Assemblyman Mike Miller's Statement on the Assembly Budget

“Working off of the governor’s plan – and accepting 95.5 percent of his spending reductions – the Assembly addresses the state’s budget problems, while also protecting vital programs hardworking New Yorkers rely on. Our budget restores Title XX funding for our senior centers, funding for EPIC, and Summer Youth Employment Programs. These programs are vital to the economic recovery of our state and we believe they should be spared. The Assembly also extended the Millionaires Tax, because in these difficult economic times millionaires and billionaires should pay their fair share in this recovery. I believe it is a good budget and hope to see it approved by both the Senate and the Governor.”

Senator Addabbo: "Our Seniors Should Not Be Used As Tools of The City & State Budget Negotiations...

NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Queens), a member of the Senate’s Committee on the Aging, today released the following statement on the proposed transfer of Title XX funds from senior centers to children’s programs:

Our growing senior population has enough to worry about these days, and I believe it was wrong for the mayor to release the list of possible senior center closures and use our seniors as tools of the budget negotiations with the state.

Our senior centers do not have to close, regardless of the amount of money the City receives from the state budget. If the City collects the outstanding liens and judgments owed to it and alters its outside contracting practices, it would have more than enough money to keep the senior centers open. By simply utilizing our city workers more efficiently, the realized savings would more than pay for the centers. For example, if the City used its sheriffs more than the outside marshalls, it would witness significant savings.

I also intend to continue my efforts to ensure that the Title XX funding in our state budget is used for the purposes of retaining our senior centers.

We have a growing senior population that should be respected, not used as victims by the City or State during budget negotiations.

Progressive Caucus Responds to Gov. Cuomo’s Budget: Watch that Axe! There are Some Cuts New Yorkers Can't Afford

Governor Cuomo’s budget chops at some trees without realizing that he’s damaging a forest. Income inequality is greater in New York than any other state in the country, and New Yorkers can’t afford the costs of the Governor and Legislature cutting education, health care, transit, human services and the other quality-of-life services we value and need. We need a judicious balance between New York’s short-term and long-term economic needs or we will have a far more serious problems than the budget itself.

The Progressive Caucus supports a budget that:

• Requires shared sacrifices in difficult times. The Progressive Caucus and most New Yorkers support extending the existing income tax surcharge on those who can afford it, which is set to expire at the end of the year. The Progressive Caucus also proposes a tax surcharge on household income over $250,000, to reclaim the “Bush era tax cuts” for the wealthiest 2%. The Caucus plan would generate approximately $8.1 billion statewide, and use this revenue to restore vital services now proposed for deep cuts, address severe deficits facing New York City and New York State, and stimulate the New York economy.
• Helps working families. We ask for budget solutions that create and secure job opportunities and benefits for New Yorkers, not eliminate them. We oppose MTA fare hikes and increases to other essential public services, which are tantamount to raising taxes on working families.
• Invests in our future. We oppose the Governor’s Property Tax Cap of 2% a year because it will bleed the poorer districts where schools are already losing teachers and resources, further widening the education gap between New York’s rich and poor. We also support keeping our public university system affordable; CUNY, a once tuition-free institution, has faced multi-million dollar cuts and tuition could increase as much as 7% this calendar year.

The proposed chops to the budget don’t cut a clear path through the financial crisis. They leave us with more problems ahead. We are asking Governor Cuomo not to lose sight of the forest as he takes his axe to our trees.

SENATOR ADDABBO: LET'S GET TO WORK FOR 2011

With the holiday season over, NYS Senator Joseph Addabbo, Jr. (D-Queens) says it’s time to focus on restoring faith back to the residents that their state government will be responsive to their concerns: “Elected officials have a lot of work to do in making people know that their state legislature can operate in a professional and responsible manner.” The Senator understands that this will not be an easy task, given the general frustration among the public and the previous dysfunction in Albany.

What does Addabbo hope to accomplish in 2011? Well, according to the Senator, among the most common requests from his constituents is to lower property and other taxes, along with a cap in state spending. Addabbo stated that he is hopeful that lower property taxes, a restoration of the STAR rebate, and a reduction in other taxes and fees can be obtained with additional spending cuts and an improved economy. He also intends to continue the legislature’s efforts in attacking Medicaid and insurance fraud, which could result in a savings of approximately $9 billion to the state. Addabbo said he also heard many people request a restoration in library and senior center funding.

