Ortt sees positives in new state budget

Posted 1 April 2016 at 12:00 am

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.”