NY conservatives target secrecy for abortion lobby
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The state Joint Commission on Public Ethics, dominated by Democrats, recently granted the exemption to NARAL Pro-Choice New York, and the conservative New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedom asked for the same treatment for its donors.
The exemption was designed to protect donors to groups that can show that identifying their benefactors would place those people in danger. But good-government groups warn exemptions could be abused to keep secret the names of wealthy donors to lobbying groups that influence government spending and laws.
Also, Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos says the exemption provided to NARAL would allow the group to collect political contributions outside public view or campaign finance restrictions.
New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms noted Friday that NARAL wasn't subject to the new review process that the commission says it will apply to subsequent applications for the exemption from public disclosure of donors.
"Every nonprofit organization that applies for an exemption from donor disclosure requirements should be evaluated using the same procedure and standards," Rev. Jason McGuire said in a statement from the conservative group.
Commission spokesman John Milgrim had no immediate comment. Thursday, he defended the commission decision regarding NARAL as a done deal, even as the commission begins debate that will likely change the process for securing an exemption.
Milgrim said that while the commission is committed to public reconsideration of how to grant the exemption, the NARAL decision "is fully consistent with the standards for granting exemptions as set forth in the statute."
JCOPE is dominated by former Cuomo staffers and his appointees to the board, including the chairman. JCOPE Commissioner Ravi Batra, a Democratic legislative appointee, resigned a year ago partly because he said the board wasn't independent of the Democratic governor.
NARAL was a leading lobbying group that helped support Gov. Andrew Cuomo's women's rights agenda, which included a protection for late-term abortions. The abortion measure was blocked by Senate Republicans, who in June sunk nine other pieces it was tied to in Cuomo's broad agenda.
NARAL spokeswoman Tara Sweeney said Friday the group sees no need to release its letter arguing for secrecy for it donors.
"There is nothing surprising about the history ... of violence, harassment, and reprisal against those who support choice. That's exactly what we cited in the letter," she said.
She accused Skelos of politicizing the commission decision.
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LI Confidential
> Stop scratching on holidays
Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
Dean Skelos, just another Kevin McCaffrey?
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