“There's good news for the people of New York.
Not only will the state budget be on time, we already have started to pass budget bills and even may complete our work early for the first time in 15 years.
Through the cooperative efforts of the Senate, Governor Cuomo and the Assembly, we have a responsible agreement that actually cuts spending without borrowing a single dime or raising a single tax.
We have managed to solve the state's fiscal crisis by eliminating the $10 billion deficit.
Medicaid has been reformed, saving the taxpayers $2.8 billion.
Government agencies have been streamlined, and private job creation has been prioritized.
More than $270 million has been restored to education, and the distribution of state resources has been adjusted to be equitable for Upstate schools. Fixing the distribution formula is vitally important not only this year, but will ensure that our schools are not shortchanged in the future.
Agriculture research and investments that were decimated under downstate control also have been restored, which will boost Upstate's economy.
We are working hard to change the direction of our state.
The past two years have been very difficult. All of state government was controlled by New York City, with disastrous results. Already suffocating taxes and irresponsible spending were hiked out-of-control, destroying jobs and hurting family budgets.
Now with renewed Senate leadership and a new Governor, we are fighting to put people back to work, restore the economy, create private sector jobs, and have career opportunities so our young people won't have to leave after they graduate.
By putting in place the right policies, we can and we will restore hope, opportunity and prosperity back to the people of our state.
While tough decisions had to be made, the state budget protects taxpayers and sets us on a path to a brighter future.”
