Seward Votes "NO" On Eleventh Budget Extender Bill

ALBANY, 06/14/10 – State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I-Oneonta) today commented on the emergency appropriation bill which he voted against:

“While I am pleased a government shutdown was avoided, I cannot condone the piecemeal budgeting approach, and once again voted NO on the governor’s emergency budget extender bill, the same way I have voted on the previous ten extenders. 

“There is no way of knowing how each provision in an extender relates to an overall budget.  The most recent bill, for example, shifts $76 million in costs on to county governments and local taxpayers while hiking welfare spending $28 million.  Meanwhile, spending cuts proposed by senate Republicans have been disregarded. 

“Adopting a state budget bit by bit is incredibly bad business.  In the end, when the puzzle pieces don’t fit together,  tax hikes, massive borrowing and other fiscal gimmicks will be needed to close the state’s $9.2 billion shortfall.  Those are the strategies we were treated to last year as part of a record spending budget that hiked taxes by $8.5 billion.

“If you do the math, it becomes clear that in order to pay for the spending already approved, Democrats will have to go to the tax well again and middle class families and  small business owners will be the ones hosed down. 

“The state budget is 75 days late and still no public conference committees have met to negotiate a true spending plan.  Albany leaders need to follow the law, convene conference committees, and negotiate a final budget that includes commonsense spending cuts, property tax relief and economic incentives to assist upstate businesses.” 

 
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