Legislative Gazette: No cut to school aid in Assembly GOP’s plan
By Bob Bennett
Legislative Gazette
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb said Nov. 17 that his conference has real solutions for closing the state’s $3.2 billion budget gap and that Democrats have continually refused to compromise on budget decisions.
Kolb, R-Canandaigua, appeared along with several members of his conference in the state Capitol to tout his plan, which includes a 20 percent tuition increase for out-of-state students in the State University of New York and City University of New York systems, funding reductions for optional Medicaid services as well as the consolidation of several state agencies.
The call for a tuition increase mirrors what state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli suggested on Oct. 27: New York is losing out on $340 million in revenues over a four year period because it charges much less for out-of-state tuition than the majority of other states.
The Assembly GOP said it accepts eight of the governor’s proposals, which total about $2.1 billion. But Republicans have suggested eight alternative options, totaling about $1.6 billion. If enacted, the Assembly minority conference estimates its plan would result in $3.8 billion in deficit-reduction savings that would not target school aid, Medicaid or incentives for municipalities, areas that are targeted for mid-year funding cuts in Gov. David A. Paterson’s deficit reduction plan.
In addition to the out-of-state tuition increase, The Republican’s alternatives include making cuts to following budget items:
- A state land acquisition: $24 million.
- A Yonkers miscellaneous payment: $4.5 million.
- A 5 percent reduction of contract balances: $300 million.
- An additional 2.5 percent reduction to state agency cash balances — excluding school aid, Medicaid and aid and incentives for municipalities: $120 million.
- The elimination of member item fund balances: $130 million.
- The consolidation of state agencies: $924.6 million.
- Additional refunds: $130 million.
Matt Anderson, spokesman for the state Division of the Budget, said Paterson has not yet rejected any specific proposal and that everything is being taken into consideration at this point.
Kolb also lashed out at Democratic lawmakers, saying they haven’t offered any real solutions.
“I’ve consistently asked, ‘If you don’t like these ideas, what [ideas do you propose],’” he said. “They control the legislative process, and it’s up to them to produce a bill. This conference has been working in a nonpartisan manner.”
“In case you missed it, beginning back in March, our conference repeatedly warned that unsustainable growth in government spending and $8.2 billion in job-killing taxes and fees would explode the budget deficit,” Kolb said. “That is exactly what happened and is why our entire conference voted against the 2009-10 state budget that was crafted without our involvement or input.”
Kolb said he repeatedly started calling for public, five-way leaders’ meetings back in July to address the budget, but his calls went ignored.
“We didn’t do anything, which is what we’re doing now,” Kolb said. “It’s a slow turtle that doesn’t move at all.”
http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-c-2009-11-23-64063.113122_No_cut_to_school_aid_in_Assembly_GOPs_plan.html
