A group of New York State Senate Democrats hold meetings in their secretive Working Rules group that decides an array of bills at the end of legislative sessions, and unknown arrangements to many other state senators, according to New York Focus.
Normally, the New York Senate Rules Committee decides bills’ fates, but the Working Rules group, a closed-door gathering of senators chosen by New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, also reviews which pending bills to tell the Democratic leader should see the floor.
One Democratic state senator told the outlet he had no idea that the committee was debating a bill he sponsored or else he “would have organized more around it.” He thought the bill was dead for the year.
But he said he didn’t know who was part of the group, other than Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris.
One key reason for the group is to make the “frenzied end-of-session period more efficient,” given it “would be less efficient if they were constantly bombarded by everyone, including other members,” state Sen Julia Salazar said.
Still, the group’s lack of transparency has generated frustration.
A spokesman for Stewarts-Cousin, Michael Murphy, repeatedly gave differing information to New York Focus on whether bills die in the committee, calling a reporter a “f*****g hack” and a “clown,” during a phone call.
“I gave you the statement and then you’re questioning the statement being like, ‘I don’t know about this.’ Go f*** yourself. Don’t use the statement,” Murphy said.
Democratic state Sen. Leroy Comrie of Eastern Queens told Politico there was “no transparency in the legislative process.”
“Who told you there was transparency? We’re in the state Legislature. Working rules is something that has been existing for decades and people that are worried about transparency are not focused on what’s important.”
A top New York State senator, Liz Krueger of Manhattan, acknowledged the group’s existence to Politico.
“You’re taking a group of legislators — diverse by race, gender, geography and political opinion — and you’re putting them in a room together to work things out in the best interests of everyone,” Krueger said. “That’s our model for anything controversial in the Senate. I think it’s a sign of the terrific leadership of Andrea Stewart-Cousins that that’s how we work.”
Krueger previously denounced Albany’s secrecy in 2009.
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New York Senate Republicans had control of the committee until they lost the majority in 2019. State Sen. Patrick Gallivan said it was more transparent when Republicans were running the committee.
“It wasn’t a secret. We knew who the members were. Even in my very first year I was aware of Working Rules, and I knew to go to members of the committee to try to advance my bills.”