Paul Kirby reports in The Daily Freeman that local Assemblymember Didi Barrett, a Democrat, voted this week for a bill that extends landlord eviction moratoriums until May, while Republican Chris Tague voted against the measure. “We have all felt the importance of “home” over these last months — especially the need for safe and stable housing — and this bill is a step to ensure New Yorkers are not left homeless during this cold COVID-19 winter,” Barret said in an email. “Even so, we must do more to support our small landlords, who count on rental income to put food on their tables. They cannot be left holding the bag.” Tague said he voted against the bill because it did not help commercial renters. “I voted no on (the bill) because along with helping residential tenants we also need to help our small businesses renting commercial space, as the bill does not currently offer them the same protection against eviction,” Tague said in a statement. “We also need to help the small landlords who have gone months without the income they need to pay their own bills, because as currently written, this bill doesn’t do enough for the many landlords who haven’t received rent payments since March.“ The bill passed both the Senate and the Assembly and was signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Barrett represents much of Columbia County, while Tague represents Greene County, Schoharie County, and Saugerties in Ulster County. Read more about this story in The Daily Freeman.