Policies slipped into budget concerning
As a new legislator, you are warned of the late nights, fierce debate and behind-the-scenes dealings that have become synonymous with approving the New York State budget in recent years. I entered negotiations this year fully prepared for the expected give-and-take of this type of debate. However, nothing could have adequately prepared me for the dysfunctional and inefficient manner in which these negotiations unfolded, resulting in another late budget. Now that we’re a few days removed from the final votes, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on my first budget, as well as voice some of my concerns with this profoundly flawed process.
It’s important to note that the state budget is not just one bill, but a combination of many, each of which comprised of several programs and initiatives. This year, my colleagues and I voted on nine bills in order to approve the state budget, some of which I voted for, and others against. The final product, while it contained funding for several worthy causes, also included support for quite a few ill-advised programs that I feel do not reflect the priorities of both my constituents, and the State of New York as a whole. Unfortunately, this is the nature of the beast in these types of situations. We fight for our main concerns, and reach a compromise in order to keep the government functioning.
What concerns me the most about the budget negotiation process is the growing number of policy issues we are seeing slipped into these bills, many of which hold little to no significance on any of the state’s primary fiscal initiatives. I thought the budget would be about numbers, not new policies. This comingling of policy and budgetary interests has muddied these negotiations, holding legislators hostage to New York City’s pet projects and forcing us to take an all-or-nothing approach that fails to best serve New York State’s residents.
For example, this budget included several controversial measures, including Raise the Age, a program I have expressed opposition to on multiple occasions, and Gov. Cuomo’s ‘free college tuition program.’ While I do feel that affordable college education for all New Yorkers should be a top priority, I would much rather have seen this issue addressed within the framework of the existing TAP program. I have major concerns with both Gov. Cuomo’s original plan, which failed to address the needs of private and community college students and provided misguided funding for incarcerated criminals and the children of illegal immigrants, as well as the amended provisions included in the finalized budget.
Unfortunately, the nature of these negotiations did not afford me an opportunity to voice these worries. Complicating matters further, a vote against these programs would have been a vote against initiatives I have tirelessly fought to support, including ride-sharing, workers’ compensation reform, living wage increases for directcare workers and investments in clean water infrastructure. Important issues such as these deserve to be debated on the floor based on their individual merits, and not deceptively slipped into an enormous bill that legislators have merely hours to review before having to cast a vote that will affect the lives of millions of people.
So what can we do to amend this process? Moving forward, I will remain steadfast in my commitment to fight, not only for the interest of my district, but to ensure our government operates as efficiently and transparently as possible. These important decisions affect the lives of us all, and deserve to be properly discussed and debated by representatives of each conference, with input from those whose voices are not given an opportunity to be heard in this flawed system – the minority leaders and the people of New York. As a state legislator, my job is to serve the people, and I call upon my colleagues to acknowledge that the current status quo of the budget process is an impediment to our civic duty that must be addressed once and for all. Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh, a Republican, represents the 112th Assembly District, which consists of parts of Saratoga and Schenectady counties.