Families of Sept. 11 victims have been lobbying for an independent inquiry, visiting individual lawmakers.
And individual lawmakers are still playing host to plenty of events themselves.
The lawsuit challenging the measure was filed by the Legislature, 18 individual lawmakers, eight other individuals and three organizations.
The outcome will say much about the integrity of individual lawmakers.
In a letter sent to all members of Congress, the deans did not cite individual lawmakers.
The battle now shifts to the Senate, whose rules make it easier for individual lawmakers to disrupt a bill's passage.
It does not cover some other forms of discretionary spending like capital projects earmarked by individual lawmakers.
Albany has always been a highly partisan culture in which individual lawmakers are expected to follow the party leader.
While some Democratic committees decline tobacco money, the company also contributes to individual lawmakers of both major parties.
He said he intends to persuade the new Governor and individual lawmakers to work against it.