State Sen. Daphne Jordan (R-NY) has renewed talks of splitting New York into two separate states, upper and lower, according to CBS.
Talk of dividing New York City and the surrounding areas has been a topic of conversation before among lawmakers but plans have always fizzled out and ultimately requires U.S. Congressional approval.
Jordan, who represents a suburban-rural district in eastern New York, proposed a bill last week for the funding of a study that would analyze the cost of separating New York City from the rest of New York, per ABC News.
“Let’s look at it, get definitive figures,” Sen. Daphne Jordan said about making a possible split.
Jordan’s proposal for a study would include a working group of 15 individuals responsible for researching the cost, legalities and requirements of separating New York when it comes to state agencies and land disputes.
The group would work under the supervisions of the New York comptroller’s office.
State senator’s plan to divide New York into two states
According to Sen. Daphne Jordan’s plan, the study would look at separating all five New York City boroughs, Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk counties, as well as Westchester and Rockland counties into downstate New York.
The remaining 53 counties would be deemed upstate New York.
Lawmaker proposes study of NY splitting into 2 states https://t.co/LxqjhvQ5IQ
— Troy Record (@troyrecord) February 23, 2019
“There’s all kind of things being passed (in Albany) that aren’t necessarily of upstate interest,” said Jordan.
E.J. McMahon of the conservative think tank, Empire Center for Public Policy, can see both the pros and cons of Sen. Daphne Jordan’s plan.
“The impulse is understandable. There are real differences between upstate and downstate,” E.J. McMahon shared.
Adding, “Upstate would need to do a really significant reset of the way government is funded and what it spends, and upstate politicians have not exactly been clamoring for the reforms that it would take to make that happen,” he said.
As pointed out by CBS, New York Democrats out number Republicans in the state, making many believe this latest round of talks is simply a pipe dream.
