Cahill Statement On The 2011 Legislative Session

June 25, 2011

This past Legislative Session was dynamic and unique. Governor Cuomo entered office with a proactive agenda and determination to reform “business-as-usual” in Albany. Twenty-six new members joined the Assembly, many with different ideas. No matter our views, we all have a strong will to improve New York. This empowered the Legislature to make tremendous strides in passing historic legislation to improve our schools, boost local economies, begin to fix our health care system, enhance environmental protections, start to reform the property tax system and legalize marriage equality.

2011-2012 Budget Process

Budget negotiations concluded before the April 1st budget deadline with the passage of a plan for the 2011-2012 fiscal year that eliminates a $10 billion deficit. While very difficult choices had to be made to close the deficit, we worked with Governor Cuomo to enact a financially responsible plan that cuts spending while protecting New York’s working families. The plan includes historic reforms that redesign state government, create efficiencies through consolidation, tie spending increases for education and Medicaid to inflation, and transform the future budgeting process.

Marriage Equality

Last night, the New York State Legislature concluded one of the greatest civil rights issues of our time. The passage of marriage equality is truly an historic moment for New York and the nation.

Throughout my tenure in the New York State Assembly, I have been a solid proponent for marriage equality. I am humbled and proud to have been a part of this hard fought effort to grant every adult in New York the same right to marry.

The bottom line is that domestic partnerships, civil unions and other options provided to same sex couples do not allow them the equal protections and benefits under the law that will be afforded by marriage. It is simply unjust for us to expect same sex couples to contribute to society without being afforded the same rights as other New York couples.

Marriage equality corrects an injustice that has been overlooked for far too long. I look forward to the rest of the nation following the example set today, as New York joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the District of Columbia in recognizing this basic right.

Property Tax & Mandate Relief

Property tax reform is long overdue. Last night, the Assembly and Senate approved legislation to place a two-percent cap on school district and local government tax levies. Unaffordable real property taxes with a two percent cap are still unaffordable. The bill lacked the comprehensive tools needed to actually enable them to keep the lid on costs. Consequently, along with several Hudson Valley colleagues, I voted in the negative.

I agree that aggressive action must be taken to address this crisis, but a property tax cap by itself is not a solution. Our current system is unsustainable. Although there are limited measures in this legislation to enable our schools and local governments to begin the streamlining of their operations, we must do more now to provide them with the tools they need to lower costs while maintaining the ability to provide quality services to the people of our state.

The key to improvement is through the effective distribution of resources and elimination of redundancy. That is why I will continue to work to advance my proposals, the 21st Century Schools Act (A.416) and the Equity in Education Act (A.447). These bills focus on modernizing our education system while easing, and subsequently eliminating, the burden of rising, regressive property taxes as a means of funding. Property tax relief and equal educational opportunity for all of New York’s children will remain top priorities during my service in the Assembly.

Ethics reform

This year, the Legislature passed a comprehensive ethics reform proposal. This achievement has special significance for me. As Chair of the Assembly Ethics Committee from 2005 to 2008, I championed significant ethics reforms for elected officials, government employees and lobbyists. My proposals included prohibiting former legislative employees from directly lobbying the Legislature for two years, bans on gifts and honoraria, anti nepotism prohibitions for hiring and reforms of the election system, and restrictions on the use of campaign money for personal purposes.

The legislation passed this year builds on those strengths of ethics oversight, increased disclosure of outside income requirements for public officials and ends the unjust practice of using taxpayer money to fund pensions of officials convicted of felonies related to their positions. It creates an Independent Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), comprised of fourteen members, tasked with investigating misconduct in the Legislative and Executive branches. Moreover, the bill imposes stronger financial disclosure requirements for Legislators, and requires lobbyists to reveal the names of their clients and nature of their business.

Unfortunately, the actions of some individuals have cast a shadow over us all. Comprehensive ethics and lobbying reform will help keep Albany accountable to the people who sent us here, and weed out those who may be taking advantage of the system. This is only a step. Until public officials stop doing bad things, the public faith in our elected bodies will not be fully restored.

Local Legislative Initiatives

Throughout this session, I worked hard to pass legislation that will benefit our local communities and preserve our quality of life. This month, I succeeded in passing legislation, along with Senator Bonacic, that requires all drivers to exercise caution when passing any stopped emergency vehicle on all road-ways in New York State. On August 27, 2003, Village Judge Matthew Parker of Ellenville tragically lost his 21-year old son, Kyle Parker, a tow truck driver, while he was assisting a disabled motorist on the side of the New York State Thruway. Since that time, I have worked with Judge Parker, Senator Bonacic and others to make sure that other Kyle’s death was not in vain. It is our hope that the Governor will sign this bill into law in the weeks ahead.

During this year’s budget negotiations, I worked closely with the Governor to include a provision that would authorize the use of surplus funds from the Greater Catskill Flood Remediation Program for property purchases in the Town of Wawarsing. Consistent with the guidelines for the existing program, eligibility is limited to 150% of the median family income in the area. Many families in the Catskill region have been victimized by the leaking Aqueduct for a number of years and did not qualify based on these previously established guidelines. Senator Bonacic and I also joined efforts to introduce legislation that would eliminate the income criteria for the use of funds from the greater Catskills Flood Remediation Program. My bill, (A.7609), would make buyouts available to all residents impacted by the flooding from the New York City Aqueduct, by removing these irrelevant requirements. I continue my efforts with the Legislature, as well as with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, to assure that every resident affected by the devastating flooding receives complete, well-deserved, and long overdue relief.

Another area that required my advocacy has been the Belleayre Ski Center. The disproportionate staffing cuts at Belleayre under the last administration have been devastating to our region and to our local economy. Many families rely on the Center for their livelihood. I continue to urge Governor Cuomo to reverse the implications of these misguided actions and am in communications with the Department of Environmental Conservation regarding these decisions. I am working with all stakeholders and community leaders to bring about permanent support and stability to this very important asset. There is still much work to be done regarding Belleayre Mountain and the Route 28 Corridor. I will continue my efforts in preserving this vital economic engine in our region.

Energy Committee

Of all of the successes this year, most observers agree that it was a banner year for energy legislation here in New York. As Chair of the Energy Committee, I worked to advance the state’s energy, economic development, and environmental priorities. The Legislature recently passed legislation to reauthorize and improve the Article X power plant siting law, provide for an on-bill recovery program for Green Jobs-Green New York customers, and identify strategies to increase solar energy generation in New York. The bill caps off a year of major progress in energy policy in which the Legislature also overhauled the long stalled Power For Jobs program (Recharge New York) and passed significant expansions of the state’s net metering laws.

The Legislature also took bold actions this year to encourage new markets for solar energy and provide homeowners and small businesses access to new energy efficiency opportunities. We made great strides in changing our energy policies for the better. New York is now a national leader when it comes to energy efficiency, the development and deployment of renewable resources and most importantly, the creation of a framework from which we can build a new energy economy.

I am proud of the goals we accomplished this session. While there is much more to be done, I am confident that we have the mechanisms, the people and the leadership to further our work toward making the great state of New York a better place to live and work. I look forward to a continuing climate of progressive and proactive change in Albany in the remaining months and for years to come. The Legislature, the Governor and the people of New York have a clear understanding of the challenges that lay before us. It is critical that we continue to build upon the progress we have made to restore New York to the unquestioned status as the Empire State.

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