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NYS Seal For Immediate Release:
June 16, 2003
 

REMARKS BY SPEAKER SHELDON SILVER

PRESS CONFERENCE

GOVERNOR RELEASES TANF FUNDS FOR SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS

CAPITOL, SPEAKER'S CONFERENCE ROOM
MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2003 [3 P.M.]


On behalf of the youth across this state who will benefit from their summer jobs, I've called this news conference to express my gratitude to my Assembly and Senate colleagues, and to all of the state's summer youth employment providers who worked so hard to get the governor to release the funding that supports these important programs.

It appears that the governor ended his holdout and has advised us that he will be releasing the $25 million in TANF funds that the Legislature had earmarked for summer youth employment programs in our bipartisan legislative budget.

This is a major victory for the young men and women of New York State. Joining us to celebrate this victory are numerous members of the Assembly Majority, including:

  • Majority Leader Paul Tokasz;
  • Ways & Means Chair Herman "Denny" Farrell;
  • Labor Chair Susan John;
  • Children & Families Chair Roger Green;
  • Social Services Chair Deborah Glick;
  • Energy Chair Paul Tonko
  • Chair of the Legislative Commission on Skills Development and Career Education, Assemblyman William Scarborough;
  • The new Chair of the Black, Puerto Rican & Hispanic Caucus, Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat, who also happens to be a graduate of the summer jobs program;
  • The Co-Chair of the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, Assemblyman Peter Rivera;
  • And Assemblywoman Annette Robinson;

All of whom played key roles in this victory.

Also with us this afternoon are representatives from some of the many agencies who help connect our young people with summer jobs:

  • John Twomey, Executive Director of the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals;
  • Representatives from the Schenectady County Job Training Agency;
  • And, Shauna Menns representing United Neighborhood Housing, and who is here on behalf of Donna Thompson, CEO of Trinity Institution - Homer Perkins Center, a local settlement house here in Albany. United Neighborhood Housing held a major rally earlier this year to focus attention on this important issue.

We are also fortunate to have with us - from the Schenectady County Job Training Agency - some of the young men and women who will be gaining the valuable experience and benefits only a summer job can provide. They're taking a little break from studying for exams to be with us, and we thank them for being here.

The roots of this gathering are clearly embedded in this year's budget process.

As we have said from the start, we recognize that the governor had some tough choices to make, but in most instances, the choices he made were the wrong choices.

What puzzles my colleagues and I is this:

Why withhold the funding so that our youth can obtain summer jobs - funding agreed upon by the Legislature - when you know working families are scrambling to find positive, summer learning experiences for their teenaged sons and daughters?

Why go after the Universal Pre-K programs our precious four-year-olds need to get on the right track toward long-term academic success?

Why make countless thousands of children and their families wait and worry about the fate of their rent-regulated apartments?

It simply doesn't make sense. It's all part of the governor's wrong choices.

As we saw during the budget process, the People have once again spoken up.

The summer employment program providers and the working families of the affected youth took the leadership role, and got the governor to overturn his wrong choice, just in time so that this year's program can proceed.

Let me tell you why our success today is so important.

It is common knowledge that many young adults face a dearth of employment and skill-development opportunities when school lets out in the summer.

Summer jobs provide youth with important tools ranging from computer use to interpersonal skills.

Wages earned in summer jobs can supplement the incomes of working families; enabling teens to cover the costs of clothing and school supplies. Subsequently, these dollars are put back into our local economies.

And, let's not forget that some of these jobs are essential to the community.

Consider, for example, summer camps, where so many counselors are teens.

Absent these bright, young workers, camps would literally have to terminate programs or close down all together.

I'll say it again: summer youth employment programs are important to all of us.

In fact, the Assembly Majority has been and will always be die-hard supporters of these programs.

This is a victory for our young people. We are proud to be a part of it.

Now, we need to move ahead - with our colleagues in the Senate and with the governor - to provide the leadership on all of the issues that are important to New Yorkers and complete the work of this legislative session as productively as possible.

We're glad to see that the governor has recognized what we have been saying all along: that we need to reform our procurement process as it relates to lobbying. That's a start, but this session will not be complete until we have agreement on the rent laws.

We must have agreements on reforming public authorities, the budget process, and the Empire Zones program.

Likewise, we must reform the Rockefeller Drug Law, and achieve agreement on brownfield/Superfund legislation, and the Merit/Patriot plan for our servicemen and women.

In addition, we must address the following:

  • Assisted living and adult homes;
  • The Buffalo City Control Board;
  • The Police/Community Relations Package;
  • Homeland Security;
  • The Destiny Project;
  • And, Timothy's Law.

Admittedly, this is an ambitious agenda, but it is one that we can complete with the spirit of bipartisanship that was demonstrated during the budget process and of course, with strong leadership from the Executive.



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