A Column of News & Comment by Sen. James L. Seward

The 2013 New York State legislative session got its official start recently with the governor’s State of the State address.

The governor presented what I would consider an extremely ambitious agenda which included several items I look forward to working with him to achieve.

We do differing opinions, however, in some areas and I also feel there were a few glaring omissions.

New York is headed in the right direction financially thanks in part to a strong working relationship between the legislature and Governor Cuomo that has evolved over the last two years.

Bread and butter issues have topped my agenda and the governor has been a constructive partner in advancing winning items like the property tax cap and the middle class tax cut.

Economic development remains a top priority for me and I was pleased that a great deal of the governor’s agenda focused on that topic.

The governor’s pledge to continue to hold the line on taxes is one I wholeheartedly endorse.

This has been a key piece of our state’s rebuilding foundation and one that must remain if we are to make further strides.

Over the last two years we have closed budget deficits totaling more than $13 billion without raising taxes.  While the deficit is smaller this year, close to a $1 billion gap, we must continue to walk a tight fiscal line.

Support for our business community must also take precedence this session.

We have experienced an uptick in job growth, but there is still room to grow.

The governor’s focus on upstate, tourism, and his proposal to create tax free, innovation hot-spots were encouraging.

I am also interested in his plan to unite colleges and employers through a special training and job placement program.

He also called for enhanced promotion of New York products through the “Taste-NY” initiative.

In my mind, this would help our economy and our state’s number one industry—agriculture.

Adding tax credits and additional incentives to help the private sector create jobs will take us even further.

There was also a serious omission.

The words ‘mandate relief’ were never uttered by the governor.

When the property tax cap was approved mandate relief was supposed to be part of the package, but precious little has been done.

We need to take real steps to help our local governments and schools cut costs, and focus on local needs.

The governor also made his case for a minimum wage increase.

This is something I feel would stunt business growth, and in fact, several small businesses have already told me they would be forced to lay off current employees should the governor’s plan become law.

Hindering business growth is not part of my agenda, and therefore, I cannot support the minimum wage increase.

The governor also spent a great deal of time discussing gun control.

In light of recent tragedies, something must be done, but it is wrong to adopt superficial measures that fail to confront the heart of the problem and only serve as constraints on law-abiding gun owners.

We need to take an approach that also addresses the sale and possession of illegal guns, increases penalties for those who use guns to commit crimes and focuses on the treatment of mentally ill individuals who are a danger to themselves and others.

As we look to continue the positive momentum in our state we turn our attention next to the state budget presentation which takes place on January 22.

We need to continue our recent winning record of completing work on the state spending plan on-time and at a cost people can afford.

Overall, I see several areas where the governor and I are in agreement, and I look forward to working with him and my legislative colleagues on both sides of the aisle as we continue to get things done and help New York reach its full potential.