Serino Reminds State: Localities Are Not Your Piggybank

SERINO REMINDS STATE: LOCALITIES ARE NOT YOUR PIGGYBANK

Bill to Halt Unfunded Mandates Passes Senate

ALBANY, NY—Senator Sue Serino (R, C, I—Hyde Park) announced a major win for localities and school districts today with the passage of a bill she co-sponsors to put a stop to unfunded mandates from the State.

“Having served at the local level, I can tell you from experience that the State has a dependency problem,” said Senator Serino. “For far too long it has balanced its budget on the backs of localities, forcing municipalities and their leaders to pay for a laundry-list of programs they do not control. The result is higher local taxes that have a direct impact on a community’s ability to attract and keep residents.”  

The bill (S. 2295),safeguards municipalities and school districts from unfunded mandates by requiring any program originating from the State be paid for by the State. It gives municipalities and local leaders the control necessary to prioritize the initiatives that address the needs of their individual communities. 

“As a representative, my goal is to make sure the Hudson Valley is a place where people want to live, not one they want to leave and pushing measures that will ease the local tax burden is a major step in the right direction.” Serino continued. “I hope our colleagues in the Assembly will recognize just how important this bill is and make its passage a priority.”

The bill has been sent to the Assembly where it is carried by Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi (D—Utica).

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