Bickering stalls Albany action

ALBANY — Action in the state Senate ground to a halt for a second straight day Thursday — and it may stay that way for the rest of the session.

The Senate’s ruling GOP majority abruptly adjourned the Senate’s session for the week amid fears they lacked the votes to turn back an attempt by Democrats – backed by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul – to force a vote on measures intended to strengthen New York’s abortion rights laws and ensure that insurers provide coverage for contraception services.

With the Republicans handicapped by the absence of one of their members who is away on military duty, the dispute could lead to a lengthy stalemate in the Senate and imperil the remaining weeks of the legislative session, which is scheduled to end on June 20.

“What we witnessed is really unfortunate,” Senate Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (DWestchester County) said. “It’s an assault on the way we do things in the Senate and that means it’s an assault on our democracy.”

Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-Suffolk County) called the Democratic actions “disgusting,” and accused them using the Senate’s session to try and score political points.