Former-three term Republican George Pataki praised Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul for holding up approval of the state budget — until fellow Democrats in the legislature accept a measure to help prosecutors put criminals behind bars.
“It’s easy at this point to say, ‘Oh, Gov. Hochul, she hasn’t passed the budget. Isn’t this awful?’ In my view, she’s doing the right thing – standing up for the safety of all New Yorkers,” Pataki said Sunday on WABC 770 the “Cats Roundtable” radio program.
Pataki, who was governor of New York from 1995 to 2006, was referring to the tug-of-war to change the pre-trial discovery law approved by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the legislature in 2019. The law includes deadlines for evidence and other information prosecutors have to turn over criminal defendants and their attorneys.
Hochul’s crusade to change the discovery laws has the backing of all five city district attorneys, who argue the requirements have caused a spike in criminal cases getting dismissed over technicalities, allowing domestic abusers and other offenders to walk free.
“What [Hochul] is fighting for is changing some of the ridiculous pro-criminal reforms that the legislators rammed through and Cuomo signed into law when he was governor,” Pataki told host John Catsimatidis.
Hochul is trying to make the discovery law fairer “so prosecutors can hold violent criminals accountable and she is not budging,” Pataki said.
“She is saying to the legislators, ‘either you pass this change intact or I am not going to sign on the budget.’ This is exactly what she should be doing,” the ex-governor said.
He said it’s easy to pass a budget if the governor caves in to lawmakers and gives them everything they want — more spending and pro-criminal laws.
“But if you have the courage to stand up and take the heat, then you can make the changes New York needs, Right now in this budget fight, Gov. Hochul is doing that and I applaud her for it,” said Pataki.
Currently, Republicans in the legislature are in Hochul’s corner on two of her priorities — tightening up the discovery law and expanding authority to force severely mentally ill people into treatment. Resistance is coming from fellow Democrats.
The state budget was due April 1
Hochul is negotiating the details of the 2025-2026 financial plan with Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx), both of whom supported the current pre-trial discovery law.
Hochul and lawmakers have approved emergency extenders so state workers continue to get paid and services aren’t disrupted during the stalemate.
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