News from Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb
For Release: IMMEDIATELY, March 12, 2012
Joshua Fitzpatrick, (518) 455-3751
Statement From New York State Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,I,C-Canandaigua) On Assembly Majority 2012-13 Budget Resolution
"The Assembly Majority passed its 2012-13 Budget Resolution during today's legislative session. While these one-house resolutions are seen as symbolic, they send an important message about priorities. Our Conference opposed the Majority's Budget Resolution largely because of the priorities it excluded, such as private sector job creation, statewide economic development and mandate relief. More jobs for New Yorkers is 'job one' for our state - yet the Budget Resolution missed the mark on this priority. The following are just a few of the critical components not included in the Majority's Budget Resolution:
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Relief from job-killing regulations such as the annual notice requirement of the Wage Theft Prevention Act of 2010;
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Lower energy costs for families and businesses through repeal of the state's 18-A utility assessment;
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Mandate relief for local governments and taxpayers;
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Freezing the local share of Medicaid costs - not just their growth, but the entire share local governments are forced to pay;
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Ban on all unfunded mandates;
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Workers' comp cost control for employers;
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Corporate Franchise Tax and Personal Income Tax reductions for manufacturers;
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Consolidations and mergers of several State Agencies with overlapping functions that would have saved taxpayers millions; and
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Expansion of the state's DNA Database to keep New Yorkers safe.
Based on these missing pieces, the Majority's Budget Resolution gets an 'I' for incomplete. If our economy is going to make the grade, pro-growth, job creation proposals cannot be an afterthought; they have to be front-and-center on the Assembly agenda everyday until New York's economy has moved from a fragile recovery to sustained growth."