Editor's Note
Editor’s note: Albany thrives on deadline
Our legislature’s part-time schedule and lawmakers’ productivity may, in fact, be connected.
Lawmakers like state Sen. Michelle Hinchey have dates targeted to pass legislation. NYS Senate Media Services
Nothing gets done without a deadline in Albany. That’s true of putting together a magazine too.
Every year, lawmakers push and push to get their bills into the budget. And if that doesn’t work, they push and push again to get them done before the end of the session. Gov. Andrew Cuomo knew this, and staked his reputation on (nearly) on-time budgets. Gov. Kathy Hochul knows it too, and used the pressure of a past-due budget to strengthen her hand.
And every week, City & State team members push and push to get our stories into print, and into our daily newsletters. We stake our reputation on publishing on time. And know when to remind reporters that a story was due yesterday and we need it now.
So as I read Rebecca C. Lewis’ cover story this week (which was submitted before the deadline!) I couldn’t help but wonder if Albany’s status as a part-time legislature and its status as the most productive was not ironic but in fact causal. If lawmakers knew they had a whole two-year term to pass a bill, there could be a lot less urgency to make deals.
Just look to the New York City Council. Legislation is passed on a rolling basis over four-year terms, which means that it often takes a crisis to create some urgency. The untimely death of tourist Romanch Mahajan in a Central Park horse carriage accident is the latest example, as it seemed to have forced the council to grab hold of an issue that’s been simmering on a back burner for approximately 13 years.
There are, of course, some serious issues with the way Albany currently does business. (A little more transparency, please?) But now is the perfect time for Albany players to be reading City & State and having these discussions. After all, they’re off work till January.