It was heartening to hear the Governor speak about building on our successes that we accomplished in 2011. No new taxes, fiscal responsibility, mandate relief, protecting the local taxpayers and private sector job creation all are priorities of the Senate, and it is tremendous to have the Governor as a partner.

The activation of the Mandate Relief Council is something I have been pushing, and having hearings around the state to gain citizen and local government input will be invaluable and helpful in getting meaningful reforms. It fits in with our fight to change the Medicaid program to give local taxpayers relief, and I am optimistic we can get real results this session.

Increasing New York State’s economic competitiveness is crucial, and I fully support public/private partnerships to stimulate infrastructure construction and job growth. We cut taxes on manufacturers, and our small businesses need tax relief too so they can invest and expand. Getting people back to work, having good paying jobs and career opportunities so our young people can stay after they graduate is key to our future.