a property tax cap to an independent redistricting commission, have been advanced...

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C – Batavia) recently announced the committees he will sit on during the 2011 Legislative Session. Hawley will join the pivotal Committee on Ways & Means and serve as chairman of the Assembly Minority Steering Committee....

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C – Batavia) has recently called on the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to heed the public’s call and reverse their decision to phase out the use of outdoor wood burning boilers. Plans to outlaw these...

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C – Batavia) was recently issued a perfect score on Unshackle Upstate’s 2009-10 legislative scorecards. Hawley received all 100 possible points based on his voting record on legislation impacting businesses in Upstate...