Why Does It Take So Long To Get A Bill To the Governor's Desk?

I called Senator Nozzolio's office to find out the answer to this question. . Here it is:

Thank you for contacting me to share your questions regarding the legislative process and the Governor's involvement, as they relate to measures which have been approved by both Houses of the Legislature. It was a pleasure to hear from you again and I appreciate the opportunity to be of assistance.

Under the New York State Constitution, the Governor has ten days, excluding Sundays, to act on measures once they are delivered to him by the legislature. If the Governor does not act on a measure within those ten days, it automatically becomes law.

Because the legislature approves many bills during the course of the Legislative Session, (528 bills were approved so far this year) the Governor would not have appropriate amount of time to properly consider each bill if he received them all at once. That is why the Legislature and the Governor's Office coordinate when and how many bills are delivered to the Governor. Some measures are delivered to the Governor immediately upon approval by both Houses of the Legislature, and some may take days to months before they are delivered to the Governor.

If you wish to track the most current status of these or any other measure and you have Internet access, please visit the Senate web site at http://www.senate.state.ny.us and click on "Bills/Laws" icon.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. The concerns and interests of my constituents are of the utmost importance to me and I ask that you never hesitate to contact me if I may be of any assistance with this or any other matter.

With best wishes,
Sincerely,

Michael F. Nozzolio
Senator, 53rd District