LOCAL REACTION
State legislators react to Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State address
ALBANY, N.Y. >> Gov. Andrew Cuomo presented his tenth State of the State address Wednesday afternoon. Cuomo outlined an agenda touching on protecting the environment, legalizing recreational marijuana, and waging a war on hate crimes.
Following the speech, local legislators from both sides of the aisle in the Senate and Assembly voiced their hopes and concerns with the platform and tackling a $6.3 billion budget deficit.
Democratic Sen. Neil Breslin was mostly encouraged by the address and hoped to take on healthcare costs, increasing education funding, as well as tax cuts for the middle class and small businesses.
“I was pleased to hear about many of the positive initiatives that the governor mentioned in his State of the State address,” Breslin said. “Specifically, I am excited to work with him on reducing the high cost of prescription drug prices, investing more money in our high needs school systems, and finding additional solutions to cut middle class and small business taxes.
“I look forward to a productive session where we can work in a bipartisan manner to solve the issues facing New York State.”
Breslin’s fellow Democratic colleague over in the Assembly, Assemblyman John McDonald III, echoed some of those sentiments as well.
“Overall, it was a broad agenda which is normal for the State of the State address. There were some items of interest I think to the families I represent when it comes to a continuation of middle-class tax cuts. An expansion of the child care tax credit. Workforce development funds which is critical to help prepare our workforce the future And a potential small business tax cut,” McDonald commented.
McDonald also addressed the looming budget deficit.
“When we’re talking about a multi-billion dollar deficit, which I think we can overcome with some strategic and thoughtful cuts to healthcare, but in the same token, we need to be very mindful that we have an elderly population that’s in
need of care. We have to be very mindful that we can’t cut those services, and we also need to be very mindful of the fact that we have saved the counties up to $4 billion per year by capping Medicaid costs,” McDonald III remarked on healthcare costs.
“We’ve been doing that for the last several years, which has helped the counties lower their property taxes. I’d hate to reverse that trend, and that was what was thought to be being discussed yesterday. We want to make cuts in healthcare that make sense. We want to wring out abuse and waste in the system and fraud as well, but just as importantly, we need to make sure that we don’t pass these costs down to the county because eventually those costs get passed down to the taxpayers,” McDonald added.
Across the aisle, McDonald’s colleague and Republican Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh also voiced her concern with the issue of the budget deficit.
“It took the governor an hour and fifteen minutes to address the issue of a $6 billion budget shortfall,” Walsh said. “Instead, he outlined a litany of past ‘accomplishments’, million and billion-dollar projects and pieces of his ‘progressive’ agenda. It is not the year for monumental spending or unrealistic expectations. We should focus on ways to close the shortfall, while also ensuring that the very basics are given the financial support they need and fixing the disastrous “bail reform” law that has endangered our families and communities.
“New York taxpayers deserve a responsible budget and common sense legislation, not budgetary tricks that punt the state’s financial woes into future budgets at our children’s expense. Unfortunately, the words used to describe this year’s agenda, like ‘bold’, ‘robust’ and ‘aggressive’, suggest otherwise in terms of finding that balance.”
Walsh’s fellow Republican colleague over in the Senate, Sen. Daphne Jordan echoed those concerns regarding the budget hole.
“Nowhere in the governor’s speech did he address New York’s looming fiscal crisis. We face a $6.2 billion budget deficit. During his speech, the governor outlined billions more in new spending. How will we pay for it? I didn’t hear any answer,” Jordan remarked.
“I also heard the governor talk about tax cuts for small business. Having run two businesses, I’m all for tax cuts for small businesses, but just like closing our state’s budget deficit, how will we pay for it?” Jordan added.
To that end, Jordan also voiced her displeasure with economic policies that she notes have driven businesses and taxpayers out of the state.
“I also didn’t hear the governor address NY’s continued out-migration, as we continue hemorrhaging people to other states. The governor did mention workforce development, which is something I strongly support. However, with our continued population loss, how will we have enough workers to utilize this?” Jordan said.
Jordan’s fellow Republican colleague in the Senate, Sen. Jim Tedisco, also expressed his concern with the deficit and the need for a more business-friendly climate.
