NASSAU COUNTY CIVIC ASSOCIATION, INC.
"The government is us, we are the government, you and I." Teddy Roosevelt
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NASSAU COUNTY CIVIC ASSOCIATION, INC. "The government is us, we are the government, you and I." Teddy Roosevelt |
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April 26, 2006
Domestic partnership bill defeated!
On April 24th, the Nassau County Legislature voted down the Domestic Partner Registry 10-8-1. While this was an important victory, its important to understand the debate. The agenda group, Empire State Pride Agenda which tried to send a message to Albany supporting gay marriage, previously endorsed five legislators; Kevan Abrams, Lisanne Altmann, David Denenberg, Judy Jacobs and Craig Johnson. When this was disclosed during testimony, Lisanne Altmann later acknowledged the endorsement, stated that she was proud to have it and acknowledged that she was in favor of Gay marriage. Two of the speakers supporting the bill made statements in support of homosexual couples receiving marital benefits. Again, the issue of intent is important.
The effort to sneak the bill through without allowing sufficient time for public disclosure was disgraceful. The public hearing was scheduled on a Monday morning immediately after the Spring break which coincided with Easter and Passover. Many residents take vacation and return to work on the date of the hearing. While the current law requires notification to the public be provided within 4 days of the vote, Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs could have placed the issue on the agenda and posted the legislation on the county's website 30 days prior to the hearing. She could have also scheduled an evening hearing to give residents an opportunity to speak. To ensure open and honest government, the Nassau County Civic Association, Inc submitted a bill to the legislature on the date of the hearing entitled, "
The Disclosure and Accountability Reform Act". Please click on the link for details.Newsday has reported that Judy Jacobs has promised to bring up the bill again. So much for the will of the people. We promise the residents of Nassau County that we will stand up for marriage and will defeat her effort again. This time we hope to have more than 10 days notice.
Update June 18, 2006: The real debate is the push for homosexual marriage. As articulated in the article, "Defending Marriage in Nassau, its just a game of semantics. This position was validated by the decision this month of Westchester County Executive Spano who issued an executive order recognizing homosexual marriages performed in Massachusetts and in other countries. Westchester County has a domestic partner registry.
See how your legislator voted
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District |
Legislator |
Vote |
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1 |
Kevan Abrams (D) |
Yes |
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2 |
Roger Corbin (D) |
Abstained |
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3 |
John Ciotti (R) |
No |
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4 |
Denise Ford (R) |
No |
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5 |
Joseph Scannell (D) |
No |
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6 |
Francis X. Becker (R) |
No |
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7 |
Jeffrey Toback (D) |
Yes |
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8 |
Vincent Muscarella (R) |
No |
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9 |
Richard Nicolello (R) |
No |
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10 |
Lisanne Altman (D) |
Yes |
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11 |
Craig Johnson (D) |
Yes |
|
12 |
Peter J. Schmitt (R) |
No |
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13 |
Norma L. Gonsalves (R) |
No |
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14 |
David Mejias (D) |
Yes |
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15 |
Dennis Dunne (R) |
No |
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16 |
Judith Jacobs (D) |
Yes |
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17 |
Edward Mangano (R) |
No |
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18 |
Diane Yatauro (D) |
Yes |
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19 |
David Denenberg (D) |
Yes |
April 14, 2006
ACTION ALERT
GAY MARRIAGE IN NASSAU. The Nassau County legislature is poised to pass a Domestic Partner Registry which will provide marital benefits to homosexual couples. On April 3rd, the Governmental Affairs Committee voted 4 to 3 to send the bill to the full legislature for a vote. The vote was on party lines. The legislature will vote on the bill on Monday, April 24th at 10am, 5th Floor, 1 West Street, Mineola, NY. The Nassau County Civic Association, Inc. will speak in opposition to this bill. We look forward to seeing you there and appreciate your support. If you have any questions, please call the telephone number you were provided or send an e-mail via the contact button above.Call your legislator at 516-571-6200 and County Executive Suozzi at 516-571-3000.
Learn how the legislature is trying to send a message to Albany in support of same sex marriage and why Tom Suozzi supports marital rights for homosexuals "no matter what you call it". Click on the article below.
Defending Marriage in Nassau
Marriage is not a game
of semantics