Statement By Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos
June 3, 2010
(New York, N.Y.)-I’m pleased that Governor Paterson has agreed to provide the Republicans in the Senate and Assembly with detailed information on spending cuts and other budget closing actions that have been agreed to by the Democrat Majorities in each house.
Both Senator Sampson and Speaker Silver said they agreed to more than $6.5 billion in spending reductions and other actions. The Division of the Budget has been directed to provide us with a list that specifies exactly what spending cuts, tax and fee increases, or other actions have been agreed to during the closed door negotiations that have occurred since the Governor submitted his budget 19 weeks ago.
We expect that this analysis by DOB shows not only what was in the budget bills passed by the Assembly and the resolution passed by the Senate, but all budget gap closing actions that have been agreed to privately by the two Majorities since April 1st that amount to the $6.5 billion.
Senator Sampson characterized his own budget resolution as nothing more than a roadmap and a starting point, because it failed to include any detailed fiscal plan to show whether or not his budget resolution was balanced. Today, Senator Sampson said it was probably close to the Assembly’s budget proposal. Senator Sampson has said many things about the budget this year including pledging not to raise taxes or fees. Last week, however, he and his fellow Democrats reneged on that pledge and voted to increase taxes and fees by millions of dollars in a backroom, secret deal negotiated with the Governor and Assembly Democrats.
We hope the analysis the Executive has agreed to disclose will provide us with some answers about the status of current negotiations between the Democrat Majorities and whether the Senate budget resolution achieves the spending reductions it purports to include.
This information is critically important if we are to assign budget targets to conference committees and finally begin public conference committees. Over the past three months, Republicans have been excluded from staff negotiations on the budget and our members have not been provided with any detailed information. Even when Republicans raise questions on the Senate floor during the debate of budget extenders, we get answers that are nothing more than vague generalities about “radar screens” and “ongoing, fruitful” secret negotiations. That’s not good enough for us, or for the taxpayers who will pay for the budget.
I look forward to reviewing the information from the Governor, seeing specifics on what budget actions that Senator Sampson and Speaker Silver have agreed to in their budgets and behind closed doors, and beginning the joint, public, budget conference committee process.
Posted by News LI Editor · Filed Under Politics
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