Specifically the legislation (S.2323/A.2922) would ban the
imposition of any future state mandates that increase costs on local
governments and school districts without providing state funding to localities
to pay for delivering the required programs and services.
The legislation to end any future unfunded state mandates
was the cornerstone of a comprehensive package of mandate relief legislation
the Senate approved today. Other actions would alleviate administrative burdens
on local school districts, and prevent any mid-year, state-imposed mandates
following the adoption of school budgets.
“The state enacted the local property tax cap with a promise
to localities and school districts to roll back the heavy burden of unfunded
state mandates. We still have a lot of work to do to lift that existing burden
on local governments and local property taxpayers,” said O’Mara. “But we should
also immediately put an end to any future unfunded state mandates. This
legislation proposes a commonsense step that says the state will no longer pass
the buck to counties, cities, town, villages or school districts. If the state
mandates a program or a service that increases costs, the state should pay for
it.”
O’Mara said the legislation serves to highlight the ongoing
need for New York to provide mandate relief to local governments and school
districts in the face of the two-percent property tax cap the state enacted in
2011.
It would also mark, if enacted, the beginning of a true
transformation of the state-local partnership, he said. The state has taken
some important mandate relief actions over the past several years, O’Mara said,
including long-term pension reform and the takeover of the growth in local
Medicaid costs.
But it hasn’t been enough, according to O’Mara.
“Some meaningful steps have been taken to rein in the cost
of Medicaid, for example,” said O’Mara. “But we can’t keep turning our backs on
the fact that more needs to be done. Mandate relief has to remain a state
priority. Localities and school districts facing tough fiscal challenges still
have their hands tied by too many unfunded state mandates.”
Before it can be become law, the legislation must be
approved by the Assembly and signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
