When Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, R-Jamestown, debated a bill or spoke on a bill’s merits, he knew he wasn’t speaking to Democrats in the Assembly.

The same is true for Goodell’s successor, Andrew Molitor. But, during the latter part of Goodell’s tenure in the Assembly the Jamestown Republican often led the Assembly in floor time used thanks to his role as the minority whip. For all of that floor time Goodell knew he was rarely going to sway a Democrat from voting with the Republican caucus. But Goodell knew that he could often make good enough points to either get the governor to consider a chapter amendment before a bill was signed into law or perhaps even to issue a veto.

That’s why Goodell opposed 2023 efforts to limit floor debate. The changes don’t eliminate floor debate, but they are another step toward limiting the number of people who can speak in opposition to legislation or who can ask questions of a bill’s sponsor. More lawmakers are going to be squeezed from the debate. Less is going to be known about the legislature’s intent on bills. And Democrats won’t have to answer questions they don’t want to answer about things like abortion bills, health care bills, energy policy or criminal justice legislation.

“Our debate process, however imperfect, at least ensured ideas were tested in public and that every district, large or small, had a fair opportunity to be heard. When the governor, the Senate president and the Assembly speaker are in control of almost every facet in New York state government, this rule change moves the New York State Assembly further away from being the people’s house,” Molitor said. “Many bills are introduced for the direct benefit of New York City and, as a result, directly harm Chautauqua County, but debate allows our voice to be heard and sometimes that results in modified bills, chapter amendments and, rarely, vetoes; limiting who can speak, how long they can speak and when debate ends doesn’t improve government; it shields it from scrutiny.”

Democrats will say limiting debate will mean more bills get passed in a more efficient process. We take a more pessimistic view. Limiting debate rules is another step toward rural lawmakers being squeezed into irrelevance at the expense of lawmakers from the state’s Big 5 cities who not only want to control what legislation is passed but now what is said about that legislation, too, no matter how flawed that legislation is. Republicans used to be a speed bump in Assembly Democrats’ rush to pass their agenda. Democrats have decided the speed bump was doing too much damage and decided to replace it with a smooth rock. Republicans will still get a say, but Democrats won’t have to deal with the inconvenience for very long before they speed on to their next piece of rural ruination.