Carl Heastie vs. the free press

Albany good government groups (yes, they do exist, always trying despite Sisyphean obstacles, to cleanse the Capitol) are praising the Legislature, under Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, for rejecting Gov. Hochul’s proposals to retain extraordinary executive budget powers that first arose three years ago when COVID fell on New York.

That was for an emergency that would kill more than 62,000 New Yorkers and the governor temporarily was granted the ability to move money around without the normal checks and balances of the Legislature and state comptroller’s involvement in spending and borrowing decisions for the government.

While COVID isn’t gone, the emergency is and traditional procedures and powers can be resumed. Should there be another terrible wave of COVID, or another dangerous pathogen arising, and thereby a need for a governor to take charge, the Legislature can repeat its action from April 2020.

So why, when Albany is returning to pre-COVID ways, is Heastie continuing to keep the accredited

Capitol press corps penned in on the floor of the Assembly and restricted to seating in the back and the front of the chamber? For generations, reporters have freely roamed the floor, buttonholing members who are willing to be buttonholed.

When Heastie didn’t reply to a request to restore full access from the Legislative Correspondents Association, which has represented newsmen and newswomen since 1890, the matter was taken up by Minority Leader Will Barclay, who put it to a vote to amend the rules of the Assembly.

Instead of a roll call on the merits, it got caught in politics, as Heastie wasn’t going to allow the lowly Republicans, outnumbered more than two to one, tell him who runs the house. The speaker made it clear what he thought and Barclay’s amendment went down on a party line tally, 47 to 98.

So what is it Mr. Speaker? Since COVID has waned, why haven’t the COVID limits on the movements of the free press been lifted? Reporters would ask you themselves if they could approach you on the floor.