April 23, 2024
FROM STATE SENATOR TOM O’MARA: O’Mara said, “New York State taxpayers today and long into the future already face trying to afford, and live, and work under the most bloated and wasteful government budget in America. New York is already one of the highest taxed, heavily mandated, overregulated, and least affordable states in the nation. This budget makes it worse. It increases spending and handouts by at least eight billion dollars but fails to address any meaningful tax relief, mandate relief, debt relief, or fundamental priorities in education, health care, local roads and bridges, and so many other areas. In fact, it ignores the economic and fiscal warnings on the horizon and keeps on increasing government spending like there’s no tomorrow. To afford it, Governor Hochul and the Democrat majorities in the Legislature will go on squeezing every penny they possibly can from state and local taxpayers through higher taxes, passing the buck to localities, ignoring badly needed priorities, more borrowing, raiding reserve funds, increasing fees, and every other anti-taxpayer, anti-business, anti-economic opportunity, anti-economic growth, anti-freedom action contained in this new budget and that will be the cornerstone of every future state budget for as long as New York remains under one-party, all-Democrat control. We will remain the nation’s leader in irresponsible, irrational, misguided, and unsustainable spending that will overburden and make this state unlivable for taxpayers, families, workers, small businesses, manufacturers, farmers, and every segment of our local communities and economies.”
FROM ASSEMBLYMAN PHIL PALMESANO: “When Gov. Hochul released her budget in January, she claimed it would make the lives of everyday New Yorkers better and more affordable. The unfortunate reality is the whopping, record-breaking $237 billion budget, $8 billion more than last year, enacted by Albany Democrats does nothing to improve the lives of New Yorkers, but instead, continues down the reckless path of uncontrolled and unsustainable spending and misplaced priorities.
“Their prioritization of $2.4 billion for the migrant crisis and the $700 million Film Tax Credit for Hollywood elites is irresponsible and clearly sends the wrong message to hard-working and struggling New Yorkers. This, especially in light of their failure to significantly deliver on much-needed and long overdue critical assistance to help improve the quality of life and quality of care for our most vulnerable citizens, the intellectually and developmentally disabled, and the dedicated direct-support professionals who care for them.
“This budget authorizes the governor to close up to five additional correctional facilities with just 90 days’ notice, on top of the 11 that have already been closed since 2019. The current one-year statutory notification requirement is devastating enough to our brave and dedicated correctional officers, civilian staff, their families and the community. To uproot families with just 90 days’ notice is wrong, unacceptable and an insult to those individuals who work a dangerous job to keep us safe. We owe them much more than this, and this state has once again failed them.
“I am grateful we restored the governor’s proposed $60 million cut to the critically important and successful CHIPS program, however, it simply is not enough to address our infrastructure needs and help improve our local roads, bridges and culverts that are the lifeblood of our upstate transportation network and local communities. In fact, the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Highway Construction Cost index has increased nearly 60% in the last 2 ½ years, yet the Albany Democrats chose not to make CHIPS funding a priority for our upstate communities.
“I was pleased to see items we fought for included in the final budget like increasing penalties and resources to fight the growing retail theft crisis, giving local law enforcement the authority to shut down the scourge of local “sticker” store operations illegally selling cannabis, making much-needed changes to our state’s property law to highlight the difference between criminal squatters and tenants, defeating the governor’s proposed funding cuts for half of our state’s school districts and funding to help promote organ donation.
“The bottom line is New York families and businesses continue to face a public safety, affordability and quality of life crisis. They do not feel safe in their homes and their communities. They are still dealing with the impacts of crippling inflation and higher prices. They continue to navigate through some of the highest taxes in the nation and costly and burdensome regulations. They face higher energy costs and the continued implementation of a radical energy/climate plan that seeks to dismantle the affordable and reliable natural gas infrastructure, supply and delivery system and eliminate consumer choice on how you heat your home, cook your food, power your buildings and the vehicle you drive. New York families and businesses have to make difficult choices every day. They practice fiscal restraint and tighten their financial belts, why shouldn’t the state do the same? Unfortunately, Albany Democrats need to realize it is not their money they are recklessly spending, it is the taxpayers’ money. We can, and must do, better.”
