My Assembly Minority colleagues and I last week released our Consensus State Revenue Forecast. As most would conclude, the budget gap continues to increase due to over-spending and fiscal irresponsibility. My Conference is forecasting a two-year General Fund budget deficit of just over $9 billion, which was calculated using national and state economic indicators as well as the governor’s 2010-11 Executive Budget. As most of us endure difficult financial times and tighten our belts, I felt as if I should do whatever I can to save state money, which is why I will be returning the remainder of my 2010 legislative mail allotment back to New York state.
Each fiscal year, legislators are given a budget for special member mailings. The allotment is determined based on the cost of sending three mailings out to the entire Assembly District. After sending out one small mailer in the beginning of this year, I have approximately $32,000 remaining in my budget. I am aware that the $32,000 that remains in my mail allotment will only make a small dent in the budget gap, but it is money that I can personally give back, and I am willing to do without my legislative mailers this year to do so.
A concern that has been raised is that the unspent money will simply be put back into the Assembly Mailing Allowance Fund and be redistributed to other members. I am going to personally ask Speaker Silver to allow me to give my allotment to the governor’s proposed Property Tax Circuit Breaker Reserve Fund. In addition to speaking to Mr. Silver, I also am working on a bill that I will be introducing shortly that would mandate that any unused funds from a legislator’s mail allotment be immediately directed to the proposed Property Tax Circuit Breaker Reserve Fund, which would provide a personal income tax credit to taxpayers whose school taxes exceed a certain percentage of their household gross income.
To aid me in my efforts, I am asking that my constituents e-mail me at butlerm@assembly.state.ny.us so that I may be able to communicate with you electronically. The information that I share via legislative mailings is important and it is important to get this information to the residents of the 117th Assembly District. As always, if you have any questions or concerns on this or any other state issue, please don’t hesitate to contact me at either my Johnstown office at (518) 762-6486, or my Herkimer office at (315) 866-1632.