Other issues Addabbo wants to address in 2011 are ethics and legislative reform. Addabbo is seeking to introduce a law that would expel a state elected official from office if convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors. He also wants to start the discussion and process of creating term limits for state elected officials, just as it was overwhelmingly approved by voters for New York City electeds. Addabbo said there should be an independent, nonpartisan redistricting process, so that districts will not be redrawn in a way that is unfair to the residents of any district. He wants to work on creating more transparent election campaigns that see a reduction in large corporate donations that have influenced candidates in the past. Addabbo believes that there must be a change in the way Albany conducts its business on behalf of the people of the state, but that the change will not come easy. “There has to be a different way of thinking and ideology in Albany. I am hopeful other state representatives see it that way, too,” Addabbo stated.

To grow jobs in these tough economic times, Addabbo said he will continue working with small businesses around his district to obtain energy savings through audits of their premises by National Grid and Con Ed, and offering tax credits to small businesses that hire disabled individuals, seniors and unemployed veterans. In addition to the approximately 1,000 construction jobs that the new Resorts World New York will bring to Aqueduct Racetrack, the Senator is working with Genting to ensure that future job opportunities at the site are made available to qualified residents.

“We must have a government people can finally believe will work for them and for their interests. When I go back into legislative session this month, the people I serve can believe that I’ll do just that for them,” Addabbo concluded.

Senator Addabbo Returns His Per Diem Pay for Extraordinary Session...

On the day he’s being called back to Albany for another rare summer legislative session to renew budget negotiations, NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., voiced his own frustration with the dysfunction in Albany. Addabbo is returning the per diem pay provided by NYS taxpayers for his travel and meal expenses for the recent session called for last week by Governor David Paterson that turned out to be anything but extraordinary or special. The Governor called the legislators back on July 28 and July 29 for a "special session" to pass his budget proposals. Since the Governor’s budget bills were not sent to the Senate for a vote neither session day, no vote was ever taken by the Senate during their time in Albany last week. Addabbo, who had a previously scheduled speaking appointment in his Queens district on Wednesday evening, did attend the Thursday session in Albany, only to find out then that no business was to be conducted that day.

Addabbo explains, “I don’t believe in good conscience that I should take my per diem pay when we did no legislative work in Albany last Thursday. Therefore, I am returning my check.” Neither State Senators nor Assemblymembers have been paid their actual salary since the April 1 due date for the state budget. Legislators will not get paid salary until a budget is passed, but still can collect a per diem check for each day spent in Albany. According to Addabbo, last Wednesday evening, the Senator honored a local speaking engagement put on his district calendar weeks ago. He arrived in Albany on Thursday, July 29, for a 10 a.m. session, which started at 10:50 a.m. He was told to return to the Senate chambers at 12 p.m. to vote on a bill. While he was in his Albany office doing constituent work, Addabbo was surprised to hear that the session was adjourned and the legislators were being sent home again. The Wednesday evening session had been even shorter, just 12 minutes, according to news reports. This two-day special session cost the taxpayers about $100,000 in per diem expense checks at about $170 a day, an extraordinary amount and an extraordinary waste of everyone’s time.

The short stay in Albany did allow Addabbo to once again express to his leadership the frustration he shares with constituents over the long overdue state budget. Adds Addabbo, “Like I’ve said before, the Senate should get over its personal differences, act like responsible legislators and pass the last crucial revenue proposals to finish our state budget.” The Senator said that the last remaining issues, namely a proposed property tax cap, the Medicaid shortfall contingency plan and variable tuition for SUNY and CUNY campuses are the issues holding up the completion of the budget. “I intend to continue to convey my anger over the lack of progress being made in Albany. We are far from reaching our potential as a government that operates efficiently for the state. I look forward to passing many reforms and changes that are needed in Albany,” Addabbo concluded.

New York Legislators Finalize Budget, Four Months Late by Danny Hakim- NYTimes.com

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Lawmakers finalized one of the latest budgets in New York State history on Tuesday night, passing legislation that will raise roughly $1 billion — in part by increasing taxes on the sale of clothing and on a variety of businesses, while sparing hedge fund employees from a proposed new tax.

The state will increase its share of revenue from video gambling machines and will allow a number of casinos in New York to stay open longer. Lawmakers also voted to reduce charitable deductions for those who make $10 million or more.

But lawmakers rejected a plan to enact a tax change on earnings by hedge fund managers who work in New York but live outside the state. Much of their compensation comes in performance incentives that are considered capital gains and are taxed federally at a rate of 15 percent. The change would have made these earnings “ordinary” income, subject to state tax rates.

The move came as hedge funds were being wooed to move out of state.

A vote in the State Senate took place just before 8:30 p.m., ending months of protracted and contentious negotiations, with the budget 125 days late. The Assembly had earlier approved the budget.

Democrats who control the Legislature feared suffering the indignity of passing the latest budget ever during an election year. The record was set in 2004, when the budget passed on August 11.