Kolb Is Part of State Budget Negotiations

March 16, 2006

The Joint Conference Budget Committee on Economic Development, of which Assemblyman Brian Kolb (R,C-Canandaigua) is a member, met earlier this week to discuss issues pertinent to continued development of this year’s state budget.

“With two weeks to go to the April 1 budget deadline, we are making good progress on reaching an on-time spending plan,” said Kolb. “We have a lot of work ahead of us but, if we can maintain this pace, I remain optimistic.”

Kolb said the committee examined several issues, including allocating $1 million to the University at Buffalo’s Krabbe Disease Research Institute and restoring $150,000 to the budget for the Griffis Local Development Corporation. The committee agreed to restore $2.3 million for the local Empire Zones administration, new funding for research at the University at Albany and an authorization of $1.2 million to Cornell University for the Cornell Theory Center.

Kolb explained the joint conference committees include legislators from both parties and both houses of the state Legislature holding public meetings to work together in passing an on-time budget. The committees played a significant role in reaching an on-time budget in 2005 for the first time in 21 years.

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