Reeher Contributes to PolitiFact Piece on Number of Bills Gov. Hochul Has Passed

May 3, 2022

PolitiFact

Grant Reeher

Political Science Department

Campbell Public Affairs Institute

Government

New York State

State & Local

PolitiFact

Grant Reeher

In a recent campaign ad, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she passed more than 400 bills since she became governor on Aug. 24, 2021, a claim PolitiFact verified. Of the thousands of bills introduced in New York, an average of 650 are enacted each year. Professor Grant Reeher says there are several reasons for the large number of bills introduced in New York.

The legislature has a professional staff, which can work on drafting new laws. The state government also spends more money per person than many other states, says Reeher. New York also has a large state government that runs many programs, and sometimes those operations need adjustments, which can require changes to the law.

"It’s a liberal state, it’s more active, it spends a lot of money, there’s more stuff to manage," Reeher says.

Read more in the PolitiFact article, "Since taking office, Hochul has passed more than 400 new bills."