Statement from NYS Senator George M. Borrello, whose
district includes Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua counties plus eight towns
in Livingston County.
“Our state is at an extraordinarily difficult moment in its
history as the COVID-19 pandemic exacts a heavy toll on our citizens, health
care sector, economy and virtually every aspect of life.
“Against this scenario, the need for a transparent, ‘clean’
budget -- focused solely on essential fiscal matters and without
politically-driven policies -- was never more obvious or critical.
Disappointingly, we didn’t get that as political expediency trumped
transparency.
“There is no greater example of the danger of folding
controversial policy in between the pages of a thousand-plus page fiscal
document than last year’s disastrous bail ‘reform’ which thoroughly abandoned
public safety in a rush to appease radical activists.
“This issue made a command appearance in this year’s budget,
but this time, to ‘fix’ the mistakes of the original bill. Crafted behind
closed doors once again without stakeholders around the table, the ‘fix’ lacks
the number one provision that law enforcement experts agreed was most critical:
restoration of judicial discretion. This is an attempt to fix a fatal wound
with a band aid and it won’t work.
“Local governments, who are already hurting financially from
the loss of local tax revenue due to the COVID-19 crisis, are looking at
unprecedented pain and hard choices under this budget. Rather than accept a
critically needed $6 billion in emergency federal funding for Medicaid, the
Governor chose to decline the funds so he could go ahead with his plan to shift
even more of the financial burden to county and city governments, who may have
no choice but to look to local property taxpayers to help them meet these
increased costs.
“As we focus right now on the public health emergency before
us, we also have to recognize the economic emergency that is unfolding
alongside it. Many of our small businesses will be casualties of this pandemic.
Those that have a chance of surviving will need our assistance. However, those
small business owners won’t find that assistance in this budget. Just the
opposite; they will find higher costs and more regulations to support a
politically-driven agenda. From an expansion of prevailing wage, to a ban on
polystyrene that will threaten 2,000 mostly upstate jobs, to the rejection of a
small business tax credit, this budget reminds us of how New York has gained
its status as one of the worst places in the nation to start, grow and sustain
a business.”
“Yet, as Albany’s ruling class heaps more taxes and
regulations on our small businesses, farmers, localities and every hardworking
New Yorker just trying to make ends meet, this budget opens the door for growth
in the heavily subsidized ‘green energy’ sector by implementing measures to
expedite and facilitate the siting of large-scale renewable energy projects by
eliminating home rule.
“A provision in the budget would strip away any local
control of the siting process, thereby silencing those whose homes and communities
will be most impacted. This heavy-handed move is outrageous and it’s wrong on
so many levels. It will lead to the widespread industrialization of our
beautiful landscape along with the negative economic, environmental and human
health impacts that follow these costly boondoggle renewable projects.
“For these and so many other reasons, I could not vote in
favor of this budget. Not only is the process clearly in need of reform, what
was produced in this budget were simply new iterations of the same failed,
agenda-driven policies that created the flight of residents and businesses to
other states, while suppressing economic growth and opportunity.
“These are challenging days for our state and our nation,
but I find hope and inspiration in the extraordinary New Yorkers who are
working around the clock to help and protect us from this insidious COVID-19
pandemic. Every front line worker in this war—from our health care
professionals, to our police, firefighters and EMTs, to restaurant workers,
grocers, farmers and truckers, child care providers and any and every essential
worker—deserves our thanks and praise. They are the everyday heroes who will
carry us through this crisis. I, along with my colleagues at all levels of
government, will continue to fight for them, and the security, opportunity and
prosperity we all need and deserve.”
