The Assembly Corporations Committee, of which I am a member, voted down multiple Republican bills that would have made life more affordable and created more transparency for New Yorkers.

The bills voted down by Democrats deal with energy affordability; specifically, they voted against requiring utility companies to show consumers how much of their utility bill is going toward Albany’s green energy policies (A.7021) and requiring utility bills to show a breakdown of infrastructure costs, contributions to the New York Power Authority and other public utility investments (A.9096).

In procedural terms in the state Legislature, when a bill is “held” in committee, that amounts to the legislation being blocked from advancing for a full vote of the state Assembly.

For months, I’ve been responding to constituents’ concerns about increasing power costs. Not everything in their electricity bill is for the actual power. New Yorkers are being forced to pay for the state’s expensive green new deal, and they deserve to know just how much they are giving to support it. From the beginning, we were told these policies would save consumers money. If that’s the case, why are committee members afraid of letting New Yorkers know just how much money they are saving? 

The answer is they aren’t saving money; in fact, just the opposite: utility bills are skyrocketing. So instead of supporting transparency, they are leaving New Yorkers in the dark to save their political futures in an election year. New Yorkers want and deserve answers to why their bills are rising.

Assemblyman Joseph Angelino (R,C-121)
Norwich, NY