News
from STATE SENATOR
Liz Krueger
New York State Senate, 26th
District
COMMUNITY BULLETIN – May 2003
Message from Liz . . .
My last few weeks in Albany have been the most
encouraging of my short tenure as your State Senator. The ability of the Assembly and Senate to work together and stand
up to the Governor on the budget leads the optimist in me to see this as a real
opportunity to change the way we do business in Albany. There are still significant challenges, and
the legislature will have to hold together to override the Governor’s expected
vetoes in the face of his efforts to bully and intimidate legislators, but at
least for now there is a new sense of bipartisan cooperation and common purpose
in the legislature.
I believe that the
developments of recent weeks must be seen as merely a change of direction, and
that those of us who believe in systematic reforms in Albany will have to work
very hard to keep us on a path toward reform.
The optimist in me sees this as a great opportunity, but it is important
to acknowledge that much of the way Albany does business has not changed. Individual members still had minimal
involvement in the development of the budget – in many ways Governor Pataki’s
refusal to play simply turned three men in a room into two men in a room. Legislators did have more time to review the
budget that the two men presented to them, since the Constitution requires
bills to age three days before being voted on unless the Governor issues a message
of necessity waiving the three day requirement. In typical years, that is exactly what the Governor does, but he
obviously was less cooperative this year.
However, even without messages of necessity, the leadership did its best
to limit the ability of legislators or the public to review the bills by
printing them as late as they could and still comply with Constitutional
requirements. In sum, we had more
legislative review this year, but still much less than one would expect for an
issue as important as the state budget.
Another problem with
the process is that since several bills make up the state budget, legislators
were required to vote on some spending measures before they had seen the rest
of the budget – most importantly the revenue budget. I voted no on some of the spending bills this year because at the
time there was no revenue bill, and I felt it was irresponsible to authorize
spending without knowing how we were going to pay for it. Once the revenue package was released I
voted in favor of a number of budget bills, including restoration of most of
the cuts to education and health care.
I could not support the revenue package because of its reliance on a
regressive sales tax increase and the borrowing of 4.2 billion dollars to pay
for operating expenses. As I indicated
in last month’s report, I believe that were we to seriously examine the $29
billion in revenues lost to the state through the tax expenditure budget, we
could have found much more progressive and fiscally responsible ways to close
the budget gap.
District
Office: 211 East 43rd
Street, Suite 1300, New York NY 10017 (212) 490-9535 Fax: (212) 490-2151
Albany Office: Room 302, Legislative
Office Bldg., Albany NY 12247 (518) 455-2297 Fax: (518) 426-6874
Whatever my doubts
about this years’ process, there can be no doubt that the State Legislature’s
budget is much better for the health of New York State than the draconian
budget offered by the Governor. If the
Governor follows through on his threat to veto parts of the budget, I will be
joining with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and voting to override
those vetoes. We have made an important
step in the right direction, and I will be working to make sure we stay on the
right track by pushing an agenda of more fundamental reforms that will truly
change the way Albany does business.
|
“The
Senator is “In” Rotating Office Hours In the
District Date:
Saturday, May 17, 2003 (weather permitting) Time: 11:00am-1:30pm Place: East 23rd Street and 3rd
Avenue, SE corner (in front of Pick-a-Bagel) Raindate: Sunday, May 11, 2003 (same time &
place) |
|
Transportation
Town Hall Meeting ·
2nd
Avenue Subway ·
Articulated
Buses ·
Elimination
of Stops/Rehabilitation of Subway Stations ·
MTA
Finances – Disclosure and Accountability ·
Federal
Support of New York City Transit Systems Participants
include: Dr. Robert
Paaswell, University Transportation Research Center at CCNY
Date:
Thursday, June 5th Time: 7:00-9:00pm Place: Jan Hus Church, 351 East 74th
Street Between First and Second Avenues |
Community
Spotlight
Public Hearings on Second Avenue
Subway:
The Metropolitan
Transportation Authority is holding two public hearings on the Second Avenue
Subway Environmental Impact Statement.
I am extremely pleased to report that the Second Avenue Subway project
is moving forward on schedule toward a groundbreaking date in late 2004. The project is currently in the
environmental review phase, and it is essential that there be substantial
community participation now to minimize problems when construction commences. I urge all interested parties to attend the
public hearings next week. My office
also has a copy of the Environmental Impact Statement. If you would like to review the statement,
please contact Dan Steinberg in my office at (212) 490-9535.
The hearing schedule
is as follows:
Monday May 12, 2003 Tuesday
May 13, 2003
4 PM 4 PM
US Custom House, El Museo Del Barrio
1 Bowling Green 1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street
(4 or 5 train to
Bowling Green Stop) (6
train to 103rd Street)
Report on Tenant’s Town Hall Meeting
and Tenants Lobby Day:
On Tuesday, April 22nd,
Assemblymembers Pete Grannis and Jonathan Bing and I co-sponsored a Tenants’
Town Hall Meeting to discuss the importance of rent regulations to New York
City’s families and neighborhoods. I am
extremely pleased to report that over 200 community members, of all ages and
from all walks of life, attended to learn how they can participate in the
various efforts to protect and expand affordable housing. The forum offered legislative perspectives
and updates on the status of various bills being considered by both houses of
the New York State legislature that would extend rent regulations until 2008
and end vacancy decontrol.
