Posted on 05/13/2025 8:59:55 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
It’s about time.
Both houses of the state legislature passed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s massive $254 billion state budget package Thursday night following days of debate and over a month delay past the April 1 deadline.
Lawmakers made the final votes on the spending plan Thursday evening after fierce debate over a provision slipped into the budget — first revealed by The Post — that could leave state taxpayers on the hook for millions of dollars of legal fees for Attorney General Letitia James.
“This certainly is the height of hypocrisy,” state Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) said during debate on the Senate floor.
The provision tucked into the budget would allow a state employee to be reimbursed for legal bills if they face “discriminatory or retaliatory treatment” from the federal government as a result of their employment.
The revelation came a day before sources confirmed the FBI has opened an investigation into an allegation that the attorney general committed mortgage fraud by misrepresenting her primary residency on paperwork.
“I can’t imagine a majority of New Yorkers not being outraged that their hard-earned dollars that go to the government are now being used or can be used to pay for private attorneys to defend public officials against charges of crimes that they committed having nothing to do with their elected position,” Lanza said.
However, Deputy State Senate Majority Leader Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) argued that the law is needed “because we are currently in an environment politically where the legal system, the prosecutorial system, investigative bodies of government are being used to target political enemies.”
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seemed to express more exuberance about the budget’s passage than its actual contents.
The 10 individual bills that constitute the massive spending package passed largely along party lines.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Will James pay taxes on this ? LOl
Wait this is James personnel legal problems not State/City legal problems
Regardless. She STILL gets paid for her legal problems ( even personal ).
This has GOT to be illegal.
It’s like an inverse bill of attainder.
“”Deputy State Senate Majority Leader Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) argued that the law is needed “because we are currently in an environment politically where the legal system, the prosecutorial system, investigative bodies of government are being used to target political enemies.””
From a DEMOCRAT - is he serious?
Not if the state congress passes it.
I see they did offer tax dollars for her defence but they didn’t offer to serve her upcoming prison time.
Someone should take the case against it. Using taxpayer funds for the defense of only one class of people should not be legal. And it is for crimes that have nothing to do with her official job.
IMO—IT IS
IT ALSO IS AIDING & ABETTING A FELONIOUS PERSON
I thank my lucky stars for the day I left that shithole, New York State.
They don’t call it The Rotten Apple for nuthin.
Don’t mind the maggots.
Corrupt and rotten is as corrupt and rotten does.
Corrupt governments take care of its corrupt employees as long as the corrupt employees are valuable to it.
“””Both houses of the state legislature passed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s massive $254 billion state budget package Thursday night”””
Gee, could this be the reason people with money are leaving NY for a new home in FL?
The Florida budget for 2025-2026 is proposed to be approximately $117.4 billion,
FL population is greater than NY.
But NY Budget is more than 2 times greater.
Such is what happens when Democrats are in charge of anything.
Namely, the price doubles and the quality of services declines.
Albany is an overflowing cesspool of public corruption.
Where’s the FBI when ya need it.
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