The month of March is upon us and not only does that mean nicer weather is on the way, but also that the New York state budget is due in just four weeks. Unfortunately, it seems that Albany is consumed with the governor’s problems and that the state budget has been pushed to the backburner. We cannot allow the governor’s issues to derail our budget process because New Yorkers cannot afford to have another fiscal disaster like the one we had last year, which resulted in the state not being able to pay its bills.
Last month, my colleagues and I in the Assembly Minority Conference issued our Consensus State Revenue Forecast. It is no surprise that our figures determined that the budget gap continued to grow due to over-spending, Medicaid waste and fraud, and continued fiscal irresponsibility. My Conference is also 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. Last year, I voted against the budget because it spent too much and relied on the taxpayers to foot the bill with increased taxes and fees. I will again vote against this year’s budget if it continues with the Albany status quo of spending money when the state does not have the adequate amount of revenue to pay for it.
So far this year, the legislature has conducted and completed a series of hearings on various aspects of the budget. Throughout these hearings it became clear that agency consolidations, cuts and the suspension of valuable programs must remain on the table. These solutions may be necessary in order to balance the budget without having to raise taxes and fees.
The next step in the budget process will include revenue forecasts from four legislative conferences. The Majority and Minority parties in both houses have to decide on how much money there will be to work with. This year, the forecasts from both sides of the aisle and from both houses predict lower revenues than the governor’s. Hopefully, this is a sign that the legislature is on the same page and that we can come to an agreement that will reduce the negative impact on the hardworking citizens of New York. I will continue to keep my constituents apprised of the budget situation here in Albany. 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.