Steve Hawley

Here's a news release sent today from Assemblyman Steve Hawley's office.

For the last two years, I have written numerous letters and made several phone calls to the NYS Attorney General’s Office and personally met with a representative of the office concerning the drastic fluctuation in the price of gas from county to county.

In my letters, I cited the discrepancy of gas pricing and frustration felt by citizens in the 139th Assembly District.

The district I represent consists of all of Orleans County, most of Genesee County, the Town of Somerset in Niagara County and the towns of Clarkson, Parma and Hamlin in Monroe County.

In most instances, the price per gallon of gas is considerably higher in Genesee and Orleans counties than in the surrounding counties. I know there are many variables which determine the price per gallon of gasoline, but with the price per barrel of crude oil falling, this discrepancy should not occur in Western New York.

In his response to my letters, the Attorney General’s Executive Director of Legislative Affairs and State Policy Jim Malatras notified me that the issue of price gauging was still under investigation.

A two-year investigation without a concrete and definitive answer other than “it’s zone pricing” is long enough.

For this reason, I encourage citizens who feel the variance in pricing should be investigated to express your opinions by contacting the NYS Attorney General’s Office or by signing the New York State Consumer Protection Board CPB Gasoline Price Gouging Complaint Form.

Attorney General’s Office
Phone: (585) 546-7430
Website: http://www.ag.ny.gov/resource_center/complaints/complaints.html

NYS Consumer Protection Board
Website: https://www1.consumer.state.ny.us/cpb/GASComplaintForm.html

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C – Batavia) issued the following statement today after the Assembly and Senate finished their two-day extraordinary session.

“The Legislature was called into extraordinary session this week to finish the 2010-2011 State Budget, which is now four months late.

"Sadly, instead of doing the job that voters elected them to do, the Legislative majorities instead decided to gavel in and gavel out of session, leaving the budget to wait another week, if not another month.

"This useless extraordinary session cost taxpayers more than $100,000, and, even worse, many members of the Legislature decided to not even show up for work. Incumbent members of the Legislature need to either show up and do the job New Yorkers entrusted them to do, or they need to get out of the way of those of us looking to be part of the solution.

"New York cannot afford this kind of incompetent leadership from the majorities anymore.”

This information is from a news release from Steve Hawley.

On July 1, Assemblyman Steve Hawley closed out the 2010-2011 Legislative Session by giving New York State flags to his colleagues in the Assembly.

Earlier in the week, Elba Town Supervisor Lucine Kauffman, and her husband Bill, took a tour of the State Capitol arranged by Assemblyman Hawley.

Upon reaching the Assembly Chamber, Supervisor Kaufmann and Bill were surprised to find that in addition to the American flag, many of the members' desks included flags of other countries and social causes, but there was not one New York State flag.

With that in mind, Assemblyman Hawley purchased New York State flags for each of his Assembly Minority colleagues, and several of his colleagues in the Majority, to go with their American flags.

They serve as a reminder that although this year was a banner year for dysfunction and fiscal mismanagement in Albany, the legislature should still show pride in our home - New York State!

Assemblyman Steve Hawley issued the following news release today on what he says is the state Assembly Majority's use of "tax-and-borrowing gimmicks" to complete the new budget.

“After months of delay and behind-closed-door negotiations, the Assembly Majority finally finished their portion of the 2010-2011 State Budget tonight. Sadly, rather than pass a state budget that would properly close the $9.2 million budget deficit, limit state spending, and ease the burden on taxpayers, this budget instead increases taxes, fees, and
borrowing, while doing little to prevent future budget deficits from occurring.”

“The final assembly budget came to a total of $135.7 billion -- $1.7 billion more than the 2009-2010 budget -- and included $1.45 billion in new taxes and fees, while using vague ‘savings’ plans instead of real cuts. The most notable of which is the $330 million tax hike on clothing sales.

"However, what’s worse is the fact that the completion of this budget essentially came down to fuzzy math and unconventional borrowing that deferred job-creating tax credits and raided contributions to the state pension fund and other state funds.

