Wyoming County Free Press: Budget must treat all New Yorkers fair, said Senator Gallivan
Press release:
Sen. Patrick M. Gallivan (R-C-I, Elma) was in Albany for today’s State of the State Address and budget presentation by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. This was the fifth State of the State message Senator Gallivan has received since taking office.
“This year the State of the State and the budget presentation were combined and together they serve as a starting point for the legislative session,” Gallivan said. ”Over the next couple of months, we will review the details of the governor’s proposal and take the necessary steps to meet the needs of New Yorkers and to control the size and cost of government.”
While Cuomo touched on a host of education reform issues, including overhauling the system for evaluating public school teachers, student testing and teacher tenure regulations, Gallivan said more discussion is needed on the details of those reforms. Cuomo also tied a proposed one billion increase in aid to education for the adoption of the various education reforms.
“When it comes to funding our public schools, we must make sure the distribution of resources is fair and equitable,” Gallivan said. ”I’m disappointed that the governor did not specifically mention the Gap Elimination Adjustment. Our schools have suffered enough and can no longer be forced to balance their budgets by cutting programs and services important to students. It’s time to eliminate the GEA once and for all.”
Sen. Gallivan is also calling Cuomo’s proposal to reduce local property taxes for people earning under $250,000 a year lacking. The proposal would save select homeowners an average of $950 a year.
“The plan doesn’t go far enough to reduce the tax burden on hard working property owners, and it appears upstate residents will save considerably less than those who live downstate. That is not right,” Gallivan said. “We would do better to focus on reducing mandates, such as Medicaid, to truly help all property owners.”
Gallivan says he supports Cuomo’s call for fiscal discipline and is encouraged by his proposal to cut the tax rate on small businesses from 6.5 to 2.5 percent, the lowest rate in 100 years. However, he believes efforts to reduce regulations and cut red tape are equally important.
“We have made some progress in reducing the enormous amount of regulations that businesses in New York face. We need to continue to relieve the burden on businesses in order to create jobs and opportunities for all,” Gallivan said.
Gallivan is anxious to learn more about Cuomo’s proposal for spending a one-time five billion surplus stemming from bank settlements negotiated with the state. The governor’s plan calls for 1.5 billion to be set aside for an upstate revitalization program and three billion to be used for infrastructure repair and improvements. That would include funding for the state Thruway Authority.
“We need to make sure all New Yorkers are treated fairly and that the investments benefit the entire state. I don’t want New York City to benefit at the expense of Western New York. I am also concerned that this does not fix the structural financial problems facing the Thruway Authority,” Gallivan said.
During the State of the State Address, the governor also outlined a seven-point agenda dealing with the criminal justice system in New York. Gallivan agrees that building trust and respect for law enforcement is critical and many of the proposals mentioned by the governor will be examined in detail in a series of Senate hearings on police and public safety.
“As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Crime, Crime Victims and Corrections, I look forward to hearing from law enforcement, criminal justice experts and others to determine how we can better ensure both police and public safety across New York,” Gallivan said.
Legislators will continue to work on the budget over the next several months. The new budget is due April 1.
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April 4, 2024
