David Lombardo is reporting for Capitol Confidential Sen. Daphne Jordan, Half-moon Republican, introduced legislation last week that would create a working group to examine the issue of splitting New York into two states. The legislative memorandum contends that divergent political and social views exist between the downstate and upstate regions of the state, and claims that calls for the two regions to part ways have been growing louder. The proposal uses Rockland and Westchester counties as the northern border of the downstate region, the same border used for the state's 2016 minimum wage law. The working group would study the economic and legal ramifications of separating the state, and determining the up-front costs associated with a split. Senior advisor to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Richard Azzopardi said of the proposal, “There is pandering and then there is the Godzilla of pandering. This divisive and unserious press release isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.” Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.