The 2024 legislative session began in Albany Wednesday with the usual ceremony and speech-making, in anticipation of another six months of struggles with issues like housing, immigration, funding for schools, crime, etc.
Local lawmakers sometimes use the start of session to issue their own press releases.
Assemblyman Robert Smullen was among them, listing in his release a few of his accomplishments and pledging to be a voice for rural regions. That’s all fine and good.
But one thing he wrote caught our eye, and it might be something that other lawmakers might want to follow through on.
Along with new legislation, Smullen said, it’s time “we bring new ideas” to the table.
Most of the people serving in the state Legislature have been in office for a few years now — plenty of time to acclimate to the political culture and to evaluate what’s good, what’s bad and what’s holding the state back.
So rather than just talking about needing new ideas, we propose each of our local state lawmakers offer five specific new ideas for improving the state. Smullen, Santabarbara, Woerner, Steck, Walsh, Simpson, Tedisco, Hinchey, Stec. We’re talking to you.
Five ideas. Not platitudes. Not partisan attacks. Nothing from the party playbook. And no broad generalities.
Five specific ideas. They don’t have to be giant ideas. No one expects them to solve the state’s problems with these. Just something that with perhaps a little more study or investment could help improve life here in New York.
It can be something relatively small related to their respective districts for saving money or improving service to their constituents. Maybe they read something about a promising alternative to pothole filler material that could form the basis for a local project. Maybe it’s an idea for two local communities to share services. Maybe it’s replacing inefficient light bulbs on street lamps. Maybe it’s replacing a dangerous intersection with a roundabout. Maybe they’ve noticed some inefficiencies or wasteful spending in state government that could be addressed by combining or eliminating a step. Maybe there’s a policy or practice related to application of taxes or elections or infrastructure or access to justice or access to government that’s worked well in another state that we might consider trying in New York. Maybe there’s even a simple yet effective way to stop trucks from striking low bridges!
Yes, we want our public officials to be thinking big picture. But big solutions are often difficult to come by and even more difficult to get passed into law.
It’s the little improvements — born of experience and observation and ingenuity — that can make an immediate and sometimes significant difference in people’s lives.
Imagine if all 213 state legislators each came up with five new ideas. That’s over 1,000 new ideas to improve life for New Yorkers.
The combined benefits could be significant.