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The Editorial Board: Worthy and Unworthy Legislation is Waiting for Signatures or Vetoes


It’s the annual last call for pending legislation. Final pushes are ramping up to get various bills signed or vetoed by Gov. Kathy Hochul before the end of the year.

Among the more than 100 bills hanging fire are three that address important, though disparate, legislative priorities. Of the three, two should be signed. The third should be vetoed.

Grieving Families Act
As we’ve noted before, only New York and Alabama do not compensate wrongful death survivors for their emotional losses. New York’s 175-year-old wrongful death statute allows recovery for only the “economic harm” to the next of kin – compensation for a life lost due to a reckless or preventable act is determined according to how much the person earned.

The Grieving Families Act, passed almost unanimously by the New York State Assembly (147-2) and Senate (57-6) in June 2022, would have allowed families to seek damages for emotional loss and would also have adjusted the definition of family to one that is more in tune with 21st century life. Under pressure from health care and other powerful lobbies, and unable to find an acceptable compromise, Hochul vetoed it at the end of 2022.Many in Buffalo have been directly affected by New York’s limited, outdated wrongful death statute, including the families of the Tops mass shooting victims.

Now that Grieving Families is back, with some limitations placed on who would be able to sue, the governor should sign it.

Ban on wildlife killing contests
Wildlife killing contests are not hunting, nor are they wildlife management by any scientific measure. These contests are for the sole purpose of killing the largest number of target animals – coyotes, squirrels, foxes, crows and others – in the shortest time. After a winner or winners have been determined, the carcasses of the killed animals are often thrown into dumpsters.

State Sen. Tim Kennedy is the Senate sponsor of a bill banning many types of wildlife hunting contests in New York. Bear, deer and turkeys are not included in the legislation because these animals have regulated hunting seasons with clearly defined limits. None of that hunting would be affected by this bill. Nor would fishing tournaments or the established hunting seasons for coyotes, squirrels, bobcats and other animals.

The bill only applies to killing contests Kennedy justifiably calls “downright inhumane.” Many hunters support this bill and the governor should not hesitate to sign it.

Campaign finance reform rollback
New York passed an excellent public campaign financing law in 2020 and it finally took effect this year. In addition to limiting individual donations, a $250 donation to a statewide legislative candidate would spur $2,300 in additional taxpayer matching funds to that candidate. But a donation over $250 receives no matching funds, thus prioritizing small donors and wider outreach by candidates.

Disgracefully, during its final session in June, the Legislature passed a bill that removed much of the impact of the reform, making the first $250 of a donation of any size up to the maximum amount eligible to be matched with public funds, so that small donors are no longer prioritized. Another provision raises the number of in-district donors and the total donation figure needed to qualify for matching funds, thus making it easier for incumbents and more difficult for challengers.

Source: Buffalonews

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