“New York State government is grappling with a $6.1 billion deficit and the solution our downstate leaders are eyeing is more of the same bad medicine that poisoned our state’s economy in the first place: Higher taxes on middleclass taxpayers and small businesses. And all indications are that’s their prescription as Speaker [Carl] Heastie has been using the code words for higher taxes and spending: ‘raising revenue,” Tedisco said.
“New York State is seeing an unprecedented population loss. The millions who have fled our state and those who are now contemplating their exodus to a more taxpayer-friendly state have one thing in common: No one wants to be the last one left in New York to pay for our state’s overzealous taxes, regulations, mandates, and laws. We need both a short term plan to address the budget deficit and a long term policy of moderation and common sense – not more social experimentation on the taxpayer’s dime!” Tedisco remarked.
“We must reduce state taxes, unfunded state mandates and regulations for taxpayers, municipalities and our small businesses. We need better broadband and cellular coverage in large swaths of upstate New York and the 49th District, where it is lacking or non-existent. We need fair and full funding for the diversity of needs for our upstate schools. And we must oppose any toll hike on the New York State Thruway, which is just a backdoor tax increase that will lead to increased consumer prices and costs to businesses,” Tedisco added on what he believes the state should prioritize.
Another hot button issue and elephant in the room not brought up by the Gov. was new criminal justice bail reforms.
“I want to impress upon the governor and the Democrat legislative leaders how important it is that we enact a solution to their disastrous bail reforms,” Republican Assemblyman Jake Ashby said. “This should be our first action in Albany taken in the new year. As it stands, their so-called reforms have allowed dangerous criminals who have committed hate crimes, heinous acts of domestic violence, burglary, robbery sprees, and other crimes, be released back into the public being issued only an appearance ticket.
“Let’s give discretion back to our judges so they can hold those who are dangerous in jail or require bail. The number of tragedies is increasing. We need to act now.”
In the Senate, Jordan and Tedisco also spoke out against the bail reform.
“The governor failed to mention the public safety crisis caused by the Democrats’ reckless bail “reforms” enacted last session,” Jordan said. “He did allude to it by saying there should be “justice for all,” whether you have money or not, but his definition of justice for all does not include crime victims.
“Those so-called bail reforms have already allowed the release of murderers and other violent criminals back into our communities, endangering public safety. Repealing those reckless bail reforms should be job one this session. Then, with the judiciary, law enforcement, and prosecutors, work to find bail reform with public safety in mind.”
“We should be mindful that the most basic function of government at any level is to protect the public and keep them safe from harm. The number one issue my constituents tell me they’re concerned about is the ability of our law enforcement to successfully do that because of the new bail reform law, which went into effect on January 1st,” Tedisco said, who along with Democrat Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, are proposing legislation for more judicial discretion.
“Giving judges more discretion on bail to protect the public should be the first legislation that gets passed this session,” Tedisco added. “Any changes to the bail and discovery reform law should be debated and voted on their own merits on the Floors of both houses of the Legislature and NOT as part of the state budget.
“New York State is in this public safety nightmare now because the bail reform law was passed in the dark of night as part of the budget without proper vetting. Let’s get this done now and let’s do it with full transparency!”
Conversely, across the aisle in the Assembly, McDonald noted the need for adjustments, but also emphasized the need for a fair judicial system for everyone, wealthy and poor alike.
“There’s obviously a lot of concerns about bail reform out there and although I expect it’ll be addressed in the coming month, it probably would’ve been a good idea to bring that up and I’m surprised he didn’t,” McDonald said of the lack of the mention by Cuomo.
“But I’ve been around long enough, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, things need to be, contrary to what you read and hear about bail reform it has been thoughtfully debated for the last 10 years. People [make it] sound like this is a new idea, it has been around for a long period of time. In the same token, there are definitely concerns that I’ve expressed and said publicly that we need to be adults and revisit it,” McDonald noted.
“That does not mean by any stretch of the imagination to repeal, I think that’s short-sighted,” McDonald added. “I think looking at judicial discretion and the enhancement of that and maybe looking at some of the charges to be reviewed that maybe should go into the category of being bail eligible make sense.
“In the same token, we have to be very mindful of the fact that those who live in poverty and those who are minorities have been treated completely differently than those who have resources and most people I know understand the difference and recognize the fact that that’s not fair either, so we need to have a criminal justice system that works for everybody.”