Statement by Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos

CONTACT: John McArdle, Mark Hansen (518) 455-2264
       
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Monday, May 4, 2009
http://www.senatordeanskelos.org

    A month after he signed into law the biggest spending and tax increase in state history, Governor Paterson’s call for a spending cap is too little, too late for state taxpayers. 

    Senate Republicans passed a tougher, constitutional amendment to cap state spending twice since he has been Governor and we proposed a spending cap this year as an amendment to the state budget.  Governor Paterson never lobbied Speaker Silver to bring the spending cap bill up for a vote in the Assembly, nor did he try to convince Senate Democrats to vote for our budget amendment last month. 

    In fact, the Governor doesn’t need a law or a Constitutional Amendment to cap state spending.  He already has the power to freeze, cut or veto spending. Instead, Governor Paterson presided over budgets that included two of the biggest spending increases ever. 

    While I appreciate the Governor giving Senate Republicans credit for a good idea, I hope he follows through on his support for a spending cap more strongly than he did his property tax cap plan.

    Senate Republicans are willing to work with the Governor going forward to put a real spending cap in place to bring runaway state spending under control and provide relief to taxpayers.  

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