“Specifically, the Western New York Energy LLC is one of the companies affected the most by this legislation. Under the budget legislation, this business will lose $2 million of their job-creating tax credits from the state.

"Add that to the proposal to collect $100 million in 2010, $970 million in 2011, and $870 million in 2012 on other businesses through the deferral of their job-creating tax credits, and it is clear that (Thursday's) budget legislation will send the wrong message to businesses who are located here and are considering to locate here.

“The Assembly Majority should be investing in businesses to promote job creation and to boost our economy. Instead, they continue to look for quick money grabs regardless of the long-term consequences.

"I voted against this budget legislation July 1 and encourage my colleagues in the Senate to return to Albany and make the difficult decisions by cutting back and doing the right thing for the ridiculously overburdened taxpayers of this state!

"By downsizing government and rewarding hard work ethic we can return our state to the ‘Empire State’ status sooner, rather than later or never.”

The overwhelming majority of those who attended a public hearing at Genesee Community College on Monday oppose rule changes for operating wood boilers.

About 14,000 New Yorkers have wood-boiler heaters as their primary source of heat in cold weather. Proposed regulations are said to make them unaffordable and costly to retrofit, creating an economic hardship for rural residents, according to Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

His chief of staff was among more than 100 people who attended the local hearing.

Residents have until July 2 to submit written comments to the Department of Environmental Conservation and Hawley is urging them to keep up their grassroots campaign urging the DEC to scrap the plans.

The agency is conducting public hearings statewide, giving information about the newly proposed regulations and getting feedback from those affected by them.

The DEC proposal would impose new regulations on operating requirements for both new and existing outdoor wood boilers. Outdoor wood boilers would have to be at least 100 feet from neighboring properties and would have to be at least 18 feet in height.

New York is the only state considering new regulations on existing wood boilers.

“Purchasing and installing new wood boilers can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000," Hawley said in a news release. "At that price, these new restrictions are simply
unaffordable for many people whose boilers already meet the current DEC regulations.

"With only about a hundred complaints over the last four years leading to these proposed regulations, clearly this is just another example of a downstate-controlled government agency circumventing the legislature to enforce a mandate."

Here's a media release from Chris Barons, Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s possible opponent this November, in response to Hawley’s ‘No’ vote on re-opening state parks:

Although I deplore the backroom politics and pretentious raiding of the Environmental Protection Fund, Mr. Hawley's assessment is short-sighted.

In March 2009, a study prepared for Parks & Trails New York by the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) (Heintz et.al., 2009), University of Massachusetts-Amherst, found that the combination of annual state and visitor spending at all New York State Parks supports up to $1.9 billion in economic output and business sales and up to 20,000 jobs throughout the state.

In February, the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) released a list of closures and service reductions in order to meet the budget reduction, part of a comprehensive plan to close an $8.2 billion deficit.

The OPRHP’s list of closures included 41 parks and 14 historic sites, and service reductions at 23 parks and 1 historic site. Included in the closure list was Allegany State Park, which provides $62 million in revenue and 860 jobs to its three-county area.

Park visitor expenditures within the Allegany Region were estimated to be between $33.7 million and $69.3 million annually with 87% of its visitors from outside the tri-county area.

Clearly the nine Finger Lakes Region Parks and three Genesee Region Parks would generate more local revenue than the $14.9 million outlay to keep them open. Allegheny Park alone generates nearly five-times the outlay, and there are eight other regions across the state.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley announced last week that the Downstate Assembly Majority "under the cover of darkness at 3 a.m." introduced legislation to reopen state parks and historic sites which were closed due to budget constraints.

In a press release, Hawley said he could not vote in favor of the bill, however, "due to its proposed $14.9 million tax increase on businesses and manufacturers, an $800,000 additional cost to Kodak, and the sweeping of the Environmental Protection Fund to the General Fund, instead of making the necessary cuts in state spending."

