Hallelujah!

Someone has heard our cry.

It started on this page almost a year ago – when we called the New York State Legislature the 50th best in the nation.

It was continued by several good government groups and editorial pages of the State’s dailies, as budget time approached and passed and the Legislature failed to act.

It became louder still when the court-mandated deadline to correct the inequity in funding New York City schools came and went and the members of the legislature sat uselessly.

It reached a crescendo when the non-partisan Brennan Center of the NYU School of Law affirmed our accusation: New York State had the most dysfunctional of all 50 State Legislatures.

It perhaps pounded through the heads of the members of the legislature the loudest, according to Queens Assemblyman Mark Weprin, when on the sideline of his kid’s soccer game, parents of other kids would come up to him and complain about the Assembly’s dysfunction.

Weprin told us, “The past year has not been fun in Albany.

It’s terribly frustrating . . . this year the press has looked in.”

When asked about our criticism – the incessant bombardment from this page in the Tribune, Weprin told us, “You have not been unfair.”

And so, what is being done to fix it?

Three courageous Assembly members have introduced three different pieces of reform legislation to open up the system, address what is broken and bring credibility back to the vacuous body.

Assemblyman Scott Stringer of Manhattan has, with the cooperation of the Brennan Center, introduced a series of reforms to Assembly rules which would enable that house – controlled by Democrats, downstate Democrats – to increase member input, make meaningful the committee system, end voting by proxy and provide a bit more accountability of Assembly members for their part in the process. It would also likely erode some of the absolute control of the Assembly Speaker and hopefully serve as a catalyst for the Republican-controlled Senate to clean up their house.

Stringer’s Brennan reforms are for the Assembly only and do not require approval of the Republican controlled Senate.

According to Scott, with when we chatted last Friday, “We don’t need the Senate, therefore, we’re going to have a serious dialogue. If we do it, they will follow.”

Stringer told us that the Speaker has promised that the Democratic Assembly Conference will address the matter in December. Therefore, it is possible that the 15 Brennan-inspired rules introduced by Stringer could be in effect as the new sessions begins in January.

In a body as moribund as the New York State Legislature, such reform would be almost revolutionary. However, the crescendo of criticism is not fading, and it is important for each and every citizen to let their Assembly member know that the Stringer reforms must be passed and not watered down.

Mark Weprin of Eastern Queens and Mike Giannaris of Astoria are the only two Queens members who have so far signed on as co-sponsors This paper is contacting each of the other Queens Assembly members to ask why they have not added their names to the reform measure.

Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, a Westchester County Democrat, is introducing sweeping reform amendments to the NYS Constitution. He proposes a one-house legislature to end the political logjams that have existed in New York for the past two decades. He also calls for an end to using less accountable public authorities to do the State’s business, and ending district gerrymandering.

Queens Assemblyman Mike Gianaris has in his reform legislation addressed the self-serving redistricting process that almost insures perpetual reelection of members. His bill creates a nonpartisan commission to draw the districts lines replacing the present system, which enables each house to carve out their own safe districts.

Although significant contributions to reform, neither the Brodsky nor the Gianaris bills offer a quick fix. Both require the doubtful passage by the Republican controlled Senate and both would take years to implement. Gianaris’ change would not take effect until the next redistricting, some six years away.

Interestingly, in our Friday discussion, Gianaris graciously told us that his bill originated more than a year ago, in our office. He referred us to our column, Not For Publication of December 19, 2002 which said: “One issue on which he [Gianaris] clearly stood out from the pack was the redistricting of State lines by members of the Legislature. He said, “Anytime the Legislative body is drawing its own lines, it’s a conflict.” When asked whether he’ll propose legislation against it, he said, “I just may do that.”

He is doing just that!

Watch the Stringer bill; talk to your Assemblymembers.

We’ll know sometime by year’s end whether the Assembly will act to achieve real reform or return to cosmetic changes and business as usual.

Michael Schenkler can be reached via this contact form.

Mike Giannaris, Queens Assemblyman for reform