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The New York State Senate’s Bipartisan Task Force on Hurricane Sandy Recovery today visited hard-hit communities in Brooklyn and Staten Island to tour storm damage and speak with local officials, business leaders, and individuals about the progress and challenges of the ongoing recovery efforts.  Tours of Staten Island, Coney Island, Sheepshead Bay, and Gerritsen Beach provided Task Force members with the ability to witness the extensive storm damage and recovery efforts in those parts of New York City. This was the fourth meeting of the Bipartisan Senate Task Force on Hurricane Sandy Recovery, which first met on December 10, 2012, in the Rockaways in Queens. Tours and meetings also took place in Nassau County and Rockland County. 

While the Senate’s Finance Committee will review the entire Executive Budget over the next few weeks, I am encouraged by the plan Governor Cuomo has submitted today.  It restrains spending, eliminates a manageable deficit without new taxes or fees, and invests in job-creation initiatives.  This budget is a blueprint for building on the progress we’ve made over the last two years in getting New York back on track. We should take this opportunity to look at reducing taxes to put more money back into the pockets of hardworking families, allowing the 18-a energy assessment to expire as scheduled, and renewing our commitment to businessmen and women looking to start or grow a business in New York. 

Senate Republican Conference Leader Dean G. Skelos today announced a package of tough, commonsense gun safety measures to eliminate the sale and possession of illegal guns and increase penalties for people who use guns to commit crimes. Statistics show illegal guns are used in the vast majority of gun crimes in New York State.   The proposals come in the wake of horrific recent incidents including the tragic school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut; the ambush and killing of two volunteer firefighters in Webster, New York; the shooting incidents that injured three NYPD officers just two days ago; and the cold-blooded killing of a Nassau County police officer and a motorist last October.

The New York State Senate’s Bipartisan Task Force on Hurricane Sandy Recovery today visited communities on Long Island to tour storm damage and speak with local officials, business leaders, and individuals about the progress and challenges of the ongoing recovery efforts. Today’s meeting focused on Hurricane Sandy’s impacts in Nassau and Suffolk counties and included tours of Freeport, Island Park, and Oceanside to view the extensive storm damage and recovery efforts. This was the second meeting of the Bipartisan Senate Task Force for Hurricane Sandy Recovery, which first met on December 10, 2012, in the Rockaways in Queens.

The unemployment data released today proves that our efforts to make New York more economically competitive are working. According to the state Labor Department, New York added 83,500 new private sector jobs this year and the state’s unemployment rate dropped in November. Over the past two years, the Senate partnered with Governor Cuomo to reduce business taxes, put the brakes on rising property taxes and provide strategic economic investments across our state to encourage job creation and business growth.   Our bipartisan efforts are paying off, but there is still more work to be done. At 8.3 percent, New York’s unemployment rate is still higher than the national average (7.7 percent).  

I commend Governor Cuomo for taking action to prevent a 45 percent toll hike on trucks that use the New York State Thruway.  This massive proposed increase, which was opposed by Senate Republicans, would have negatively impacted small businesses throughout New York and hurt our efforts to grow the economy.

If we are going to continue the progress we’ve made over the last two years, we’ll need to do it without raising taxes and fees, or increasing the cost of doing business.  This is great news for businesses and taxpayers.

I join all New Yorkers in wishing Senator Steve Saland the best as he completes a 32-year career in the State Legislature, the last 22 as a distinguished member of the New York State Senate.  Steve is a highly-respected lawmaker and a dear friend.

This chamber will miss Steve Saland’s clear and steady voice, most notably in the areas of criminal justice and victim’s rights.  Steve was the author of more than 350 laws, and he has been a fierce advocate for the victims of domestic violence and child abuse. 

As New York State begins large-scale rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Independent Democratic Conference Leader Senator Jeffrey D. Klein and Republican Conference Leader Senator Dean G. Skelos announced the formation of a bipartisan Senate task force charged with undertaking some of the recovery’s biggest challenges. As federal and state aid begins to materialize, task force members will play a pivotal role in developing the short and long-term plans that will help these communities get back on their feet. Each task force member represents one of New York State’s hardest hit areas and is thus uniquely qualified to pinpoint those neighborhoods and businesses that are most in need.

Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos today announced that the Senate and the Hispanic Federation will conduct the second annual Unidad Latina event this week. Unidad Latina is a two-day conference designed to help increase economic opportunities for the growing Hispanic community in New York. It is being held on September 28 and 29 at the Hilton New York in Manhattan.