Pictured (l to r): Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, President Cheri Krull, and Colonel Vince Horrigan
Colonel Vince Horrigan introduced Andy today.
Our own Andrew Goodell took the opportunity to give his first PowerPoint presentation ever! With the help of his office manager, Elizabeth Rankin, Andy did a wonderful job.
Andy’s presentation focused on reviewing the 2019 Legislative Session and looking forward to 2020 initiatives.
Andy spoke about the need for checks and balances in government. When the state legislature was split between Democrats and Republicans, legislation usually went through very balanced. Not that the Assembly and Senate are in Democratic hands, Andy feels the checks and balances are missing. There is a negative side to checks and balances as well. Politicians can promise everything to everybody knowing it is never going to happen.
Andy focused his initial presentation on the 2019 Legislative Session.
He covered such topics as:
- Late Term Abortion
- Environmental
- Voting
- Rent Control
- Immigration
- Law Enforcement
Andy also talked about the following initiatives that he sees as “Progressive Momentum”:
- Employee wage liens
- Annual sexual harassment training
- Welfare – Eligibility
- Sanctions process
Andy also spoke about some initiatives that have not been passed as fo yet. He is working hard to make sure the Republican’s voice is heard on these topics going forward:
- Single-payer healthcare
- Recreational marijuana
- Online gambling
- Legalized prostitution
- Automatic voter registration of welfare recipients
Andy also made sure to talk about bipartisan actions as well. Yes, the two sides do work together! According to Andy, 90% of what the Legislature does goes through on a bipartisan basis. When politicians focus on the issues and are professional and courteous to one another, things get done! Some items that received bipartisan support are:
- Bump-stock amendments
- Language access in courts
- Election notices
Andy also highlighted some local items he has been instrumental in moving forward at the state level:
- Athenix ($200 million)
- National Comedy Center
- Grape Discovery Center
- Grant support
- Constituent services
With 2019 coming to a close, Andy was looking forward to what he feels are 2020 legislative initiatives he would like to focus his time and political capital on to assist the people of Chautauqua County:
- Health care tax cuts – NYS collects a lot of tax on health care. Introduced legislation to cut this tax over 5 years to reduce burden on taxpayers.
- Consumer Choice Act – in New York, you cannot buy health insurance that covers everything you need. When health insurance cost goes up, then company deductibles go up and it ends up costing employees more money out of their pocket. Andy plans to work on legislation so consumers can choose the coverage they want to make things more cost effective.
- Welfare Reform – we have come to a point where people actually cannot afford to make more money for fear of losing benefits. According to Andy, this is crazy! Lose eligibility to Medicaid, etc. Working on legislation to address the benefit cliff by using the earned income tax credit.
Andy ended his presentation by thanking those in attendance and mentioned what an incredible county to live and work for! Thank you Andy for your service to the people of Chautauqua County in Albany!