Press Release, State Sen. Robert Ortt

State Senator Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) today issued the following statement regarding the New York State 2016-2017 Budget agreement.

“While there were certain elements of this budget that I did not support, I ultimately voted for a budget that I believe will help Western New York. We were able to reject the Governor’s proposed $15 an hour minimum wage increase, because it would have been devastating to our small businesses, family farms, and non-profits.

“We delivered a record $25 billion in education funding and eliminated the anti-Upstate Gap Elimination Adjustment – two major victories that will help our children, schools, and local taxpayers. We also delivered an unprecedented $4.2 billion middle class tax cut to help families keep more of their hard earned money than ever before.

“Finally, we ensured Upstate infrastructure received the same treatment – and funding – as downstate. We secured $27 billion for roads and bridges, because these investments are long overdue, create jobs, improve safety, and enhance the quality of life.

“Keeping within the 2 percent spending cap, I believe we passed a fiscally-responsible budget that will help our local schools, families, businesses, and seniors.”

Cuomo says budget helps ‘create an economy and a society where we all can succeed’

While Gov. Andrew Cuomo sees the new state budget as fiscally responsible and social progressive with a higher minimum wage and paid family leave, a local assemblyman is calling the budget “abhorrent.”

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, released this statement about the $147 billion budget:

“Barring the extreme disregard for transparency, integrity and inclusiveness in this year’s budget process, the legislation we passed over the last two days in Albany will wreak havoc on our small businesses and agriculture industry.

“The budget includes virtually no tax and regulatory reform for small-businesses, and a minimum wage increase to $12.50 per hour upstate with an escalation to $15 in the future, which will destroy New York’s already-ailing business community. Upstate cannot afford such a drastic increase, and the burden will fall on the middle-class in the form of higher prices and vanishing job opportunities.

“Further damaging to our small business community will be the 12 week paid-family leave program, entirely funded by already over-burdened taxpayers. This is another example of New York City liberals expanding government and reaching into the pockets of our business owners and residents. While paid-family leave has good intentions, it will be ripe with abuse and cause labor costs to skyrocket. We cannot afford another expensive Albany mandate.

“As the former owner and operator of our family-owned farm, I know what it takes to grow New York’s agriculture industry. Unfortunately, this budget cuts agriculture local assistance by over $160,000 and offers little relief for farms transitioning to a higher minimum wage. Agriculture is one of New York’s premiere industries, and I will do what I can to rectify these abhorrent policies.”

Gov. Cuomo issued this statement this evening:

“Passage of this groundbreaking state budget is proof positive of government’s ability to improve the lives of millions of people by being both socially and economically progressive and fiscally responsible.

“For the past six years we have defied the odds – cutting taxes and limiting the growth of government after decades of financial mismanagement, and investing wisely in schools, infrastructure, and Upstate communities at levels never seen before. We led the way for the nation on marriage equality, gun control, and environmental protection while others simply debated. This year, we are tackling another one of the greatest issues of our time by reclaiming economic justice for hard-working people and their families.

“We have created a new promise of opportunity for the working men and women of New York by passing a $15 minimum wage statewide and the strongest paid family leave program in the nation. Now in New York, if you work hard you will have the opportunity to succeed.

“This budget shows what we can achieve when we rise above partisan politics, fear and division. In New York, we have our political differences, but we are not divided on the importance of doing what’s best for our state. Instead we work together to create an economy and a society where we all can succeed.”

Photo by Tom Rivers – These crocus flowers are pictured on Thursday while it was raining outside Tillman’s Village Inn in Gaines.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory from 5 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday when 3 to 6 inches of snow could fall in the Southern Tier and Niagara Frontier, including Orleans County.

The temperatures will plunge after a high of 54 today. Saturday is forecast for a high of 43, while Sunday will only reach 32, according to the National Weather Service.

Monday is forecast for a high of 33, followed by 29 on Tuesday and 43 on Wednesday.

Photo by Kristina Gabalski – Trees grow in a vernal pond on Munger Road in the Town of Clarendon in this photo from Wednesday.

Photo by Kristina Gabalski – Farmers were out in the muck on Wednesday on New Guinea Road in the Town of Clarendon.

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office
ALBANY – Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeffrey Klein, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie today announced an agreement on the 2016-17 state budget.