He says the bill will also be harmful to the agricultural industry since it will reduce funding for farmland protection and soil and water conservation.

"I have advocated for the reopening of state parks throughout the budget process, but this legislation and its increased burden on employers will only discourage job creation, while also setting a precedent for Albany to sweep state funds to close budget gaps,” Hawley said.

On Wednesday, Assemblyman Steve Hawley voted against legislation introduced by the Assembly Majority that he claims further imposes on the 2nd Amendment Rights of lawful gun owners and places costly mandates on firearm manufacturers.
 
“The legislation introduced...is an absolute violation of the 2nd Amendment Rights of New Yorkers," Hawley said in a news release. "Although the intention of the legislation is to prevent violent gun crimes across the state, the fact is that most gun-related violence is committed by criminals who obtained their firearms illegally.
 
“Unfortunately, the Assembly Majority has disregarded this fact, as these new restrictions will not only end up hurting the sportsmen who value the tradition of hunting, but also the small businesses and manufacturers that they support.

"Instead of continuing to place more restrictions on law-abiding citizens and businesses, the Majority should be working on legislation that will help pursue the criminals who obtain their firearms illegally.”
 
Assemblyman Hawley opposed bill A.6468-C, which requires that manufacturers micro-stamp ammunition, and bill A.10894, which requires firearm owners to re-license their pistols every five years. Both bills passed. They were introduced as part of what Hawley calls the "Assembly Majority’s annual Anti-Gun Package."

“Protecting New Yorkers from violent gun crimes should not be done in a way that hurts law-abiding citizens. I...will continue to vote against future legislation that violates our constitutional rights."

Chris Barons, known to readers of The Batavian, as C.M. Barons, and a frequent critic of Assemblyman Steve Hawley, is exploring a possible run against Hawley this fall.

Barons, a Bergen resident and registered Green, met with the Genesee County Democrat Committee this week in Corfu -- a presentation that went well, according to Chairwoman Lorie Longhany.

For his part, Barons said his possible candidacy springs from the fact that people have been asking him to run, but he's not sure how viable a run would be with out Democratic support.

"Let’s just say anybody who was going to make a serious run for that office is going to have to be in one of two conduits and apparently there’s only one available," Barons said.

Barons has yet to meet with Democrats from Orleans County. He said he has also not yet been in contact with Greens.

Longhany said Barons made an impressive showing when he spoke with the Democratic Committee, giving thoughtful answers on a broad range of issues, but whether he will get the backing of the committee is unclear at this time.

He may have to switch parties to gain the backing of Democrats, but Barons said that at least in his first meeting with local Democrats, the subject didn't come up.

Longhany described Barons as a liberal libertarian with a sense of localism.

Barons, who has frequently referred to the incumbent assemblyman as "Hypocrite Hawley" for not doing more to address the serious issues in New York, said it would be a big step for him to enter a political race.

"I work and function as an average citizen and to do anything else obviously is a radical change," Barons said this morning. "But if there is an interest demonstrated in my candidacy I have made the decision to embrace that."

With a state budget five weeks late and a $9.5 billion budget gap, Assemblyman Steve Hawley found a debate on seahorse protection legislation just a bit ridiculous.

Hawley voted no on the bill just as a matter of protest.

“The dysfunction in Albany has reached a breaking point, and today’s debate on seahorse legislation is a prime example of that," Hawley said in a news release. "Despite the fact I want to save my seahorse friends, I voted no on this bill in protest because of the sheer lunacy of its timing during this fiscal crisis. Over the last four weeks, the Assembly Majority has introduced trivial legislation, while continuing to send the rank-and-file members home after only a couple days of work.”

WGRB out of Albany spoke to the bill's sponsor:

The sponsor of the seahorse bill, Steve Englebright of Long Island, says this is important legislation to protect seahorses off Long Island that are collected for the aquarium industry, and that it would be malpractice for the Assembly not to work on other bills while waiting for a budget deal.

