SERINO URGES GOVERNOR TO USE 30 DAY AMENDMENTS TO MAKE NY A LEADER IN THE FIGHT AGAINST LYME

HYDE PARK, NY—Senator Sue Serino (R, C, I—Hyde Park) today strongly urged Governor Andrew Cuomo to utilize his ‘30 Day Budget Amendments’ to make combatting the spread of Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases (TBDs) a priority in this year’s state budget.

“With New York at the epicenter of the Lyme Disease epidemic, it is beyond comprehension that the Governor has failed to make it a priority in his Executive Budget,” said Senator Serino. “By refusing to earmark funds for critical resources and research, the Governor once again passed up the chance to play an active role in helping to combat the spread of a disease that has wreaked havoc on thousands of NY families.”

In October of 2016, Senator Serino, who chairs the Senate’s Task Force on Lyme and TBDs, sent a letter to Governor Cuomo’s office urging him to make Lyme a priority as he worked to draft his Executive Budget proposal (copy attached).

The letter went unacknowledged by the Governor’s office and there was no specific mention of funding for Lyme Disease in the Governor’s recently released Executive Budget proposal.

Serino argues that the Governor still has a chance to make it the priority it deserves to be saying, “With his ‘30 Day Budget Amendments’ still to be released, the Governor has an opportunity to provide critical funding and ensure New York’s place as a leader in the fight against Lyme and TBDs. However, if the Governor continues to turn a blind eye to the problem, the only category in which we’ll lead is in that of confirmed cases.”

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