The budget holds the growth in state spending to 2 percent for the sixth consecutive year, continuing to reverse a decades-long trend where state spending outpaced the rate of inflation or personal incomes.

The budget also includes a number of landmark policies that will strengthen opportunity for working and middle class families and a record $24.8 billion in education aid.

The budget will also grow the economy with a $4.2 billion middle class tax cut when fully effective and critical statewide infrastructure investments – including a new $55 billion State Transportation Plan that commits $27.14 billion for Department of Transportation and Thruway programs and $27.98 billion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Spending

The budget agreement includes spending in the following categories:
Total State Operating Funds: $96.2 billion; 2.0 percent growth
School Aid: $24.8 billion; 6.5 percent growth
Medicaid: $18.5 billion; 3.4 percent growth under the cap
Higher Education: $7.2 billion; 2.0 percent growth

Statement from Governor Andrew M. Cuomo:

“In a time defined by vitriolic hyper partisanship and when people have lost faith in their government’s fundamental ability to address the critical challenges of our time – in particular, the growing income inequality in our country, New York State has once again come together to get things done. Many have proposed the big changes we sought – minimum wage, meaningful paid family leave, a balanced budget that caps spending and cuts taxes – but almost all have failed. Today, I am proud to announce that with this agreement, we have succeeded.

“After decades of out-of-control spending, we have in the last five years returned fiscal responsibility to Albany by capping government growth at 2 percent, cutting taxes, and investing in the successful programs that are rejuvenating our upstate economy. We’ve restored New York to a position of national leadership on issues of social justice.

“We’re continuing that progress this year in the fight for economic justice – so that everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, has the chance to succeed. We believe that people who work hard should be able to earn a decent living and support a family with dignity. With a statewide $15 minimum wage and the nation’s only 12-week paid family leave program, we are going to prove that the economy can and should work for all.

“We’re cutting taxes for the middle class, making record investments in education with $1.4 billion in new funding, turning failing schools into community schools, and ending the GEA in New York once and for all because we believe that our tomorrows can be better than our yesterdays. At the same time we are prioritizing infrastructure and transportation to not only restore what is, but also imagine and realize what can be.”

Details on some of the most significant parts of the budget are as follows:

Minimum Wage

For workers in New York City employed by large businesses (those with at least 11 employees), the minimum wage would rise to $11 at the end of 2016, then another $2 each year after, reaching $15 on 12/31/2018.

For workers in New York City employed by small businesses (those with 10 employees or fewer), the minimum wage would rise to $10.50 by the end of 2016, then another $1.50 each year after, reaching $15 on 12/31/2019.

For workers in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester Counties, the minimum wage would increase to $10 at the end of 2016, then $1 each year after, reaching $15 on 12/31/2021.

For workers in the rest of the state, the minimum wage would increase to $9.70 at the end of 2016, then another .70 each year after until reaching $12.50 on 12/31/2020 – after which will continue to increase to $15 on an indexed schedule to be set by the Director of the Division of Budget in consultation with the Department of Labor.

Further, the bill provides a safety valve to the increases. Beginning in 2019, the state DOB Director will conduct an annual analysis of the economy in each region and the effect of the minimum wage increases statewide to determine whether a temporary suspension of the scheduled increases is necessary. That analysis is submitted to the Department of Labor by the Division of Budget.

It is estimated that more than 2.3 million people will be affected by the increases in the minimum wage.

Paid Family Leave

The budget agreement includes the longest and most comprehensive paid family leave program in the nation. When fully phased in, employees will be eligible for 12 weeks of paid family leave when caring for an infant, a family member with a serious health condition or to relieve family pressures when someone is called to active military service.

Benefits will be phased-in beginning in 2018 at 50 percent of an employee’s average weekly wage, capped to 50 percent of the statewide average weekly wage, and fully implemented in 2021 at 67 percent of their average weekly wage, capped to 67 percent of the statewide average weekly wage. This program will be funded entirely through a nominal payroll deduction on employees so it costs businesses – both big and small – nothing. Employees are eligible to participate after having worked for their employer for six months.

