Press Releases

The 2021-2022 Budget: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

After a delay lasting a week longer than the due date demanded of us by state law, the state budget was passed mostly along party lines in Albany. With a $212 billion total, an all-time high due to pandemic spending paid for by federal deficits, it was...

Smullen Votes To Lift Arbitrary Restaurant Regulations, Calls For Further Relief

Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C,I,SAM-Meco) voted to overturn the Governor’s Executive Order requiring restaurateurs to serve food with alcohol, and easing capacity and operating restrictions set on them during the course of the pandemic.He is continuing...

Smullen Calls For End To Economically-Damaging Eviction Moratorium

Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C,I,SAM-Meco) was part of a press conference to call for an end to the eviction moratorium imposed by Gov. Cuomo at the start of the pandemic last year. Although the idea began with good intentions, Smullen believes...

Smullen Votes ‘No’ On 2021 Budget Blowout

“I could not in good faith vote in favor of any part of this budget. It increases unnecessary spending and raises taxes, on top of $12 billion dollars of national debt financed aid coming from Washington, D.C. This budget exemplifies the progressive...

Smullen, Assembly and Senate Minority Hold Press Conference Calling for Release Of $1.3 Billion In Federal Housing Assistance

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Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C,I,SAM-Meco) was joined by Assembly and Senate Minority colleagues today in calling on Gov. Cuomo to release the $1.3 billion allocated by Congress for use in housing assistance. As of now, the governor has not authorized...

Smullen Joins Press Conference Calling for Restaurant and Bar Hours to Resume as Normal

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Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C,I,SAM-Meco) joined his Assembly and Senate colleagues today calling on the Majority Conferences in both houses to repeal the governor’s COVID-preventative restaurant and bar hour restrictions, citing the ridiculous...

The Governor Has Lost Our Confidence to Govern

Minority and Majority politicians will always have disagreements about policy issues. If we did not, we would not need different parties in our political system. The same can be said when it comes to the Governor and the Legislature. We are co-equal branches...

Smullen Introduces Bill That Will Allow Recall of Governor

Editor’s note: Link to Senate version of bill is attached Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C,I,SAM-Meco), in partnership with Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, is introducing a bill that would expand and strengthen the checks and balances of our state government....

Smullen: Majority Deal to Remove Emergency Powers Was a Lie

“As an eternal optimist, I was glad to hear Assembly Majority members were looking to finally remove the governor’s emergency powers. However, the bill they introduced today was anything but a revocation of the governor's emergency powers. It allows...

Smullen Votes ‘Yes’ On Numerous Nursing Home Protection Bills

Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C,I,SAM-Meco) spent session day on March 4 voting in favor of numerous bills thatsupport nursing home patients and their families in the wake of the disastrous COVID-19 pandemic, which claimed thousands of lives in nursing...

Smullen Celebrates Community Foundation Funding Broadband Development

Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C,I,SAM-Meco) is joining with the community to applaud the Community Foundation for directing extra funding toward the development of further broadband access and infrastructure in the area. As an avid and leading advocate...

Smullen Calls for More Funding of Local Roads

Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C,I,SAM-Meco) joined colleagues from the Assembly and Senate today calling on Gov. Cuomo and the Legislature to redirect funds and increase the budget for spending on local roads, bridges and culverts. Smullen knows that lett
“We need to support our local Highway superintendents so they can do their jobs as our people elected them to,” Smullen said. “It is of paramount importance that we invest in increased funding for our local roads. Roads are the backbone of civilization...

Smullen Insists Broadband Study Should Be Included in Yearly Budget

Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C,I,SAM-Meco) is calling on the governor to make good on earlier promises and ensure broadband across the state is funded in this year’s budget. A staunch advocate for equitable broadband access, Smullen is determined to...

Smullen: Assembly Majority Blocks Vote on Removal of Emergency Powers

“The egregious misuse of power on display in our State Assembly is shocking. To continually block the process of legislative work simply to protect the hold of emergency powers, and to prevent accountability from being held against the executive, is...

Smullen: Assembly Majority Cancel March 1 Session

“It’s astonishing the level to which Assembly Majority are willing to go in order to hide from the truth and from accountability, to the point where they will cancel a full day of session just to ensure that the Governor’s emergency powers remain...

Smullen Urges Cooperation from State Majority in Push for Investigation into Cuomo Cover-Ups

Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C,I,SAM-Meco) is looking to partner with Majority legislators in the Assembly to ensure an independent investigation will be conducted into the Cuomo administration’s alleged cover-up of nursing home deaths from COVID-19....

Smullen Partners with Senator Tedisco Calling for Support of Local Landlords

Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C,I,SAM -Meco) and Sen. Jim Tedisco (R,C-Glenville) have signed a letterto Gov. Cuomo urging that the renter’s moratorium on payments to landlords not be extended past the proposed end date of May 1 in an effort to support...

Smullen Responds to Gov. Cuomo’s State of The State, Shares His Own Goals For 2021

Assemblyman Robert Smullen(R,C, I, SAM - Meco) is reacting to the governor’s recent State of the State, as well as providing insight into his own goals for the 2021 Assembly Session. “Frankly, I felt the governor’s statement today rang hollow,...

Assemblyman Smullen Calls for Further Action Before Year End on Broadband in Upstate New York

Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C-Meco) today brought attention to an issue that has long been overlooked by Albany: the need for further broadband internet infrastructure in the rural regions of Upstate New York.  Smullen believes this issue deserves...

Smullen: Road Salt Reduction Bill Is A Win for Adirondack Region

Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C,Ref-Meco) is proud to announce that Gov. Cuomo signed legislation that will create the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force and a pilot program to establish alternatives to road salt to preserve drinking water and...