Laura
09-22-2009, 08:27 AM
Newsday: NY governor signs 60 bills, vetoes 18 (includin several re PWDs!)
NY governor signs 60 bills, vetoes 18
VALERIE BAUMAN (AP) 9/17/09
http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/ny-governor-signs-60-bills-vetoes-18-1.1457059
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Several bills intended to protect the disabled from discrimination and abuse were among the 18 that New York Gov. David Paterson vetoed Thursday.
The bills would have cost taxpayers $28M in the next two years, Paterson said, including unfunded mandates on local governments.
For example, Paterson vetoed a bill to require polling places to meet federal accessibility guidelines for the disabled within six months. He said Thursday it would create an unreasonable financial burden for places that currently have federal waivers for the requirements.
"It is unconscionable and highly ironic that a governor with a disability has vetoed these bills," said Christine Zachmeyer, a board member and chairwoman of the New York Association on Independent Living. "We are very disappointed."
Paterson is legally blind.
He also vetoed a law that would protect the disabled from missing out on services from state and local governments.
Paterson said the bill required spending that is impossible under the current budget pressures. The bill was intended to make state law equivalent to the federal ADA, but Paterson says it could be interpreted to have a much broader application.
Advocate groups said they were stunned by Paterson's vetoes of the two bills.
Another vetoed bill would have increased penalties against caregivers who endanger the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, making it a felony.
Paterson said he supported the goal to increase the punishment but said he was concerned the language was too vague and terms like "incompetent" could be widely interpreted. He also said it was problematic that a disability would have to be proven at trial, which Paterson said could be an invasion of privacy.
Paterson also signed 60 bills into law this week, including one that would notify parents through e-mail when certain sex offenders move into their neighborhoods.
He signed a bill creating a permanent Energy Planning Board. Members will be responsible for creating NY's energy plan. They will have to consider policies and programs designed to improve the state's energy systems, insulate New Yorkers from volatility in market prices and reduce the overall cost of energy in the state.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
EM Prentiss
NY governor signs 60 bills, vetoes 18
VALERIE BAUMAN (AP) 9/17/09
http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/ny-governor-signs-60-bills-vetoes-18-1.1457059
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Several bills intended to protect the disabled from discrimination and abuse were among the 18 that New York Gov. David Paterson vetoed Thursday.
The bills would have cost taxpayers $28M in the next two years, Paterson said, including unfunded mandates on local governments.
For example, Paterson vetoed a bill to require polling places to meet federal accessibility guidelines for the disabled within six months. He said Thursday it would create an unreasonable financial burden for places that currently have federal waivers for the requirements.
"It is unconscionable and highly ironic that a governor with a disability has vetoed these bills," said Christine Zachmeyer, a board member and chairwoman of the New York Association on Independent Living. "We are very disappointed."
Paterson is legally blind.
He also vetoed a law that would protect the disabled from missing out on services from state and local governments.
Paterson said the bill required spending that is impossible under the current budget pressures. The bill was intended to make state law equivalent to the federal ADA, but Paterson says it could be interpreted to have a much broader application.
Advocate groups said they were stunned by Paterson's vetoes of the two bills.
Another vetoed bill would have increased penalties against caregivers who endanger the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, making it a felony.
Paterson said he supported the goal to increase the punishment but said he was concerned the language was too vague and terms like "incompetent" could be widely interpreted. He also said it was problematic that a disability would have to be proven at trial, which Paterson said could be an invasion of privacy.
Paterson also signed 60 bills into law this week, including one that would notify parents through e-mail when certain sex offenders move into their neighborhoods.
He signed a bill creating a permanent Energy Planning Board. Members will be responsible for creating NY's energy plan. They will have to consider policies and programs designed to improve the state's energy systems, insulate New Yorkers from volatility in market prices and reduce the overall cost of energy in the state.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
EM Prentiss