NYS Senator Eric Adams Joins Senate Majority Conference Colleagues to Announce Legislative Session Accomplishments and Budget Details

NYS Senator Eric Adams states: “We have ended the exorbitant taxing of those who could least afford it, the special interest spending, and the reckless borrowing that mark with shame forty years of Senate ‘business’ under the previous majority. The interests of average New Yorkers are no longer ignored. My Conference colleagues and I dedicated ourselves to changing Albany politics, and we have been delivering every step of the way. 

“Although at times change has come slowly, my Conference colleagues and I have been steadfast; the stakes were just too high for us to surrender when New Yorkers needed us most. Addressing critical issues like education, health care, job creation, transportation, senior citizen protection, rights of the disabled, safeguarding our veterans, and public safety programs, we have recognized that our mission is to secure the public interest, and we have worked to restore trust in government while we rebuild our economy.

 “My Majority Conference colleagues and I note among our legislative accomplishments:

 • transformed Senate rules to make the legislative process open and accountable

• equalized resources for all members

• opened the books on Senate expenditures and used new technology to make every legislative action public

• reformed New York City school governance

• created a new tier in the state pension system to save billions

• passed ethics reform, including the toughest ethics and campaign finance law in a generation

• passed the Bigger Better Bottle bill and BPA environmental protections for a cleaner, greener New York

• passed Health Plus and School Meals Enrollment Act and expanded the number of seniors eligible for EPIC to protect our most vulnerable New Yorkers

• passed the MTA Financing and Reform Package to save straphangers from costly fare hikes and crippling service cuts and enacted regulations for oversight, transparency, and accountability

• expanded Unemployment Insurance Benefits to provide an additional 13 weeks of extended benefits to nearly 120,000 unemployed New Yorkers

• expanded Cobra Health Care Coverage to protect New Yorkers who lost jobs in the national economic downturn

• passed the HIV Rent Cap and the Loft Law expanding protections for tenants

• brought Marriage Equality to the floor for the first time in New York State history

• passed the Dignity for all Students Act

• passed Rockefeller Drug Reform

• increased IOLA funding

• expanded MWBEs to ensure fair and equal access to justice for all New Yorkers and increased access to economic opportunities for women and minority business owners

• passed Leandra’s Law, Kendra’s Law, and Ian’s Law to protect children and the disabled

• passed Property Tax and Mandate Relief to put money back into taxpayers’ hands and lower costs for local government

• passed the first-in-the-nation Domestic Workers Bill of Rights

• ended New York’s status as the only state without No-Fault Divorce

• initiated Power for Jobs, Green Jobs program, and Excelsior Jobs Program and targeted federal stimulus dollars to create and save over 400,000 jobs

• passed Race to the Top legislation to meet our constitutional and moral obligation to provide a quality education for every child

“Balancing budgets in accordance with our core values, my Majority Conference colleagues and I note among our budgetary accomplishments:

Budget 2009-10:

• $1.6 billion deficit reduction plan (closing budget gap from previous year)

• $17.7 billion budget gap, the largest in state history, closed in 2009-10 Enacted Budget

• 2009-10 budget created over 110,000 new jobs, restored $800 million in health care cuts, increased the welfare grant, targeted $40 million in job programs for low-income New Yorkers, and held the line on education funding

• 2009 bipartisan deficit reduction plan passed to protect jobs, prevent tax hikes, and save hundreds of millions of dollars in school funding

Budget 2010-11:

• $9.2 billion budget gap closed while controlling spending, protecting jobs, providing property tax relief, and preserving our investment in education and health care

• careful cuts and smart restorations will result in safer streets, stronger schools, and healthier communities

• $133 billion budget for 2009-10, $135.7 billion budget for 2010-11

o Only 0.1% increase from the Governor’s budget

o Only 2.0% increase from the 2009-10 budget

• restored $600 million in education funding for our cities

• provided more than $300 million in property tax relief

• strengthened cigarette tax and collection to raise revenue, reduce health risks, and lower health costs

• currently negotiating a contingency plan for possible reductions in Federal Medical Assistance Program and for higher education reform