Hawley said he's frustrated with the lack of progress on a budget.

"Since April 1, four emergency budget extenders have been put in place, and there are no concrete plans for a budget to be passed anytime soon," Hawley said.

Genesee County's two elected state legislators applaud the get-tough-on-drunken-driving provisions in Leandra's Law, even while saying they need to work toward making the new law less burdensome on local government.

While county officials raised a number of objections to a provision of the law that will require all drivers convicted of DWI to install an ignition interlock device, both Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer and Assemblyman Steve Hawley said that was an aspect of the new law they fully supported.

Razenhofer pointed to the county probation's chief, Julie Smith, who said interlock devices are effective at stopping drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel.

"I knew it (the provision) was in there and I thought it was a good idea," said Ranzenhofer. "It's supposed to be a deterrent to keep drunks off the road. The point is to keep the person off the road so he doesn't kill, maim or harm other individuals."

Hawley said if people are going to drink and drive, when they're convicted, the need to "pay the price."

"The alternative," he said, "is to go to jail, and that is an alternative."

Both Ranzenhofer and Hawley said they are talking with Genesee County officials and trying to find ways to address their concerns, but Hawley also said of all the counties he represents, only Genesee is raising vocal objections. The other counties, he said, indicated they can find a way to accommodate the provisions of the law.

Hawley said he wants to see if it's possible to delay implimenation so counties with concerns can find ways to get them addressed.

Neither Hawley nor Ranzenhofer expressed a lot of sympathy for the spouse of a person convicted of DWI who might also be required to start blowing into a tube to start his or her car.

"My sympathies lie with the victims, the people who are hurt or killed by drunken drivers," Ranzenhofer said.

As for the cost, Hawley said the county shouldn't pay for these devices if someone convicted of DWI can't afford it.

"If they can afford the alcohol, and they can afford the insurance, and they can afford the car, then they can certainly afford the device," Hawley said. "If not, they have to get rid of their cars."

Batavia's Steve Hawley may not yet have a Democrat opponent -- if he ever has one -- in this year's 139th Assembly District election, but it's clear who he's running against.

Hawley, first elected to the Assembly in 2006, did something Thursday -- Tax Day -- he's never done before: Held a rally announcing his candidacy for re-election.

In announcing, Hawley made it clear, downstate interests, Albany Democrats and their leader Sheldon Silver, and legislative members who put party ahead of constituents' interests are his primary opponents.

"I’m going to be traveling as our conference program committee chairman to talk with the media across the state of New York about what it is that we stand for," Hawley said.  "I’m hoping as we tell them what we stand for, that they will read that, listen to that, hear that, and then check to see who their representative is, and whether they’re voting with Sheldon Silver or whether they’re voting for their constituents."

Hawley told the four dozen or so people gathered in the court yard of the Old County Courthouse that the Assembly Republicans have a plan to cut $4 billion to $6 billion in state spending. The plan relies heavily on eliminating fraud in social services payments.

Hawley said it's time that New York become known as a place that creates economic opportunity rather than as a magnet for welfare cases.

"We need people coming to New York for jobs," Hawley said. "We need people coming to New York for their families. We don’t need people coming to New York because of the programs that we offer for those who are not working or don’t want to work. We need to reward competence and hard work, not people who are full of lethargy."

Hawley is a Republican from a Republican district in a blue state. Even so, he said after his speech, that he remains optimistic that he and like-minded individuals can turn New York around.

In a post-speech interview, Hawley spoke more about the need for change in Albany and how he and fellow Republicans are going to try to get a message of change out to the whole state, not just Republican districts.

"We're going to travel across the state, whether it's Democrats or conservatives, incumbent or not, we're going to try and take our message to people across the state," Hawley said. "We're in a fiscal morass here. We're in a horrific position we've never been in before. A $9.2 billion deficit and the inability to say no and cut back.

