(Utica, NY – Feb. 15, 2013) The Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce Board passed a resolution Feb. 12 in support of open government and a business friendly environment.
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law on Jan. 15, 2013, The Safe Act, a sweeping package of gun-control measures for the State of New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill less than three hours after the State Assembly approved it on the second full day of the 2013 legislative session.
Governor Cuomo cited that gun violence constituted an emergency, which required immediate action and waived a constitutionally required three-day waiting period between the introduction of legislation and a vote.
Remington Arms Company has a manufacturing plant that employs approximately 1,300 workers in Ilion. Remington Arms Company and the region as a whole will be negatively affected by The Safe Act.
The Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce holds that no public comment was considered or allowed, there was no time to read nor reflect on the bill, no consideration was made to any unforeseen or unintended consequences and that passing laws in secret is not the way open government should act.