Would Have Repealed Congestion Pricing, Audited MTA
By Hank Russell
A local state Senator ripped into the Democratic majority for killing a bill in committee that he said would have saved Long Island commuters money and held the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) accountable for their alleged financial mismanagement.
As previously reported in Long Island Life & Politics, the congestion pricing program charges motorists $9 for driving below 60th Street in Manhattan. LILP also reported on local politicians calling on the MTA to open their books or else have an auditor examine the agency’s finances.
Legislation introduced by Jack Martins (R-Mineola) would have repealed congestion pricing and called for an independent auditor to review the MTA’s finances. The bill was cosponsored by Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick (R-Valley Stream), Mario Mattera (R-St. James), Dean Murray (R-Patchogue), Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk), Alexis Weik (R-Sayville) and Steven Rhoads (R-Levittown).
On May 13, the Senate Transportation Committee voted down the legislation.
“This legislation offered a real, actionable path to expose where the billions sent to the MTA are going—and Senate Democrats killed it to protect the status quo,” Rhoads said. “Every vote against this commonsense bill is a vote for deception, waste, and corruption.”
Rhoads called the congestion program “a shameless cash grab that punishes everyday New Yorkers — parents taking their kids to doctor appointments, families enjoying a day in the city, first responders, and union workers who keep the city running. The message from Albany Democrats is clear: they’d rather side with a mismanaged bureaucracy than fight for transparency, accountability, and relief for hardworking commuters.”