---

---

Senate Finance Committee Chair John A. DeFrancisco and Assembly Ways and Means Committee Chair Herman D. Farrell, Jr., today announced the Joint Legislative Hearing Schedule on the 2011-2012 Executive Budget proposal.

These hearings, each of which focuses on a programmatic area, are intended to provide the appropriate legislative committees with public input on the executive budget proposal. These hearings are available for viewing on the Senate and Assembly websites.

In accordance with the schedule, the hearings will commence on February 7 and continue through March 3, 2011. The respective state agency or department heads will begin testimony each day, followed by witnesses who have signed up to testify on that area of the budget. Those testifying must limit comments to no more than 10 minutes.

Persons interested in testifying must contact the person listed on the schedule no later than the close of business two days prior to the respective hearing. An effort will be made to schedule those who respond on the day of the hearing. Forty copies of your testimony should be presented at the registration desk at each respective hearing.

The agency and departmental portion of the hearings are provided for in Article 7, Section 3 of the Constitution and Article 2, Section 31 of the Legislative Law. The state Legislature is also soliciting public comment on the proposed budget pursuant to Article 2, Section 32-a of the Legislative Law.