Assemblymember Sam Hoyt (D-Buffalo, Grand Island) released today a proposal he sent to Governor David Paterson outlining dozens of recommendations to reduce the size and cost of state government. Paterson recently released a preview of his proposed 2010-2011 budget that included consolidation of several state agencies.

"The proposals outlined in Governor Paterson’s Blueprint are a good start, but it does not go far enough. We are facing a budget deficit that could be as much as 9 billion dollars. People have been forced to make hard decisions about their personal finances to keep their household budgets balanced, and the New York State Legislature must not shy away from that same responsibility. We must make the difficult decisions to share the sacrifices necessary to put this state on sound financial footing. My recommendations, if implemented, will save the state hundreds of millions of dollars," said Hoyt.

Among the dozens of recommendations Hoyt submitted are proposals to:

• Eliminate all authorities that have outlived their usefulness or exceeded their mandate, such as the Olympic Regional Development Authority;
• Institute a two year, two house moratorium on legislative initiatives, discretionary spending, capital spending, and member communications to curb legislative expenditures;
• Lower agency costs by de-authorizing the use of taxpayer funded credit cards or procurement cards to make purchases and by restricting the use of outside consultants for services; and
• Reform existing Board of Elections fines to create stiffer penalties for late filing of financial disclosure forms, assess stiffer penalties for those who repeatedly file late or fail to file disclosure forms altogether, and require a setup fee for new political committees.

"The state budget crisis we will face this year is unlike anything we’ve seen in a generation, and is certainly the worst financial crisis we have faced since the Great Depression. It does not take an expert to know that our state government is bloated with unnecessary and duplicative offices, commissions, agencies and authorities. While each was likely founded with good intentions, we must acknowledge that times have changed and the people’s needs are different. Technology, changing demographics and dynamic challenges require a leaner and more responsive state government," said Hoyt.