Down to the Wire in Albany

As the legislative session comes to a close this week, the Working Families Time to Care Act is still in the mix. As we get down to the wire, give your Assemblymember a friendly reminder to pass paid family leave.

In the Daily Politics:

[Gov Spitzer] plans to "keep pounding away" until Thursday in hopes of landing some agreements on the more intractable issues like campaign finance reform, congestion pricing, paid family leave and pay raises for judges.

In the Albany Times-Union:

Deals that are close:

• Paid family leave: allowing up to 12 weeks away from jobs, with employees paying for the benefit through a payroll deduction.

In the Empire Zone:

Issues on the table include proposals to start collecting DNA from anyone convicted of a misdemeanor, to offer employees up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a sick child or spouse and to speed approval procedures for new power plants.

In the Times Herald-Record:

But the issues lawmakers had debated for weeks — creating a system for paid family leave, renewing the state's power plant siting law or establishing a DNA database for criminals — remained locked in the maw of high-level negotiations.

Newsday quotes Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith:

"How can we convincingly tell our constituents that elected officials deserve a raise when the process fails to follow through with measures that ensure equal opportunity?"