O’Mara: Extending Current State Budget 'Right Decision'

Albany, N.Y., April 3—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) today expressed his disappointment that Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature have not adopted a final 2017-2018 state budget but called it the “right decision” to approve legislation extending the state’s authority to continue government operations under the current state budget.

O’Mara said, “Senate leaders will continue around-the-clock negotiations with the Assembly leadership and the Governor to settle differences and move forward on enacting a new state budget.   However, it was the right decision today to adopt budget extender legislation to avoid the chaos of a government shutdown that would put essential government services at risk and impose unfair financial hardships on state correction officers, state police, human services professionals in nursing homes and hospitals, transportation workers and other employees and their families.  The number one, responsible goal today was to ensure the continued operation of government.  We’ve done that.  

“Now we need to keep meeting and working in good faith to get a new state budget in place as soon as possible to ensure that school districts, not-for-profits and other institutions who depend on a timely state budget are not hurt by a prolonged delay.  We are continuing toward that result.  It’s  unfortunate and frustrating, to say the least, that this year’s budget adoption process has become bogged down in difficult public policy discussions that, in my view, should not be a part of the budget adoption process.  It’s also not helpful to have the Assembly Democrat leadership, in particular, taking a politically motivated, recalcitrant, extreme position on raising the age of criminal responsibility for sixteen and seventeen year old juveniles who commit violent crimes resulting in significant physical injury to their victims.  Such criminal activity should not be dealt with in Family Court.  When incarceration is warranted, they should be incarcerated and segregated from the adult prison population.  Under current law, ninety-five percent of sixteen and seventeen year olds are dismissed or plea down to a non-criminal disposition with no jail time.

“There has further been a vacuum of leadership from the Governor, who is in the driver’s seat on every budget, to bring the few remaining open issues to closure.

“Nevertheless, given all of those obstacles, I’m hopeful that the door remains open to reaching a final agreement sooner rather than later.  I’m more than prepared to remain at the Capitol as long as necessary to take care of business.”

The Senate enacted legislation to extend the provisions of the current state budget earlier today.  The Assembly is expected to take the same action later today.