National Headlines Affect New York Legislation

New York's legislative history can serve as a sort of microcosm for the nation

. Many issues brought up in national news stories, from the shooting of Trayvon Martin to the Penn State sex scandal, are reflected in the legislative history and news of Brooklyn and New York City at large.

Gay marriage is one of the biggest issues playing out in New York and a national level. When legislation legalizing gay marriage passed many people wondered if the 4 Republicans who voted for the measure were going to be abandoned by their party and electorate. That did not happen and many people see this as a trend in public opinion regarding gay marriage. After the New York vote there began to be rumbling through the Republican Party that the anti-gay marriage plank could pose problems in future elections. The issue is fascinating because we are seeing legislative history play out before our eyes. The issue also highlights an interesting time in the history of the Republican Party when different forces such as social conservatives, libertarians, and traditional Republicans shape the party. Gay marriage support has been strong in Brooklyn NYC and Manhattan for some time but more tepid in upstate New York and the more conservative corners of Queens and Long Island.

Sex scandals in Penn State, Syracuse, and Brooklyn prompted a spate of new legislation regarding how sexual misconduct by those who work with children is handled. New laws emerged that expanded the list of mandatory reports for suspicion of sexual abuse. Laws also came out regarding disclosure of termination due to alleged sexual misconduct or past arrests for even minor sexual violations (petitioning a prostitute, public lewdness). These scandals shock not only Brooklyn news, but national news and I am sure that if you looked at legislationpending in other states you would see similarly themed bills.

The Trayvon Martin shooting has stimulated the national debate on gun control. Even though gun controls in Brooklyn are very tight, looking at legislative tracking would show you a lot of new gun related laws. These illustrate a partisan divide as the gun lobby does not hold as much sway with the Democratic Party. In Republican controlled legislatures I think you would find less gun laws or less stringent ones.

Looking at New York Legislative history can tell you a lot about America. Now that we are nearing a presidential election I suspect monitoring legislation will become a lot more interesting. What stories will capture headlines next year? How will these issues translate into legislation? What will the ultimate effect on local Brooklyn news be? Only time will tell. No matter what happens it will at least be fascinating and informative.

by: Mark Etinger

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