NY Assembly, Senate, Governor Agree Small Donor Public Financing Is Priority for State Budget
Yesterday the New York State Assembly and Senate released their lists of priorities for this year’s state budget. Both chambers include small donor public financing.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2019
Assembly and senate issue budget priorities that include small donor public financing, policy in governor’s budget proposal
MEDIA CONTACT: Alexandra Ringe; alexandra.ringe@nyu.edu; 646 925 8744
Yesterday the New York State Assembly and Senate released their lists of priorities for this year’s state budget. Both chambers include small donor public financing, a campaign finance reform that is in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal and that the Brennan Center has long advocated. In the governor’s budget proposal, small donor public financing is a 6-to-1 match of donations of $175 or less with public money. The budget will be made final on or before April 1.
Lawrence Norden, deputy director of the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, said:
“The assembly, the senate, and the governor agree: small donor public financing is a budget priority for New York State right now. All three have made a commitment to the most effective reform available for reducing big money’s power over politics. They must turn their promises into policy. The upcoming budget negotiations will test their desire to put the people’s needs ahead of big donors’ demands.
“Governor Cuomo has put small donor public financing in his budget proposal, and it won’t come out unless he, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie all agree it should. For years, they have said they want to amplify the voices of regular New Yorkers that today are drowned out by a few wealthy interests. They must deliver on this promise, now that they finally can.”
The New York State Assembly’s one-house budget: https://nyassembly.gov/Reports/WAM/20190312/budget_summary_2019.pdf (Small donor public financing is in State Board of Elections, Article VII.)
The New York State Senate’s one-house budget: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/resolutions/2019/r672 (Small donor public financing is under Article VII Proposal (S.1510-B), Part B.)
The Brennan Center’s report, “The Case for Small Donor Public Financing in New York”: https://www.brennancenter.org/publication/small-donor-public-financing-ny