Press Releases

Friend Urges School Districts To End ‘Sit And Stare’ Policy

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling on school districts in the 124th Assembly District to end the ‘sit and stare’ policy. The ‘sit and stare’ policy is when students who have opted out of the high-stakes Common Core...

Friend Concerned About Eroding Civil Liberties

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is worried about the harassment of conservative activists in other states, and is growing more concerned that such an environment could infiltrate New York. A recent article by the National Review, “Wisconsin’s...

Friend: EPA Wrong To Model National Cap And Trade After Failed RGGI Program

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to not emulate the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap and trade program agreed upon by the New England states. The program is a tax that...

Friend: Education Is A State’s Responsibility Whether Sec. Duncan Likes It Or Not

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) responded to comments made by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan about the federal government’s “obligation” to step in and ensure at least 95% of students take the high-stakes Common Core tests....

Friend: Assembly Majority Continues Common Core Testing Despite Statewide Opt-Out Movement

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats), a sponsor of Assembly Bill 3656, better known as the APPLE Plan, saw the bill defeated during an Assembly Committee on Education meeting. The bill would have put a two-year moratorium on the Common...

Friend: Time To Act On Pension Forfeiture For Convicted Pols

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is urging the Assembly to take up a critical ethics reform bill this week as a report of pension payments to convicted former legislators has gone public. Assembly Bill 4659, which would strip pensions...

Friend: Zimpher Letter On Opt-Out Movement ‘Ridiculous’

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling a letter written by Nancy L. Zimpher, chancellor of The State University of New York, ridiculous, and a gross misrepresentation of the current education system landscape. “You simply...

New York Funds Defunct ACORN In Hastily-Crafted State Budget

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is going on the offensive regarding highly-questionable spending in the state budget that passed in the early morning hours of April 1. It has been recently discovered that the state allocated nearly...

Friend Sponsors Common Core Parental Refusal Act

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) has signed on as a sponsor of Assembly Bill 6025, better known as the Common Core Parental Refusal Act. The legislation ensures parents are made aware of their right to opt their children out of the...

Friend: Shut Down START-UP NY

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to end his START-UP NY program following the release of a government report citing poor job-creation numbers from the controversial program. The report released this week,...

Friend: Bank Settlement Money Misused For ‘Hunger Games’ Over Less Flashy Reforms

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) views the budget’s squandering of $1.5 billion in bank settlement funds as a missed opportunity to solve some of the longstanding economic issues in New York State. The funds went toward what has...

Friend: NY Last In Economic Outlook Because Albany Isn’t Serious About Reform

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) cites Albany’s lack of desire to cut taxes and eliminate regulations and mandate relief as primary reasons why the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) ranked New York last in economic outlook....

Friend: Teachers Are In Danger as Assembly Majority, Gov, and State Ed Fight Over Evaluation Rubric

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is expressing his concerns for teachers as the new teacher evaluations set forth in the budget seem to be in flux. During last week’s debate, the Assembly Majority stressed the autonomy of the state...

Friend: Gov. Changes His Tune On Who Is Welcome In New York

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling out Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his hypocrisy regarding the governor’s advertising of buttons stating, “Everyone is Welcome in New York.” Last year, the governor stated those who held traditional...

Friend: Budget Agreement Crafted In The Dark

The overwhelming majority of this year’s budget was forced through the Legislature without any input from the minority conferences and without any input from the people of this state. This budget was crafted behind closed doors and left members of the...

Friend: Does The Governor Think Indiana Is More Offensive Than Cuba?

“Today’s decision by Gov. Cuomo to ban non-essential state travel to Indiana because of the decision to reinforce individual religious liberty through its version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) is highly hypocritical. This governor...

Friend: Debt Budget Bill Violates Constitution

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) voted in opposition to the debt services budget bill (A.3002-A) that came before the Assembly today. Friend contends that the bill violates the state constitution because all new debt on behalf of the...

Friend: Assembly Shouldn’t Stand With The Castros

“The resolution the Assembly Majority brought to the floor today commemorating Gov. Cuomo for his upcoming trip to Cuba is a tacit endorsement of the human rights violations the Castros have been committing for over 55 years. The governor meeting with...

Friend: Open Federal Investigation Into Cornell Video

“Yesterday’s video released by Project Veritas regarding Cornell Assistant Dean of Students for Student Activities, Joseph Scaffido, and his willingness to allow a certain organization on campus is very troubling. The Islamic State and Hamas are very...

Friend: Use Settlement Funds For Infrastructure And Pay Debt Service

Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling for all settlement funds awarded to the state be used to benefit ailing local and state infrastructure, be used to pay debt services, and have the state assume full control of the Medicaid...