Raia: Woman & Children Left Behind At End Of Session

Press Release from the office of Assemblyman Raia

With the 2014 legislative session over, Assemblyman Andrew Raia criticized Assembly Democrats for blocking key women’s equality legislation from becoming law and failing to halt the failed implementation of Common Core.

The devastating decision by Assembly Democrat Leadership comes after the Assembly Women’s Caucus joined Raia in calling for critically needed anti-sex trafficking, anti-discrimination and equal pay for equal work legislation to come to a vote. Last year, the Assembly failed to vote on the individual pieces of the Women’s Equality Agenda, preventing the measure from becoming law in 2013. Unfortunately, this year the same has become true.

“It is appalling that the Assembly Democrats have, for the second year in a row, prevented historic women’s legislation from coming to a vote in the Assembly,” said Raia. “Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assembly Democrats have thwarted an opportunity to help generations of mothers, daughters and wives in New York.”

Raia also expressed cautious optimism for legislation that will prohibit Common Core test results from counting against children and teachers. While he voted yes, he admitted that it is only a small step toward fixing our education system.

“It was already a mistake to enroll in Common Core, and now on top of testing our children to death, we are wasting millions of dollars on tests that don’t even matter,” said Raia. “I still have serious reservations regarding these evaluations. I voted against APPR three years ago because I realized it would be an unnecessary mental and emotional stress on our children and teachers, as well as an undue financial stress on Long Island school districts. And now, we have a bill that makes students take tests that we can’t see the results of and that do not count for anything!”

With the legalization of medicinal marijuana, Raia expressed surprised satisfaction with the framework of the law saying that it offers a great compromise between compassion and control.

“It’s a common-sense approach to a complicated issue. It is an approach that addresses the need to help sick New Yorkers, while ensuring it is not used by people who seek to abuse it,” said Raia. “A few months ago, I questioned what exactly legalization of medicinal marijuana would look like, and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised to see everything I asked for in the law. There is a clause forbidding the smoking of marijuana and it lays out specific qualifications, both in terms of eligible diseases and doctor’s recommendations. It also would track the marijuana plant from inception to consumption, ensuring it does not end up being sold and used illicitly.”