Middle Class Tax Cut

The budget lowers Personal Income Tax rates for middle class New Yorkers. With the middle class tax cuts of 2012, rates were lowered from 6.85 percent to 6.45 percent for taxpayers in the $40,000-$150,000 income bracket, and to 6.65 percent in the $150,000-$300,000 income bracket. Under these new reforms, the rate will drop even further beginning in 2018 and will continue to drop all the way to 5.5 percent when the cuts are fully phased in.

These new lower tax rates will save middle class New Yorkers nearly $6.6 billion in just the first four years, with annual savings reaching $4.2 billion by 2025. As the new rates phase in, they will be the state’s lowest middle class tax rates in more than 70 years. When the tax cuts begin, they will benefit 4.4 million filers, growing to 6 million filers when fully phased in.

Support for Schools and Education

The budget provides $24.8 billion in School Aid, the highest amount ever, and $5.3 billion more than 2011-12. While total state spending has been held to 2 percent annual growth and most state agency budgets have been held essentially flat, School Aid is increasing by 6.5 percent for the 2016-17 School Year and will have increased by nearly 27 percent since 2011-12.

The increases of the last five years are as follows:

2011-12 School Aid: $19.64 billion
2012-13 School Aid: $20.35 billion ($805 million increase, 4.1 percent)

2013-14 School Aid: $21.23 billion ($992 million increase, 4.9 percent)
2014-15 School Aid: $22.24 billion ($1.13 billion increase, 5.3 percent)
2015-16 School Aid: $23.5 billion ($1.35 billion increase, 6.1 percent)
2016-17 School Aid: $24.8 billion ($1.5 billion increase, 6.5 percent)

School Aid supports almost 700 school districts, and 2.8 million students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12. New York schools already spend more per pupil than any state in the nation, at an average of $19,818, almost double the national average of $10,700.

In addition to traditional School Aid, the budget maintains $340 million in annual funding for the Statewide Universal Full-Day Prekindergarten program and continues the $2 billion Smart Schools program. The Budget fully eliminates the outstanding $434 million Gap Elimination Adjustment. Foundation Aid is increased by $627 million (4 percent).

Infrastructure Spending

The budget contains the largest state transportation plan ever approved, with over $55 billion of transportation investments statewide, including $27.14 billion for State Department of Transportation and Thruway programs and $27.98 billion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority programs. The plan aligns capital programming for DOT and MTA over a 5-year period (SFY 2016-20) and includes additional commitments for priority projects and programs that extend over a sixth year.

The $27 billion DOT capital program includes: $21.1 billion for capital improvement of highways, bridges, rail, aviation infrastructure, non-MTA transit, and DOT facilities throughout the state. This includes the launch of three new initiatives – BRIDGE NY, PAVE NY, and the Extreme Weather Infrastructure Hardening Program to further improve conditions on state and local roads and bridges, as well as provide resiliency to roadways that are particularly susceptible to weather events.

It also includes $4 billion for capital investment for a sixth year, and $2 billion in Thruway Stabilization funding that will support capital improvements on the entire Thruway system and the New New York Bridge, allowing the Authority to freeze tolls on the system until at least 2020.

The $27 billion MTA Capital Program includes: $26.6 billion for improvement of capital facilities operated by the New York City Transit Authority, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and MTA Bus and major initiatives including $1.5 billion for Phase II of the Second Avenue Subway. Specifically, the budget authorizes a record $8.3 billion of State support for the program.

U.S. Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, made national news on Feb. 24 when he was the first member of Congress to publicly announce an endorsement for Donald Trump for president.

Now Collins has been tasked by Trump to convince more members of the House of Representatives to support Trump’s candidacy.

The Trump campaign announced today that Collins and Duncan Hunter of California will serve as co-chairs of his campaign’s U.S. House Leadership Committee.

“Congressman Hunter and Congressman Collins are conservative stalwarts,” Trump said in a statement issued by his campaign. “I am honored to have the support of these two well respected members of Congress who share my vision of securing our borders, strengthening our military, treating our veterans with the respect and care they deserve and putting Americans first again.”

Collins praised Trump on Feb. 24 for his successful career as a businessman and entrepreneur.

“Donald Trump has clearly demonstrated that he has both the guts and the fortitude to return our nation’s jobs stolen by China, take on our enemies like ISIS, Iran, North Korea and Russia, and most importantly, reestablish the opportunity for our children and grandchildren to attain the American Dream,” Collins said. “That is why I am proud to endorse him as the next President of the United States.”