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ALBANY – State Senator George Borrello is calling out New York’s bail reform modifications included in the just passed budget, saying the “glaring omission” regards judicial discretion.
On Saturday, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the $220 billion dollar budget, which featured a number of topics including amending the controversial bail reform law.
The budget follows through with Hochul’s proposal to give judges more power to jail people who were repeatedly ticketed for minor theft or property damage offenses.
However, Senator Borrello feels the change doesn’t go far enough, as he highlighted while debating the bill on Friday. Specifically, he sounded off about the lack of a “dangerousness clause.”
“Judges have never been able to hold anyone based on dangerousness in New York State, New York actually is the only state that has tried to address changes to cashless bail, and actually have not considered dangerousness, that’s what makes New York unique,” said Borrello. “Unfortunately, the goal here was not to craft a responsible law, the goal here was to prove New York was the most ‘progressive’ and that’s why we are, where we are, today.”
Bail changes were signed into law in 2019 by then Governor Andrew Cuomo. Since then, GOP leaders like Borrello have highlighted an increase in crime across New York. The State Senator has called for the total repeal of the law in the past.
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