Historic Budget Reform Legislation Will Bring Much Needed Change

Dear Editor,

This week, after years of rankling debate, the New York state Legislature passed a historic measure that results in wide-ranging budget reform and ensures that New Yorkers never again have to suffer from late budgets. The legislation includes a constitutional amendment that provides for the previous year's budget to be implemented if the Legislature fails to reach a budget agreement by the deadline.

In addition to calling for a contingency budget, the budget-reform legislation provides more time for budget negotiations by requiring an earlier submission of the executive budget and changing the start of the state fiscal year from April 1 to May 1, beginning in state fiscal year 2006-07. It also provides for greater detail and more disclosure in the budget, and requires a two-year appropriation for state school aid. Similarly, the contingency budget continues the previous fiscal-year budget forward until it is changed by the Legislature.

This legislation incorporates several aspects of the long-standing Assembly Minority budget-reform proposal that we have promoted. For years, we have supported budget reform initiatives in an attempt to help break the annual budget stalemate. We advocated for a "faster start" to the legislative budget process, rock-solid deadlines and consequences for inaction, as well as fiscal reforms designed to strengthen the state's credit rating, boost the state's economy and avert mid-year cuts and tax hikes that could be the end result of a late budget this year.

Unfortunately, the passage of this historic legislation does not change the negative effect this year's late budget has on Long Island communities. School districts had to put together budgets without concrete state-aid figures. Municipalities were made to overestimate impending tax increases. Non-profit organizations were left with no recourse except to cut essential services, this impacting our most vulnerable citizens.

We understand that late budgets affect every aspect of life on Long Island, and that it's New Yorkers who must compel the Legislature to reform the system. It's unfortunate that 20 years of late state budgets had to be the necessary momentum for this long-needed, budget-reform legislation, but this is a move in the right direction for New Yorkers.