"Cut backs and no are negative and they are very, very difficult and when people depend upon an elected position as their occupation they'll pretty much have a harder time saying no to somebody than those who do not. In the beginning, elected representation was supposed to be, step away from your full-time job, look at it as an avocation, go to your state capitol, do what your neighbors want you to do and then come back to your job. We've gotten away from that and we have to return to that."

Hawley said the goal isn't necessarily to get Republicans elected, but to change Albany.

"I think it's going to take Democrats, Republicans, independents, tea party members to take the state back," Hawley said. "Make it as central for the people who are going to Albany from their neighborhoods to be able to look at the entire state, as well in Manhattan and the three or four blocks they represent, or in the Adirondacks where it could take five hours to get from one end of the district to the other. Take a look at the 120,000 people you represent and then look at the state as a whole and figure we need to make changes for the state.

"It's not just a district job. It's a state job. If there are members of other parties who have different ideas, say in Manhattan, in Queens, in the Bronx, then they need to challenge an incumbent in a primary. It doesn't matter whether it's a Democrat or a Republican. If it's a Republican, fine. If it's a Democrat, fine. We need new blood. We need people who are not beholden. We need people who can open up the blinders on the sides of their eyes."

In his answer, Hawley mentioned the tea party movement and during his speech, a supporter behind him held up the "Don't Tread On Me" flag, which has become one of the symbols of the tea party movement. We asked Hawley were he stood in relation to the tea party movement.

"I think any group of people who want to participate in the democratic process and their government ought to be encouraged, as long as they're doing it in a way that is respectful of others, in a way that takes others' feelings into mind, and in a way that is non-adversarial in terms of violence," Hawley said. "There has been some indication of brick throwing and everything else -- most of the people I've talked to, and I was with a large group in Albany the other day, tea party people, a big rally, are not those kinds of people.

"They want to take their government back. They want to have a strict interpretation of the Constitution and they want to take government encroachment on everyday lives out of it. These are good people. These are people who want to participate. And this is America and they ought to be able to."

During his speech, Hawley made reference to medical marijuana and he's previously opposed bills attempting to make marijuana use for medicinal purposes legal, so we asked him if he would change his position if a scientific poll showed a majority in his district supported it.

"I represent the constituents viewpoints regardless of my personal belief and I know that overwhelmingly the people of the 139th Assembly District do not support medicinal use of marijuana," Hawley said. "I will represent their interest and vote no."

When asked how he knew that was the position of the people of the district, Hawley said he travels around the district extensively and talks with people about a range of issues.

"I can tell you as a guy who hangs out a little bit, I know how people think around here," Hawley said. "It's never 100 percent, of course. You just hope you're getting 51 percent at least."

Asked if he anticipated a Democratic opponent this election, Hawley said, "I would hope as always that there would be opposition. That's what America is all about and people deserve a choice."

AUDIO: Listen to Hawley's full speech (mp3).

Assembly Democrats want to cut state aid to schools by only $800 million, not the $1.4 billion proposed by Senate Democrats and Gov. David Paterson.

The Assembly proposal also includes $2 billion in borrowing.

According to the New York Times, Assembly leader Sheldon Silver says,

“With this plan,” Mr. Silver said, “we close the deficit, we make responsible cuts, we hold the line on spending, we preserve vital programs and services, we reject a number of taxes and fees, and dramatically reform the budget process.”

The Assembly budget does not include Paterson's tax on soda, nor does it propose closing all 81 state parks, which Paterson asked for.

The Assembly budget cuts $4.3 billion in spending. Paterson's proposal cut $4.9 billion, but without borrowing.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley's office released this statement about the budget:

Earlier tonight, the Assembly Majority introduced, and passed, their 2010-2011 State Budget resolution. While it did eliminate the proposed tax on sugared beverages and the closure of state parks throughout the state, it still looks to solve the projected budget shortfalls by increasing state borrowing by $2 billion. With the state already on the brink of insolvency, we cannot afford anymore debt or borrowing. I voted against this resolution and hope that as the budget deadline approaches my colleagues in the Majority will not plan on voting for this in the final budget.

