Senator Young Calls on Assembly Speaker to End Gap Elimination Adjustment

For Release: Immediate, March 26, 2014

            ALBANY - Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I-57^th District) said she is “calling on Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to join Senate Republicans to end the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) which has taken over a billion dollars from our children’s education in school districts across the state.”

            “The Senate Republicans have been leading the charge to get rid of the GEA, which consistently is cited by school districts as their number one priority in this year’s state budget,” said Senator Young.

            “The clock is ticking, and we need partners to eliminate the GEA in the final budget, which is due in just a couple of days.  If the Assembly Democrats do not step up to the plate soon, our schools will be harmed by their lack of support,” she said.

            “Our Senate’s budget resolution set aside eight times more than what the Assembly Majority resolution put forward to reduce the GEA, and we doubled what the Governor proposed in his Executive Budget.  We are pushing for even more GEA reductions at the negotiating table,” Senator Young said.

            “The Senate Republicans have a concrete plan to fully phase out the GEA,” she added.

            “I thank our local Assemblymen Andrew Goodell, Joe Giglio and Bill Nojay for also striving to eliminate the GEA to support our students, schools and hardworking taxpayers.  Unfortunately, the Assembly Majority has been unwilling to stand with us,” she said.

            “Since 2010 when the Senate and Assembly Democrats forced the GEA on our schools, despite intense opposition from every Senate Republican, I have continued prioritize abolishing it.  Our schools and property taxpayers need relief,” Senator Young said.

            The state budget must be passed by March 31 in order to meet the deadline for an on-time budget.

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