The Governor’s budget revealed both good news and bad news. The bad news is it will be another challenging fiscal year. The good news is the Governor’s budget holds the line on spending and does not raise taxes and fees.
Governor Cuomo proposed a number of reform initiatives which merit careful consideration. Last year we closed a $10 billion budget deficit without raising taxes and fees and I am confident that if we work together, embrace new ideas and focus on job creation, we will emerge from this fiscal crisis as a stronger, more competitive State. The Governor’s call for public/private partnerships is imaginative and a step forward in our efforts to rebuild New York.
I commend the Governor for a number of the mandate relief measures proposed, including pension reform, and would hope we can build on those initiatives and dig deeper to find additional savings to pass on to local taxpayers. I also applaud the Governor’s ambitious agenda to provide education reform.
As the Senate Codes Chairman and the Senate sponsor of the DNA expansion bill, I am encouraged by the Governor’s commitment to public safety and look forward to partnering with him on expanding the DNA databank and creating a streamlined mechanism for reporting abuse and neglect to protect our most vulnerable population.
The Governor is calling on the State Legislators to continue to work together, make the difficult decisions, adopt an on time budget, and advance a fiscally responsible plan that will get the State of New York working again.
In the weeks ahead, I will continue my efforts to keep you informed. If you would like to share your views and opinions on the State Budget – or any other issue of concern – I always look forward to hearing from you.
