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NYS Seal For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, January 8, 2003
 
The Assembly Majority Response to the 2003 State of the State Message
Delivered by: Sheldon Silver, Speaker of the Assembly

Speaker Sheldon Silver

Audio Excerpt #1 (23 seconds)

Audio Excerpt #2 (24 seconds)

(View Transcription)

 

Moments ago, the Governor delivered his annual State of the State Message in the Chambers of the New York State Assembly - the People's House of your State Legislature.

Unquestionably, September Eleventh has exacted a heavy toll on our lives and on our state economy.

This at a time when the long-suffering economies of our great cities from Niagara Falls to New York and from Binghamton to Plattsburgh had yet to catch up to the nation in jobs and job creation.

With the revenue shortfalls projected to be in the billions of dollars, the budget process and the legislative session will be difficult at best.

While his plea for unity and "sharing the burden" is commendable, we are disappointed that the Governor does not begin the articulation of how he will address the difficult fiscal decisions he was elected to make.

Today is the day when he should make his priorities clear so that we can get to work immediately.

One thing I can assure you, the Assembly Majority will not allow impending budget cuts to be balanced solely on the backs of our children, our working families, or on our public servants.

We will approach the challenges ahead guided by the Democratic ideals that have distinguished us as the champions of working families.

We will fight any proposal that jeopardizes the health care every man, woman and child in New York deserves; especially our elderly and disabled.

We will stand up for education and deny any proposal that keeps our schools from helping our children achieve their fullest potential.

We will continue to invest and innovate to bring more jobs to every county, city and town across New York.

Governor, "upstate jobs" must no longer be a sound bite. Real action is needed, and we need it now!

The Assembly Majority took a big step to create more jobs throughout the State, when we advanced the idea of Empire Zones.

Wherever New York State has a technological competitive advantage, we will continue our leadership in promoting partnerships between our colleges, universities and businesses to create the high-tech jobs we need today and that our children will need tomorrow.

Likewise, we remain committed to ensuring that New York State has the finest workforce in the world.

On the issue of taxes, let me be very clear, the Assembly Majority is not advocating tax hikes.

It is time that New Yorkers hear the reality of our state's finances and not the political rhetoric they have been treated to so far.

The reality is that taxes are being raised for every New Yorker across the State.

Homeowners are dealing with double-digit property-tax hikes.

Both students and their parents are looking at tuition increases at our state and city university schools.

Working men and women who use mass transit in the Metropolitan New York Region are facing a hike in fares.

Clearly, we should not rush into proposing more tax hikes. As the Governor has said, neither should we rule them out. Rather, we should work together to find every reasonable and responsible way to reduce our deficit before we look to the taxpayers.

In these times of hardship, inspirational words are nice, but action is eloquence. We need real leadership now.

Governor, if you are sincere about setting aside our differences and working together in the best interest of all New Yorkers, then the Assembly Majority is ready and willing to be your partner.

There are important things we can do right now.

With our largest city suffering a severely damaged economy and an affordable housing crisis, we urge you to extend the rent laws as soon as possible and NOT compound the suffering of New York City's tenants by subjecting them to the fear and frustration they endured in 1997.

As family budgets become increasingly strained, we urge you to take action to reduce the high rates New Yorkers pay for electricity and for automobile insurance.

We urge you to use your clout to bring more federal support from Washington. New York State taxpayers have helped subsidized other state's budgets for decades. Now it's time for Washington to give us the assistance that we need and deserve.

Governor, once and for all, let's reform the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

These laws are last generation's response to the drug problem. We need a smarter approach today.

The Assembly's plan will save the State millions of dollars. More important, our bill does more to address the real evils of drug abuse than anything that's been done for decades.

Let's get it done now.

Governor, we urge you to exert your influence over the revitalization and rebuilding of Lower Manhattan.

At Assembly public hearings last year, we repeatedly heard testimony from city, state and federal agencies unwilling to take responsibility for important issues and who were unclear about what phases of the revitalization they controlled.

It remains to be seen whether the existing governmental framework is truly up to the task.

Lower Manhattan exemplifies the very essence of New York. It is the engine that powers our state economy.

By effectively restoring Lower Manhattan to its rightful place as the "financial capital of the world," we will not only strengthen the Empire State, we will be sending a message of hope to all Americans and to people throughout the world.

Let's get this project moving now. Sixteen months is long enough.

New Yorkers have endured economic hardship before.

Together we have overcome and emerged stronger than ever. We will again.

The state of our State will always be one of hopefulness, because the spirit of New York is a fighting spirit. We will succeed if we work together and make action our eloquence.

The Assembly Majority stands ready to act now.


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New York State Assembly
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