The way Albany handles legislation can be hard to understand. But it’s all too clear why the Legislature this week flubbed two clear opportunities to earn and save millions by bringing our laws in line with those of every other state: Shelly Silver.
One was a bill that would have legalized mixed martial arts. The other would have reformed a law now enriching trial lawyers. What they both have in common is that they were blocked by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver — for reasons less in the public interest than in his own.
Take the bill on mixed martial arts. This is a sport that generates $500 million in revenue each year. Legalizing ultimate fighting here would not only bring New York in line with every other state, it would create jobs and bring in tax revenues.
An MMA bill passed the Senate. But Speaker Silver prevented one from coming to a floor vote he knew he would lose. That’s because the sport’s opposed by some assemblywomen who think it’s too violent — and these days Shelly’s not in a position to write off objections from women, given his coverup of Assembly sex harassment.
The other bill has to do with something called the Scaffold Law. It really ought to be called the Tort Lawyer Law, because it embodies a definition of liability that makes lawyers rich by holding owners and contracters responsible for accidents even when it’s not their fault. A simple, bipartisan reform would have fixed this by bringing New York law more in line with that of every other state and saving costs on everything from the Tappan Zee Bridge to a home in Buffalo. But this too was blocked by Shelly, who in addition to being speaker works for a personal-injury law firm.
And guess who pays for it all: you.