Statement By Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco On The Waning Days Of The 2007 Legislative Session

"The two longest debates we have had in the State Assembly in the past week were on legalizing medical marijuana and gay marriage. Meanwhile, nothing has been done to help New Yorkers suffering under the weight of out-of-control property taxes and gas prices. Nothing resembling an upstate jobs plan has been advanced. A bill to protect Bellevue Hospital, one of only two women's hospitals in the nation, has been blocked. A bill to increase penalties for habitual criminal offenders has been given the runaround. These are real priorities. These are the priorities that could make a real difference in improving the quality of life for the vast majority of folks. These are the issues that we should be discussing in the final days of the legislative session. But instead the Majority is pushing a very narrow special-interest agenda instead of the people's agenda."