(1/8/20) Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis Reacts to 2020 State of the State Address

“In order to fix the problems addressing our state, we need the governor to acknowledge they exist and have largely been created by the misguided policies put in place by his administration.

“The governor paints a rosy picture that is very different from reality. Democrats in Albany continue to broaden the disconnect between political pandering and the needs of constituents, the bail reform law has created a state of panic, and we are facing a $6 billion budget deficit.

“In 2014, Gov. Cuomo remarked that conservatives are not welcome in New York. Since then, he has made it clear that neither are hardworking taxpayers, businesses, property owners or those who want law and order. The reality is New York lost more than 76,000 people in 2019, more than any other state in the nation for the second year in a row.

“He claims our state is operating efficiently, yet our budget is nearly double that of the state of Florida, despite it having nearly two million fewer residents.

“What I heard today was a plan to spend more, borrow more, add more bureaucracy and create new programs from a delusional governor who refuses to face reality, fix what is not working and use our existing resources more wisely.

“Perhaps most disheartening is that the governor did not even acknowledge the public safety crisis created by the dangerous bail law he signed last year that has released individuals who have confessed to murder, manslaughter and hate crimes.

“Instead of leaving a law in place that puts the public at risk, the governor should halt it, hold public hearings, collect the input of legal experts and law enforcement and replace is with a responsible law that ensures the right to a speedy trial, considers criminal history and dangerousness, restores judicial discretion and protects witnesses.”