For more on the Assembly budget, here's the Albany Times-Union story.

Daily News staff writer Tom Rivers is now famous in Albany, if that's anything to brag about.

Thursday, Assemblyman Steve Hawley delivered copies of Tom's book, "Farm Hands," to every member of the State Legislature.

From a statement from Hawley's office:

As a former farmer and president of the Genesee County Farm Bureau, the assemblyman knows how important the farming industry is to New York State. It is the assemblyman’s hope that this book will create greater awareness of the importance of the agriculture industry and how damaging the passage of the Farmworkers Omnibus Labor Standards Bill (also known as the “Farm Death Bill”), a proposal that would impose expensive labor mandates, could be to farmers.

It's called a "cost recovery fee," and critics say it is damaging the ability of Industrial Development Agencies to create jobs.

The fee is a tax on operating revenue and is calculated before IDA expenses are deducted, according to this story Star-Gazette in Elmira.

Albany stuck the cost recovery fee in the 2009-10 budget as a line item and many IDAs were surprised to get bills for 5 percent of their revenue.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley introduced legislation this week to repeal the fee.

"To add these assessments during this difficult economy will only lead to further job losses across New York, especially in the Upstate region.," Hawley said in a press release. "Albany needs to wake up and understand that job creation for New Yorkers should be their number one priority, not more unfair taxes and fees.”

Albany expects the IDA fee to generate $5 million in revenue for the State.

Hawley's legislation, if passed, would repeal the fee and reimburse IDAs for any fees already paid.

IDAs are set up in regions throughout the state to spur business development through tax breaks and other incentives, as well as organizing and promoting development opportunities.

The governor is out of line, according to Assemblyman Steve Hawley, in planning to shift $1 million from New York's snowmobile program to the state's general fund.

Hawley today issued a statement asking Gov. David Paterson to strike that provision from his proposed 2010-2011 executive budget.

“This proposal to take $1 million away from the Snowmobile Fund is unacceptable and serves as just another example of the State trying to take every penny it can to cover its own fiscal mismanagement,” said Hawley. “This fund is entirely financed and supported by the fees New Yorkers pay to register their snowmobiles. For this reason, the fund should be used solely to maintain and develop snowmobile trails throughout the state.”

Full press release after the jump:

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C – Batavia) today called on Governor David Paterson to remove a proposal from his 2010-2011 Executive Budget aimed at removing $1 million from the Snowmobile Trail Development and Maintenance Fund and transferring it into the State’s General Fund.

“This proposal to take $1 million away from the Snowmobile Fund is unacceptable and serves as just another example of the State trying to take every penny it can to cover its own fiscal mismanagement,” said Hawley.“This fund is entirely financed and supported by the fees New Yorkers pay to register their snowmobiles.  For this reason, the fund should be used solely to maintain and develop snowmobile trails throughout the state.”

The 2010-2011 Executive Budget contains a proposal to sweep $1 million from the Snowmobile Trail Development and Maintenance Fund and transfer it into the State’s General Fund. In addition, the proposal would allow the General Fund to have access to 30% of the remaining Snowmobile Fund balance and expand the use of that money to include all recreational activities on State lands. When a similar proposal was raised in 2008, Assemblyman Hawley authored and introduced legislation, Assembly Bill 10732, which would prevent any transfer of funds from accounts that are specifically supported with a dedicated fee, such as the Snowmobile Trail Development and Maintenance Fund. 

According to the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the Snowmobile industry contributes more than $875 million to the state economy each year. The removal of $1 million from the snowmobile fund, and the potential access to an additional 30% of that fund, could severely impact the Upstate economy. 

“Many small upstate communities rely heavily on the snowmobiling industry to generate local revenue and would be negatively impacted by this money grab by Albany. If Albany is serious about helping rebuild New York’s ailing economy, then this proposal should be taken out. I will continue to fight against this proposal to seize dedicated funds for some other use just as I did in 2008.”