Sentences with phrase «one's member items»
But we're with our mayor on this one: The best reform of member items would be to get rid of this rotten practice altogether.
nypost.com
In the past the pots of money were shared between the governor and legislature, many ended up as member item grants.
In 2008, the speaker directed a further $ 25,000 discretionary member item grant to a not - for - profit where the doctor was a board member, according to the complaint.
The speaker — who has introduced new rules for member items — says she wants to keep them.
But the old member item system also had several high - profile abuses.
But much of the attention was on member items, also called pork - barrel grants.
And — unlike the old member items — none of it was spelled out in the state budget, where the public could at least see the pork.
There's no new member item cash in this budget — just like last year.
The legislature did not put any new member items in this year's budget.
«I will stop the money before allowing it to be distributed as member items because, in my opinion, it's a waste of money,» he said.
The unit has been looking at member items — grants from lawmakers that no longer are part of the state budget.
Is the site liable due to having a facility for subscription members reaching out to make blind bids to other members items?
Silver said he doesn't expect member items this year, noting there weren't any last year, either.
He noted he declined the traditional $ 30 million in gubernatorial member items in both 2009 and 2010, effectively saving the state $ 60 million.
To start out, he created a system where his office screens member items.
«As soon as we became aware that within member items there was long, long standing — about a decade — practice, we put an end to it,» she said.
«When I became speaker, I largely inherited a process around member items that was an honor system,» she said.
Last year, state lawmakers received nearly $ 148 million in discretionary funds, also known as member items or «pork,» to distribute in their districts.
«Don't forget the problem of retribution,» he said, referencing recent stories about Quinn's alleged use of member item funds to command political allegiance, adding, «The problem of retribution alone makes the case clearly for why we need to end this practice.»
Schneiderman and DiNapoli had previously announced that the two aides to Huntley, Smith and Savage, were charged with pocketing nearly $ 30,000 in legislative member item funds through the group.
«The notion of on average once a year a member of this city council going to jail and each and every case from misuse of member item money I think this has reached an unsustainable point and it simply proves that this system is no longer workable,» de Blasio said.
And in 2012, he steered another of the doctor's family members to a job at a non-profit that received millions in member items from the speaker.
The funds Gardner is accused of stealing came at least partially from state legislative earmarks, so - called member item funds, administered by the Empire State Development Corporation and the state Office of Children and Family Services.
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb said GOP members tend to receive state member item allocations of $ 100,000 to $ 150,000.
Denied member items by the governor, legislators find other ways to buy votes for seemingly worthy causes.
The vetoed member items include grants to Little Leagues, Veterans Centers, libraries, museums and historical societies.
Gale Brewer's Upper West Side District 6 received the least in member item money this year, bringing in $ 403,000, according to the report.
«Bill De Blasio had no problem with member items when he was doling them out and getting campaign contributions in return.»
But what they've created is a zombie member item process, which is different but has many of the same characteristics of the old one,» said Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group.
City Councilman Peter Koo has given at least $ 24,000 in Council member item funds since 2012 to Bridge to Life, which promotes alternatives to abortion for women with unplanned pregnancies.
Although he has been in the Council for less than a year, Wills had 69 member items listed and has given a total of $ 577,071.
Most conspicuously, while there is a list of grants on the Dormitory Authority's web site, it doesn't list who in the Legislature asked for each grant, one of the key mysteries of the old member items program that kept New Yorkers from readily connecting the dots of conflicts of interest, or worse.
Forty - nine percent of voters supporter Paterson's decision to axe almot $ 200 million reappropriated member item spending from the budget, but a majority of New Yorkers statewide — 58 - 38 — opposed his veto of the $ 600 million in additional education spending added by the Legislature in its two - way deal.
Can you say Member Item anyone?
After Abbruzzese affirmed that Bruno proactively sought a consulting contract — he pitched himself as a former telecom executive who could help Abbruzzese's companies in their dealings with the F.C.C. — Pericak then had him testify about meetings with top Senate staffers that helped release $ 250,000 in state member item funding for Evident Technologies, a company in which Abbruzzese was an investor.
In following years, he will analyze whether or not the economy is strong enough in New York to start accepting member items for his district.
State Sen. Jose Peralta (D - East Elmhurst) visited the East Elmhurst Library, at 95 - 06 Astoria Blvd., where he announced he had donated $ 50,000 to the Queens Library system through member items so the libraries within his district could buy books.
Rory how many member items and bills have you sponsored that Parkside asked you on behave of their clients?
The Governor's $ 640 million dollars in line item vetoes for member items does not include any new money from this year's budget.
For instance, former Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin, of Queens, was convicted of several crimes, including stealing $ 95,000 from personal member items earmarked for a Little League Club.
Heastie rapidly gained the support of his colleagues over the last several days, even as reports surfaced of his heavy per diem use and the intersection of his campaigns donors and those who receive member items.
The defendants falsely claimed that Parent Workshop would use member item funds secured by Huntley to hold workshops for and conduct outreach to parents on the workings of the New York City public school system.
How about cutting member items?
Under the new rules, the council would come up with an «objective» and public formula to decide how member item money is disbursed.
«My goal — I hope to see it implemented as quickly as possible — is to end member items as we've known them.
Wills's other member items include two grants to the southeast Queens housing advocacy group Neighborhood Housing Services of Jamaica that totaled $ 20,000 and $ 12,500 to JSPOA.
Although Common Cause / NY supports eliminating member items entirely, the equal distribution of resources as proposed is an important step forward toward greater equity for all New Yorkers.
«I commend the speaker for distributing member items not on the basis of political favors but on the basis of objective need, as measured by the number of residents in your district who live below the poverty line,» he said.