Senate GOP urges governor and legislative leaders to prioritize key issues in upcoming state budget: O'Mara stresses need for 'across-the-board agenda to cut taxes, address affordability'

Albany, N.Y., March 11—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, today joined Minority State Senate Leader Rob Ortt in a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins highlighting the Republican Conference’s key priorities from its “Take Back New York” plan released earlier year and requested they be included in the upcoming 2022-2023 state budget. 

As state budget negotiations accelerate, with the Senate and Assembly expected to vote on “one-house” budget recommendations next week, the Republican Conference has outlined key priorities that highlight the needs and concerns of everyday New Yorkers.

Ortt said, “It is clear New Yorkers are unhappy with the One-Party Rule in this state. From witnessing a corrupt former governor engulfed in scandals during a pandemic, enduring authoritarian mandates affecting people’s everyday lives, and now struggling to pay for fuel and essential groceries, the people of this state have had enough. It is our job to provide financial relief responsibly. Our Take Back New York Agenda has common sense proposals that will restore our economy and people’s faith in government.”

O’Mara said, “New York remains one of the highest-taxed states in America.  We are one of the most overregulated states in the nation.  Our local governments and local property taxpayers continue to foot the bill for one of the country’s heaviest burdens of unfunded state mandates.  It’s no coincidence that New York led the nation last year in overall tax burden and population loss.  Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are heading for the exits.  This state is at a crossroads and we must enact an across-the-board agenda to cut taxes, address affordability, and rebuild stronger and safer communities.”

Key priorities highlighted by the Senate Republican Conference include (see the attached letter to the governor above for details):   

MAKING NEW YORK AFFORDABLE FOR ALL

● Rejecting Tax Increases

● Preventing “Stealth Tax Increases” by Adjusting Tax Brackets for Inflation

● Property Tax Relief

● Supporting Low-Income Working Families by Increasing the State EITC Benefit

● Providing Relief to Middle-Class Taxpayers 

● Supporting Families and Addressing Childcare Costs

● Enacting a Permanent Cap on Runaway State Spending 

● Mitigating the Impact of Skyrocketing Energy Costs

BUILDING A STRONGER WORKFORCE FOR A STRONGER ECONOMY

● Supporting Farmers and the Agriculture Industry

● Training and Growing our Workforce

IMPROVING OUR BUSINESS CLIMATE AND EXPANDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

● Cutting Taxes on Small Businesses:

● Capping Unemployment Taxes to Protect Businesses Still Recovering from the Pandemic:

● Supporting the Manufacturing Industry

ENSURING ACCESS TO A QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS

● Funding our Schools, Supporting our Students, and Investing in Career and Technical Education

INVESTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY AND A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE

● Expanding Access to High-Speed Broadband

● Supporting Investment in Local roads and Bridges and Water Infrastructure

FIGHTING FOR A SAFER NEW YORK

● Addressing Violent Crime and the Fallout of the Disastrous Bail and Discovery Reforms

SUPPORTING AND PROTECTING NEW YORK’S VULNERABLE POPULATIONS

● Serving our Veterans

● Caring for Our Seniors

● Helping the Healthcare Sector Recover

● Combating the Opioid Epidemic

● Addressing the Mental Health Crisis