More CHIPS?

Albany, N.Y., March 6—With final negotiations over the 2013-14 New York State budget kicking into high gear over the next two weeks, a group of state legislators, led by Senator Tom O’Mara (R-C, Big Flats) and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R-C, Corning), today joined county and town highway superintendents and other local leaders from across New York to call for increased state support for local roads and bridges.

In the photo, the group of state legislators and local leaders gather on the staircase in The Well of the Legislative Office Building.

“We’re calling for a reasonable state-level increase in CHIPS funding that would make a world of difference for our localities, motorist safety statewide, and so many local economies,” O’Mara and Palmesano said in a joint statement.  “The improvement and maintenance of local roads and bridges, upstate and downstate, puts taxpayer dollars to wise use.  It’s a smart state investment that would have a positive impact on New York’s short- and long-term strategies for job creation and economic development.  These roads and bridges are economic lifelines in local communities and absolutely critical to the overall quality and strength of New York’s leading tourism industry.”

O’Mara and Palmesano are being joined in their call to increase CHIPS funding by nearly 70 other senators and Assembly members on a bipartisan basis.

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