News from Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb
Assembly Office:
933 Legislative Office Building • Albany, NY 12248 • (518) 455-3751
District Offices:
607 West Washington Street • Suite 2 • Geneva, NY 14456 • (315) 781-2030
E-mail:

For Release: IMMEDIATELY, December 7, 2012
Contact: Doug Finch (315) 781-2030
My Policy Priorities for the 2013 Legislative Session: Part I
Stopping unfunded mandates, enacting my "Thruway Authority Accountability Act," and "NYS Natural Disaster Relief Fund," building an "innovation economy" that creates more jobs
Weekly column from Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,C,I-Canandaigua)

While the 2013 Legislative Session does not "officially" kick-off until early January, I have always been a firm believer in hitting the ground running! With so much to do and no time to waste, these past few weeks were especially busy as I have been busy listening to constituents and formulating my policy priorities for the new Session.

My policy priorities for our 2013 Session include protecting taxpayers and localities by stopping Albany's unfunded mandates; fixing the broken Thruway Authority by passing my "Thruway Authority Accountability Act"; enacting the NYS Disaster Relief Fund; and growing jobs and our "innovation economy." Each of these priorities flows from my core values of opportunity, prosperity, community and a better quality of life for all New Yorkers.

Protecting Taxpayers and Localities by Stopping Albany's Unfunded Mandates

Unfunded mandates are whenever Albany tells local governments to do something - start a program, provide a service, build a school - but does not provide any funding for it. Localities and school districts are forced to raise property taxes to make up the shortfall. Instead of helping, Albany has been hurting: from 2001 to 2012, the Assembly voted 120 times to pass unfunded mandate legislation with a fiscal impact totaling over $85 billion.

In order to stop Albany's mandate madness, I introduced the "Taxpayer Protection and Mandate Relief Act," which prohibits any new unfunded mandates, freezes County Medicaid costs at their current level, allows counties to opt out of optional Medicaid services, and caps State spending. I also authored the "NYS Mandate Relief for School Districts Act," which provides real mandate relief for overburdened school districts. I have re-introduced both initiatives and will push for their enactment this Session.

Enacting My "Thruway Authority Accountability Act" for a Rational Thruway Toll Policy

For several years, I have called for accountability and fiscal responsibility at the Thruway Authority, which has recklessly enacted four tolls hikes in the past six years, is now seeking a 45 percent toll hike on trucks, and has canceled public meetings. To fix the chronic problems at the broken Thruway Authority, I introduced the "Thruway Authority Accountability Act."

My proposal merges the Thruway Authority with the State Department of Transportation (DOT); creates a new Thruway Authority Board whose members must have either transportation or financial expertise (or both); makes the DOT Commissioner Chair of the Thruway Authority Board; sets a forensic audit of Thruway Authority finances every three years; requires any proposed Thruway toll hikes be clearly identified in the DOT's budget; and saves taxpayer dollars by streamlining the Authority through attrition. Getting this much-needed legislation on the books will be one of my top priorities during the upcoming session!

Next week's column will discuss my proposals to establish a "NYS Natural Disaster Relief Fund" and continue building our "innovation economy" for more good-paying jobs.

What do you think? I want to hear from YOU! Send me your feedback, suggestions and ideas regarding this or any other issue facing New York State. You can always contact my district office at (315) 781-2030 or e-mail me at kolbb@assembly.state.ny.us.