This week, the Assembly reconvened to begin the 2021 Legislative Session. While the halls of the Capitol were dramatically different due to COVID restrictions, we begin our work with a sense of optimism and purpose. After a great deal of tumult in 2020, here in New York we must set an example for the rest of the nation by coming together and working cooperatively to address our many obstacles. There is much work to be done.

As the state continues to grapple with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Assembly Minority Conference has a number of priorities we hope to see addressed in the coming months. We are calling for immediate action to protect taxpayers, stimulate recovery and assist small-business owners who are facing extreme challenges related to the inability to conduct business normally due to state-imposed restrictions.

New Yorkers are facing ongoing difficulties as a surge in COVID threatens additional lockdowns, and financial uncertainty continues to plague the state and nation. Now, more than ever, we must ensure each dollar spent is allocated efficiently and, in a manner, consistent with the massive economic recovery we are facing. Taxpayers are under mounting financial pressures, and we cannot afford to pass our budgetary shortfalls onto them. With a years-long recovery in store, we must do everything in our power to ensure residents and business owners are provided with the support they need now and in the future.

Other legislative priorities on our agenda include: returning the Legislature to a co-equal branch of government; cleaning up wasteful spending in Albany; strengthening the state’s fiscal resilience ahead of future crises; and addressing ancillary problems exacerbated by the pandemic, like the spike in violent crimes we have seen in communities across the state, as well as New York’s worsening affordability and out-migration crisis.

While the toll of the virus has been substantial, the ripple effect it has created has also proved extremely challenging. We entered 2021 with a broad, complex set of problems, and it’s going to take a lot of planning, work and collaboration to deal with these many issues. I am certain our Conference is up to the task, and I am eager to overcome these issues alongside them and all my colleagues in the Legislature.