March 16, 2023
ALBANY, NY – At the state capital, both houses, the state assembly and senate, have passed their versions of the state budget. It’s a work in progress that has yet to be agreed upon by the governor and the top leaders of the state senate and assembly.
Below are some reactions, which have come in to our newsroom email, on what’s been done so far:
FroM Senator Tom O’Mara: “My Senate Republican colleagues and I were concerned about Governor Hochul’s out-of-control state spending plan when she proposed it in January and we warned that the Legislature’s Democrat majorities would be looking to go even higher. Here they go. The spending spree being proposed by the Senate Democrats is irrational. It’s unreasonable. It requires higher taxes. It ignores New York’s debt burden. It raids the state’s ‘’rainy day’ funds at a time of widespread economic uncertainty. It doesn’t respond to the issues of affordability for everyday New York families, taxpayers, and workers. It won’t stop the exodus of New Yorkers and it risks further devastating already hard-hit state and local economies and taxpayers.”
From Assemblywoman Majorie Byrnes: “It’s disappointing, yet unsurprising, that the Assembly Majority has rejected the governor’s proposal to restore judicial discretion and other measures to fix the bail reforms that have endangered our state for the past five years. Although I am pleased they also rejected her nonsensical upstate housing mandate, this plan still spends too much and does too little to fix the real, existing problems New Yorkers deal with day in and day out. People need Albany’s help making New York more affordable, fixing our roads, providing access to affordable internet and safeguarding our communities from the ongoing crime spree that these so-called bail reforms exacerbated. I will be voting no.”
From State Senator George Borrello: “If we needed further proof that the Senate’s Democratic Majority doesn’t care about the concerns of everyday New Yorkers, we received it today in the form of the One-House Senate Budget Resolution. Poll after poll have shown residents’ top concerns to be rising crime and the state’s lack of affordability. The Majority’s response? A record-breaking $236 billion budget and a back-breaking tax increase on the group of New Yorkers who already pay the largest share of taxes and who are fleeing the state in droves. Even more concerning is that the outrageous level of spending in this budget is unsustainable and sets the stage for deficits and broad-based tax increases in the years to come.
The pleas for help from small businesses across the state were ignored, once again. A minimum wage increase proposal even more aggressive than the one proposed by the Executive would devastate our economy, family farms and employers of every size. Despite a $10 billion revenue surplus, not a dime was allocated to help small businesses who have been unjustly burdened with paying the $8 billion in unemployment insurance debt caused by the state.
The Majority has a similar lack of interest in strengthening public safety, which is New Yorkers’ number one concern. To her credit, Governor Hochul has proposed repealing the “least restrictive standard” of the disastrous bail changes – one of the very worst provisions of this terrible law. The majorities have flat out rejected that proposal and have offered yet another present to New York’s criminal community by including their ‘Clean Slate Act’ in the budget, which would provide for the automatic sealing of criminal records.
There are some notable improvements over the Executive Budget in this plan, including the restoration of the $625 million in enhanced federal Medicaid assistance to the counties – funds that the Governor proposed keeping. There are important restorations and increases I advocated for, in vital agriculture programs, including Nourish NY, and long overdue increases in the Medicaid rate for hospitals and nursing homes.
It is clear from this budget that the Majority has no intention of shifting away from the radical agenda of recent years, an agenda that has made New York into a showcase for the failures of the far left. The funding and policies in this plan would only worsen the problems New Yorkers are most concerned about, which is why I voted against it.”
From Assemblyman Phil Palmezano: “Today, we voted on Assembly Democrats’ wish-list One-House Budget Proposal. Their proposal totals $233 billion, $6 billion higher than Gov. Hochul’s proposal and $11 billion more than last year. Neither the governor’s nor the legislative Majorities’ proposals reflect the financial hardships that everyday New York families and businesses are facing.
“New York families and businesses already face the highest taxes and worst business climate in the nation. Inflation remains persistent, gas prices are stubbornly high, home heating costs are at record levels and the Assembly Democrats’ budget priorities are to increase taxes and continue on a reckless spending spree. Just like families and businesses, we must tighten our fiscal belts; our current course is unsustainable. In the last two years alone, 500,000 New Yorkers have left our state, a dangerous trend that will continue unless we work together to adopt a fiscally-responsible budget.
“As final negotiations begin, I urge the governor and legislative leaders to rein in spending and, most importantly, remember that the final budget passed will be paid for by the taxpayer.
“Let’s pass one that is financially sound and fair and equitable for all New Yorkers, instead of making them want to leave our state
