Republicans and Democrats went head-to-head at the Nassau County Legislature Monday night.

A Republican-proposed “Assessment Bill of Rights” passed along party lines after a marathon public meeting. 

The assessment includes measures such as compelling the county assessor to hold public meetings, and mandating the assessor live in Nassau County.

Republicans say it's a mechanism to protect taxpayers. 

Nassau Legislature Presiding Officer Rich Nicolello says, “All of these bills came up from the public. Things that they want to see, such as hearings from the assessor, phone calls answered, things of that nature. It’s all about transparency and getting people the information they need regarding assessment.”

Democrats counter that the proposal is nothing more than an attempt to score political points. 

“They're not focused on representing taxpayers, they're trying to politicize an issue, quite frankly, that unfortunately has become a diving wedge here in the legislature between the Republicans and the county executive,” says Legislature Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams Nassau. 

Nassau County Spokesperson Christine Geed calls the legislation a scheme. 

She says, “The GOP Majority did nothing but watch as the Mangano Administration corrupted the County’s assessment system, deceiving taxpayers and causing irreparable damage.  Their package of assessment legislation is not meant to offer real solutions or relief – these are political schemes intended to mislead and instill fear in taxpayers and distract from their decade of inaction.” 

She adds, “The County Executive plans to veto this legislation as it’s nothing more than a pre-election political stunt.  Instead of grandstanding, they should be calling County Executive Curran’s Taxpayer Protection Plan to the floor.”  

All 19 legislative seats are up for grabs in November's election.