Its never too late to match up. Democratic State Sen. Kevin Parker, of Brooklyn, isn’t interested in hearing about a dysfunctional Legislature mired in corruption and inaction. He’s been busy introducing bills — lots and lots of bills.

In one single day – May 16 – the last day of unlimited bill introduction, Senator Parker introduced 43 bills.

Last month, Bill Mahoney of The New York Public Interest Research Group estimated that the Legislature is on track to duplicate their performance from last year when they passed the fewest bills two-house bills since 1914.

And Mahoney says that, as of now, the Legislature is still on pace to perform just as badly.

“With eight session days to go in 2012 (the year with the fewest 2-house bills since at least 1914), they had passed 139 bills. With eight session days to go in 2013, they have passed 123,” said Mahoney.

According to Mahoney, the Senate still has time to make up with the remaining bills  to gain passage in a second house as 432 bills gained passage in a second house in eight days last year. “They are, however,” said Mahoney, “currently running behind last year’s pace.”

Former Brooklyn Senator, David Storobin, who was elected in a special election, sponsored 42 bills in the 20 days he was in Albany, before the summer session ended.

It seems that a number of major legislative proposals including ethics reform, public financing of campaigns, reform of marijuana possession laws, The DREAM Act, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s women’s equality legislation are likely to be jammed up in the Senate for one reason or another.

It is likely that Republicans and the IDC will be eager to pass as many other bills as possible to deflect from criticism on failing to act on other major pieces of legislation.

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN via Gotham Gazette)