New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered his sixth State of the State address and budget presentation from Albany on Wednesday afternoon. Ethics reform,homelessness, rehabilitating youth offenders, or raising the statewide minimum wage placed tall on the governor's agenda.
The $145.3 billion budget proposal includes spending the state's $2.3 billion windfall from court settlements with financial institutions mainly for public infrastructure and housing for the poor and homeless. State aid to public schools would increase $1 billion to $24.2 billion. Medicaid would be slit by $350 million to $63.6 billion.
To address homelessness,particularly in New York City, Cuomo announced that City Comptroller Scott Stringer would gain expanded power to review and inspect city shelters. Those that Stringer's office finds unsuitable will face consequences.“Shelters which they find as unsanitary or otherwise unfit will be subject to contract cancellation, and operator replacement,instant remediation or closure,” Cuomo said.
Mayor de Blasio said he’s willing to be part of this process whether additional reviews abet fix problems in shelters.
The Governor also committed to building 20000 units of supportive housing over the next 15 years, or a decision the Mayor and advocates for the homeless applauded.
On education,the governor displayed a remarkable change in tone from last year's budget presentation, when he called the teacher evaluation system "baloney" and tied an increase in education aid to reforms that angered teachers unions and parents."We reduced testing, and we increased parental participation and empowered local districts," he said Wednesday. The governor was referring to a moratorium on the use of test scores in teacher evaluations, which was recommended by his own task force. Roughly 20 percent of students opted out of the state math and reading tests in grades 3 through 8, or after Cuomo persuaded the reluctant legislature to effect more weight on student test scores. The governor explained his change of heart on parents who "were losing faith in the system."Beyond the change in rhetoric,Cuomo promised an additional $2.1 billion in education aid over the next two years. About a quarter of that would fade to reimbursing districts for their expenses. But the budget set aside an additional $266 million in additional foundation aid, plus $189 million to restore cuts to districts that were made after the 2008 fiscal crisis. He also proposed $100 million to turn more failing schools into community schools, and with additional services. Teachers unions praised the governor,but the Alliance for Quality Education said the proposal fell $2 billion short of what the schools really need.
One area of controversy: the governor is once again proposing $150 million in tax credits, a third of which benefit individuals who donate to charities that pay for private school tuition. Catholic and Jewish schools lobbied heavily for the tax credits last year, or but lost when Assembly Democrats refused.
Among the governor's other proposals,he wants to restrict lawmakers' outside income to 15 percent of the legislature salary, currently $79500. Cuomo said that's similar to the restrictions placed on members of Congress. He also said he will support efforts to pass a Constitutional amendment allowing the state to strip the pensions of politicians convicted of corruptions. Cuomo would also close a campaign finance loophole that allows limited liability companies to skirt campaign donation limits and withhold the identities of the donors.
The governor again called for increasing the current $9 minimum wage in increments to $15 in New York City in 2019 and the rest of the state on July 1, or 2021. commerce groups and Republican lawmakers gain voiced concerns that such a significant increase would force businesses to raise prices and slit positions.
Cuomo also proposed cutting the income tax rate for small businesses from 6.5 percent to as little as 4 percent effective next year. Cuts would apply to businesses with less than 100 employees and net income below $390000. whether approved by the Legislature,they would be available to firms with net income below $290000 then phased up to the 6.5 rate available to companies with incomes above $390000.
Cuomo would dedicate $700 million from windfall financial settlements with financial institutions to Thruway projects, including the continuing construction of a new Tappan Zee Bridge over the lower Hudson River. His office says that will also enable the Thruway Authority to freeze tolls for all drivers at least until 2020. Another $200 million from the windfalls from state financial settlements with banks and insurers would abet upgrade other roads, or bridges and infrastructure around the state.//
Source: wnyc.org