Senator Young Receives Top Score by Unshackle Upstate

ALBANY - Senator Catharine Young (R,I,C-Olean) is tied as the highest-rated Senator in the state for supporting job growth and economic renewal, according to Unshackle Upstate, a bipartisan coalition representing upwards of 70,000 companies and employing more than 1.5 people.

            Senator Young's score of 90 percent overall comes as part of Unshackle Upstate's "Judgment Day" campaign to identify which State Senators and Assembly Members acted in the best interest of New York's taxpayers and job creators during the 2010 legislative session.

            She also recently was recognized for her proactive job creation plan by the National Federation of Independent Business, (NFIB), New York's leading advocacy group for small businesses.  That group rated her in the top five as Senators who support small business growth.

            "We urgently need more good-paying jobs for our families, and career opportunities so our young people don't have to leave.  Last year, New York State lost 245,000 jobs because of bad decisions made in Albany.  Their irresponsible, out-of-control tax and spend budget, and anti-economic growth policies have set our recovery back.  They are driving people out of our state, but I am determined to turn our economy around," Senator Young said.

            She said that the current New York City control of both legislative houses and the Governor's mansion have been devastating to Upstate, but she is optimistic that more regional balance, pro-growth policies and fiscal accountability will be restored next year. 

            "Those in charge have a terrible track record, and the public knows it.  They hiked the tax burden by $14 billion over the past two years, hitting the average family with another $5,000 in tax increases at a time when they can least afford it.  People are losing their jobs, getting their hours cut back, and tightening their family budgets.  The state should cut spending and taxes, not make it harder to live and do business here," she said.

            The Unshackle Upstate scorecard recognized Senator Young for voting to support New York State taxpayers' priorities 100 percent of the time. She voted against all 12 of the budget bills identified as "fiscally unsound" that increased taxes and spending.

            Senator Young was applauded for opposing a number of anti-job measures that would have imposed unaffordable costs and red tape on job-creating businesses, including the Farm Labor Bill, which she led the fight to defeat in the State Senate.

            Unshackle Upstate commended her for co-sponsoring an amendment to cap property taxes at two percent, the same cap that recently was passed by New Jersey. Massachussets passed a similar law several years ago, dropping that state from having the third highest property taxes in the nation, to the 33rd highest.

            Senator Young also was recognized for sponsoring legislation (S.6132) to repeal the unnecessary new tax on utilities included in last year's state budget and provide energy cost relief to Upstate's consumers and businesses.

            The scorecard results consist of points accumulated or lost, as defined by sponsorships and committee and floor votes of all 212 legislators on legislation and budget bills on which Unshackle Upstate has taken a position. Votes and sponsorships were divided into four distinct categories and graded with a maximum score of 100:

·          Legislative Votes (0 to 60 points of total score)- includes floor and committee votes

·          Budget Votes (0 to 25 points of total score) - includes votes on the budget

·          Sponsorship of Bills Supported by Unshackle Upstate (0 to 15 points of total score) - includes sponsorship of positive legislation (5 points for each bill sponsored with a maximum of 3 bills)

·          Sponsorship of Bills Opposed by Unshackle Upstate (0 to -15 points of total score) includes sponsorship of bad legislation (5 points deducted for each bill sponsored with a maximum of 3 bills)

The scorecards are available at www.unshackleupstate.com/scorecard-new/.