Hanna Urges Action on State Budget

Expresses concern over missed October 31 deadline

November 10, 2011

Assemblyman Sean T. Hanna, (R,C,I-Mendon) today called on Governor Andrew Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to pick up the pace in formulating the 2012-13 New York State budget. Hanna expressed deep concern that, for the first time since budget reform was enacted in 2007, the state has missed the first in a series of deadlines mandated by law.

“We are not off to a good start,” said Hanna. “Given the current economic situation our state faces, it should be the responsibility of New York’s public servants to follow the law and be proactive. Not addressing the budget until the last minute is a mistake.”

State law requires the Governor and the state Legislature to provide the public with a midyear financial update by October 31. The deadline is designed to help effect the passage of a timely budget in April, and was met every year by Governor David Paterson. Assembly Speaker Silver says that he will not even convene his economic advisors until late November and Governor Cuomo has not yet named a date.

“The Governor and the speaker maintain that they are waiting for the situation in Europe and the resulting stock market volatility to stabilize so that projections will be more accurate,” said Hanna. “The European debt crisis will not be resolved in weeks. Excessive government spending has created a crisis overseas from which we must learn. It’s not one that will be resolved anytime soon. New York State’s budget and state taxpayers cannot wait for Europe.

“Revenue projections are only part of the equation. We need to know how we stand today on the current budget. How have our real revenues and expenses matched up with the projections used to formulate the budget? Is Albany running a deficit that will need to be closed?”

Hanna also noted that the delay reflects a fundamental flaw in Albany’s budgeting philosophy.

“The Assembly majority always wants to know how much money the state will have or can receive, so that it can decide how to spend it all,” said Hanna. “That’s exactly backwards. We should be spending only what we need to spend in order to deliver essential services and we should raise only the revenue needed to cover those necessary expenditures.”

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