During yesterday's 11-hour session of the New York State Assembly, Assemblyman Robert J. Castelli (R, C, I - Goldens Bridge) brought forward a hostile amendment to the Governor's latest budget extender bill. Castelli noted the amendment would fund the Route 120 Chappaqua bridge project and would help put New Yorkers back to work.
The amendment was narrowly defeated by the Assembly Majority, with only 79 members voting in the negative (76 are needed to pass or defeat a motion). It would have appropriated the funding necessary to cover capital construction costs for various state departments and agencies that are currently not receiving funding in the governor's budget extenders.
"The state continues to operate on a series of emergency budget 'extender' bills, and the budget debacle is now causing irreparable damage to the Route 120 Bridge project in Chappaqua," Castelli said. "I have sought to rectify this situation since the inexcusable delays in the budget process began on April 1 and today brought this amendment to the Assembly Floor in hopes of restarting construction and putting people back to work."
Assemblyman Castelli's amendment would rectify this issue by providing the appropriations necessary to fund these projects and put people back to work. The monies in question are already available and are being held in escrow by the Governor.
"Contractors and employees are being unjustly punished for a budgetary fight that shouldn't include them," Castelli said. "For weeks, the governor has failed to include this very important measure in his emergency spending bills, and that is precisely why the Legislature needs to take action; we should not be relegated to merely providing a rubber stamp to whatever the governor proposes."
The amendment included appropriations for the payment of capital construction liability for state agencies incurred from April 1 through May 23, 2010. The appropriations for this liability are $250 million for contracts that were approved prior to April 1, 2010 and $250 million for contracts approved between the period of April 1 and May 23, 2010.
"I am deeply concerned that this empty job-site is not only an eyesore, but a safety hazard," Castelli said. "That is why this situation must be addressed. The bridge is already rated as one of the most unsafe in the region. Hundreds of constituents have now contacted my office, and we agree: it is unreasonable and punitive to unfairly single out the town of New Castle by denying this funding, and this disruption is now causing long-term harm to the local economy."
