On May 21st it was announced that funding for the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission was finally released. Although the funding had been appropriated in the state budget in early April, it took over a month for the funds to actually be released to the Commission. In early May, the League partnered with 23 organizations to send a letter to the State Comptroller urging him to immediately release the $4 million in funding so the Commission can begin its work.
At their last Commission meeting, the Co-Executive Directors confirmed that the funds were now available and that they will now begin to advertise the new employment positions. With funds now available the Co-Executive Directors are also seeking a website vendor and have set up a Gmail account for the Commission while they wait for formal email addresses.
Although originally the Commission planned to begin holding hearings as early as June, the Commission has now stated that it is more likely hearings will start in July. Unfortunately, even with funds available there are many logistics related to the hearings that must be decided before the hearings can officially be scheduled.
