Long Island Senate Republicans Push Public Safety and Affordability Measure to be Included in the Finalized State Budget

(Hauppauge, NY) New York State Senators Anthony Palumbo, Mario Mattera, Dean Murray, Alexis Weik, Steve Rhoads, Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick and Jack Martins today called for policies to be included in this year’s finalized State Budget to help make Long Island safer and more affordable while ensuring the region receives its fair share of State funding.  The state budget is already 11 days late, and there are still no indications whatsoever that negotiations are focused on any measures designed to help make New York State – and Long Island  in particular – safer and more affordable.

             “The priorities being belabored in Albany are not our priorities here in Suffolk. What will it take for them to wake up and realize we have a serious public safety problem that is continually getting worse? We just saw one of our own in the NYPD fall victim to senseless violence perpetrated by ruthless career criminals. We’ve had body dismemberments taking place right here in our local neighborhoods – gruesome, violent crimes like something straight out of a horror movie. We’ve also seen countless examples of organized, coordinated retail thefts being carried out all across the state. What more will it take to get my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to act and restore public safety here in New York State?” said Senator Anthony Palumbo (1st Senate District. Deputy Floor Leader and Ranking Member of New York State Senate’s Codes & Judiciary Committees).

             Several of the policies Senate Republicans are demanding that the Governor and State Senate and Assembly Majorities enact include:

●                    Reversal of failed criminal justice policies that have made our communities less safe, especially New York’s broken bail and                               discovery laws;

●                    Making body dismemberment/concealment of a human corpse a bail eligible offense (S.8751);

●                    Establishing the crime of coordinated petit larceny, permitting a principal to be eligible to be held on bail for coordinated petit                             larceny (S8831); and

●                    Fixing or Nixing Tier Six (S8925)

“The HEAT Act is another ideological ban that will increase the already overwhelming burden our families and businesses face while costing our hardworking men and women of labor their careers.  As a proud union leader who creates jobs, I know we can achieve a realistic plan that avoids costing our residents trillions of dollars and still achieve the goals of a cleaner future if we work together.  As a delegation, we stand ready to collaborate on an energy plan that will bring us the energy future we all want while protecting our residents and our workers of today.  And we are standing here again to implore the Democrats in Albany to work with us for the sake of every New Yorker,” stated Senator Mario R. Mattera (2nd Senate District and Ranking Member on the New York State Senate’s Energy and Telecommunications Committee).       

"There is no question that the adoption of Tier 6 in 2012 has had some very negative impacts on not just the public sector workforce, but also to the taxpayers of NY state. Tier 6 has helped contribute to a severe worker shortage which has, in many cases, diminished the services provided to the taxpayers, while at the same time, dramatically increasing the overtime costs that are paid for by the taxpayers. We must address changes to Tier 6 in the budget, to ensure that these problems do not continue to get worse," said Senator Dean Murray (3rd Senate District and Ranking Member on the New York State Senate’s Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee).

“With the state budget negotiations almost two weeks past the April 1st deadline, it is imperative that policies are included to make Long Island safer and more affordable while ensuring our region receives its fair share of state funding. It is time for the state leaders to come together and pass a budget that addresses fixing bail reform, prioritizing public safety, delivering tax relief, supporting our school, proposing more common-sense energy policies, providing better mental health and disability services, fighting for property protections, and investing in critical infrastructure projects. One party rule has failed New Yorkers and we need to realign our policies and priorities in New York to stop residents from leaving our state in record numbers and pass a budget that works for all New Yorkers, including those living on Long Island. The time for action is now,” said Senator Steve Rhoads (5th Senate District. Ranking Member on New York State Senate’s  Local Government Committee and Ethics and Internal Governance Committee).

“The State’s budget was due before April 1st, 2024. It’s now nearly two weeks late and the priorities they’re discussing in Albany are not our priorities here on Long Island. There has not been any progress on middle tax breaks, on public safety, on school funding, on jobs, and on the environment. Democrats need to join us in prioritizing hard working New Yorkers,” stated Senator Jack Martins (7th Senate District. Member of New York State Senate’s Housing, Construction and Community Development Committee and Ranking Member on Labor and Procurement and Contracts Committees).

“New York State has an obligation to fully fund our schools equally. The One-party rule running Albany needs to make our students and teachers a priority.  The financial burdens being heaped onto our school districts is unrealistic.  First with the hefty, unsustainable electric bus mandate and now with the proposed school aid cuts.  This year's state budget, a fat $240-something billion needs to include fully funding foundation aid.  It needs to include at least a 3% increase to the save-harmless provision, and we need to press pause on the electric school bus mandate.  Our priority is to our constituents, this budget needs to reflect that,” said Senator Alexis Weik (8th Senate District. Member of the New York State Senate’s Education Committee and Ranking Member on the Civil Service and Pensions and Women’s Issues Committees).

“Our conference has repeatedly and consistently warned that misguided policies favoring criminals will come at the expense of public safety and law-abiding New Yorkers. Story after story, including the recent case of eight migrants being arrested on gun and drug charges while squatting in a Bronx Home – six of whom were released without bail – have made the scope of this problem abundantly clear. New York’s bail and sanctuary policies encourage and even reward criminal behavior such as squatting, and these problems will only get worse until Albany adopts the commonsense proposals our conference has put forward,” said Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick (Senate District 9. Member of the New York State Senate’s  Judiciary Committee and Ranking Member on the Mental Health Committee).

“Albany politicians are not in tune with the needs of Long Island residents and are completely out-of-touch with the needs of law-abiding, middle-class residents. We are fed up with ‘Albany's business as usual,’ and we are not going to sit here silent,” concluded Senator Palumbo.

Live Stream of press conference available at: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorAnthonyPalumbo