Hits: 16
WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. Statement from Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. and State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins on the Budget March 31, 2015:
“Tonight, both houses of the Legislature have successfully passed the 2015-16 Budget spending plan to allow for the continued operation of government. This is a plan that keeps spending under two percent, reforms New York’s education bureaucracy, implements the nation’s strongest and most comprehensive disclosure laws for public officials and makes the largest investment in the Upstate economy in a generation.“This is a Budget that every New Yorker can be proud of, and I look forward to continuing to work to move New York forward this legislative session and beyond.”
State Senate Democratic Leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins issued this statement before the budget was passed
“What happened in this budget, and the story of this budget, is more of a story of who was included, who was left out, and its also more of a story of what didn’t happen as opposed to what did. We failed to raise the minimum wage that would’ve lifted thousands of New Yorkers out of poverty. We failed to provide desperately needed property tax relief for homeowners and business owners across New York State.
Yet, we gave tax breaks to yacht owners and airplane owners. We failed to deliver relief for renters and provide adequate funding for affordable housing. We failed to address the inequality in how we fund our schools, and instead of using comprehensive, bottom-up approaches, we once again rely on SED (State Education Dept) and a quick testing fix (for new teacher evaluation policy). We haven’t gone far enough to ensure that every child has the opportunity to access quality, affordable higher education. We failed to pass the Dream Act.
Scandal after scandal has rocked Albany, yet we failed to pass a meaningful ethics package that would’ve gotten to the heart of the problem.We didn’t include paid family leave or raise the age (of criminal responsibility) legislation. And we even failed to provide the transparency and openness that the public deserves when we deal with such a massive undertaking.
We simply rushed bills to print and then to floor with little or no real public debate or input. While we pat ourselves on the back for an on-time budget, in this chamber at least – and I know its important – we also need to recognize there is still a lot of work to do.”
Listen and view full remarks of Senator Stewart-Cousins here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLmiTwEyhoQ&feature=youtu.be