by Sen. James L. Seward, “A Column of News & Comment”
Governor Cuomo’s state of the state message was extremely positive, and I am also encouraged by his budget plan.
The spending plan hits close to the mark on a number of my key priorities and provides a solid starting point for this year’s budget discussion—though there is work to be done.
Most important, the budget proposal closes a $2 billion deficit by reducing spending and without increasing taxes, fees or borrowing.
This would mark the second straight year the state has cut spending, a significant and essential action.
Fiscal responsibility in Albany sends a message that New York is serious about reform and assures that tax dollars are spent wisely.
The governor’s plan also makes a bow toward much needed Medicaid reform.The proposal includes a hard cap on local Medicaid spending which would be phased in over three years along with a phased takeover of local Medicaid administration.
The proposed guidelines would produce $1.7 billion in savings over five years starting in 2013.
This is all good news but the proposal is not nearly as aggressive as I would like.
Local governments cannot keep up with the rising cost of Medicaid and more substantial changes are needed in the short term.
A portion of the education aid [in the 2012 budget] is tied to the resolution of the teacher evaluation issue.
Last year the senate acted on school accountability reforms in order to ensure that students have the best teachers in the classroom.
This year I look forward to working with the governor and the assembly to secure final passage of needed checks and balances.
The budget proposal also includes much needed funding for transportation projects throughout upstate New York.
This is a neglected portion of our infrastructure that must be improved to help attract new business to our region.
Money is also earmarked for improvements at our state parks. This enhances the tourism industry and creates construction jobs.
The governor’s plan does utilize my long sought after suggestion to streamline state government.
A number of agency mergers and consolidations are recommended that would help “rightsize” our state bureaucracy.
I look forward to analyzing the proposals and taking steps to reduce costs where possible.
The budget also includes investments in economic development programs and much needed pension reforms.
In the coming weeks I will be working closely with my senate colleagues, reviewing and fine tuning the budget plan with an eye toward additional tax cuts and job creation measures.
I am confident that we can complete the job by the April 1st deadline and continue to build on recent progress.