FROM ASSEMBLYWOMAN MARJORIE BYRNES: 1) 2.4 billion for migrant services (illegal aliens) and 5 million for Refugee Basic Needs (food/clothing/shelter); 2) For our schools, the Foundation Aid includes the “Hold Harmless” base amount for funding but the calculations have changed. I do not know how it affects individual schools; 3) the budget does not include universal school lunches but does include 11 million more than last year to continue expanding the program; 4) legal services for tenants facing eviction: 35 million for outside of NYC and 15 million for NYC; 5) our state owes the federal government 7.5 billion for outstanding debt for the Unemployment Insurance Fund … but we are not making any payment; 6) the Joseph P Dwyer program to assist our veterans has been increased.
FROM STATE SENATOR GEORGE BORRELLO: “This week a new Marist poll was released that found New Yorkers are more pessimistic than ever about the quality of life in the Empire State. Governor Hochul’s approval is at its lowest point since taking office and 59 percent think New York is headed in the wrong direction.
Unfortunately, the state budget put together by the governor and Democratic leaders just plods down the same failed path. It does nothing to improve affordability, the migrant crisis, public safety, or our economy. It will do nothing to stop or slow the outmigration of our residents and businesses.
The $237 billion state budget is bigger than the budgets of Florida and Texas combined and represents the second highest per capita spending plan in the nation. Democrats claim that their runaway spending will improve affordability and the quality of life in the state. This has been their argument every year for the past five years, as they inflated the state budget by nearly 40 percent. Yet, the benefits haven’t materialized. Just the opposite. Our highest-in-the-nation taxes have increased, the state’s debt has continued to grow, and experts rank our ‘economic outlook’ as the worst of all 50 states.
The budget misses the mark on public safety as well. The governor’s push to include stronger penalties for assaulting a retail worker will have little to no impact. This new offense, a low-level class E felony, is still not even a bail eligible crime and will do nothing to deter thieves. Democrats keep nibbling around the edges of the crisis their revolving door policies have created, but none of their efforts take a bite out of crime.
Nothing underscores how emboldened criminals have become than the recent attacks on law enforcement, which resulted in the deaths of four officers and serious injuries for two. This already high-risk job has become even more dangerous under Democrats ‘no consequences’ policies. I proposed an amendment to the budget to reinstate the death penalty for cop-killers, which Democrats disappointingly voted down. Our brave police officers are the only thing that stands between us and complete lawlessness. We should be sending a message that violence against them will be met with the harshest penalty.
Housing was a major focal point of this year’s budget and the reason it is overdue. While the budget allocates hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives to encourage the development of affordable housing, it has adopted a measure, so-called ‘good cause eviction,’ which will undercut those development efforts. This socialist ‘good cause’ measure will limit the control landlords can exert over their own properties through requirements like automatic lease renewals and capped rent increases. Tenants in New York already have disproportionate control in rental situations. This measure will only exacerbate the challenges of property owners.
In a budget of this size, there will always be worthwhile restorations and funding. We prevailed in our fight for the restoration of the “save harmless” standard in the distribution of school foundation aid, which was particularly important for our rural schools. Altogether, education funding will increase by $1.3 billion. However, the governor’s proposed decrease to the inflation calculation will remain an issue that could impact schools.
It was also gratifying to see that several increases and restorations we fought for were included in the final budget, including funding for agriculture programs, libraries, and AIM funding for local governments to help stabilize property taxes.
I am glad that our voices were heard in opposition to the New York Home Energy Affordable Transition Act (HEAT Act), resulting in its elimination from the final budget. This measure would have accelerated the dismantling of our natural gas infrastructure, which would have cost us jobs, raised rates and deprived New Yorkers of our most affordable, reliable energy source.
Despite our strong opposition to the RAPID Act, which would further reduce local control of renewable energy transmission projects, this measure was regrettably included in the budget.
The most glaring issue in this budget is the $2.4 billion allocated to address New York City’s ongoing ‘migrant crisis,’ a problem created by Democrats’ refusal to revoke our ‘sanctuary’ status. This self-created problem not only drains taxpayer resources daily but also contributes to rising crime rates and overcrowding in city shelters, schools, and hospitals. During budget discussions, some argued that there wasn’t enough money to increase funding for essential infrastructure and support for vulnerable citizens. Yet, those needs could have been met if the $2.4 billion was used to help New Yorkers rather than individuals who have violated our nation’s laws. This is an unsustainable situation, and it is alarming that Democrats only solution is to keep throwing billions at the problem.
The change that New Yorkers keep asking for and that our state needs for a strong future isn’t in this budget. Political pandering to the radical left has taken the place of common sense in New York and the results speak for themselves.”