Representatives from New York State Tenants & Neighbors, the East
Side Tenants’ Coalition, Eviction Intervention Services and the Metropolitan
Council on Housing joined us to explore numerous ways community members can get
involved with the fight on both the local and state levels. Tenants will be converging on Albany for
a Lobby Day on May 13, and I urge everyone to participate. Please contact my office at (212) 490-9535
for more information on Lobby Day, including information on free buses to
Albany.
Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) Public
Hearing on Proposed Rent Increases:
In a preliminary vote earlier this week, the
NYC Rent Guidelines Board granted landlords approval to increase rent
stabilized rents by the largest percentages since 1989. I have many serious concerns about what this
decision will mean for the more than two million low, moderate and
middle-income rent stabilized residents of New York City who are already facing
nearly unprecedented levels of unemployment and cost of living increases.
During these extraordinarily difficult economic times, I fear that these rent
increases will lead to further hardships, and even evictions, for tens of
thousands of New York City’s families.
Despite building owners legitimate claims that
their operating expenses have risen significantly during the last year due to
the rising property tax rates and the costs of insurance and fuel, the rent
regulated real estate market continues to be one of the most consistently
profitable investments in New York City.
According to the RGB’s own reports, owners’ net operating income has
risen every year since 1990, mortgage interest rates for multifamily buildings
are at their lowest level in over 25 years and the overall condition of the
city’s rent regulated housing stock continues to improve. While it is reasonable to expect tenants and
landlords to share the burden of increased operating expenses, this burden must
be shared in proportion to each group’s ability to pay. It is unconscionable for building owners in
one of the most profitable economic sectors of our economy, to pass all of
their expenses onto tenants who have a median income under $31,000. I will urge the members of the RGB to
reconsider their decision when I testify before the board. Please join me in testifying at the
public hearing, which will be held on Tuesday, June 17th from 10AM
to 10PM at the Great Hall at Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street. Testimony on apartment rent increases will
be heard from 1:15PM to 6:00PM and from 8:15PM to 10:00PM.
M15 Bus Stops Saved:
I am pleased to report that after
I joined other elected officials in writing to the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MTA) to protest the elimination of bus stops on the M15 line, the
MTA has reversed their decision to eliminate several stops. One of the saved bus stops is at East 70th
Street and Second Avenue, which is less than a block away from the Lenox Hill
Senior Center & Luncheon Club.
Another stop that was saved from elimination serves the Burden Center
for the Aging Walk-In Unit & New York Presbyterian Hospital at East 77th
Street and First Avenue. A bus stop at
East 74th Street and Second Avenue, which serves the Burden Center
Luncheon Club, was eliminated, but a new stop was created at East 75th
Street and Second Avenue. This new bus
stop is actually closer to the Burden Luncheon Club and only requires that
seniors cross one street, as compared to two.
I’m pleased that the MTA ultimately decided not to eliminate these bus
stops. At the same time, the MTA needs
to recognize the value of community input in their decision-making
process. I am currently working on
legislation that would help to ensure that public input is solicited and
reviewed by the MTA before changes can be made to our bus stops, routes and
subway stations.
Rally
to Save Engine Company 44 on East 75th Street:
On Saturday, April 26th I joined other
elected officials and community representatives at a rally to save Engine
Company 44 on East 75th Street, which Mayor Bloomberg has slated for
elimination. The rally was attended by
several hundred people. I remain
extremely concerned that elimination of this fire company will endanger the
health and safety of Upper East Side residents. I will continue to fight to reverse the unwise decision to
eliminate Engine Company 44.
Legislative Budget Highlights
As I
indicated above, the legislative budget is not without its flaws, particularly
with regard to the kinds of revenue raising measures it relies on. That said, it does ensure that most of the
devastating cuts in Governor Pataki’s package will not be necessary. Here is a selective review of some of these
restorations and the legislative revenue package:
Program Restorations:
Education/Higher
Education
·
Restores $698
million in cuts to local school aid -- Governors Budget originally cut $1.2
billion
·
Restores funding
for Pre-kindergarten and Class Size Reduction
·
Restores $262
million in funding for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
·
Restores $11
million for the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and 8.2 million for
the SUNY Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
Health Care
·
Restores $633.3
million in funding for hospitals, nursing homes, home care, and pharmacies –
Governor’s Budget originally cut $640 million.
·
Restores $12
million to EPIC -- Governors Budget originally cut 38 million
·
Restores $32.3
million in funding to local health departments -- Governors Budget originally
cut $45.5 million.
·
Restores $5.6
Million in funding for the AIDS Institute – Governors Budget originally cut 9.5
million
·
Prevents the
closure of three psychiatric residential facilities and one facility serving
the developmentally disabled
Seniors
·
Fully restores
funding for senior centers, community services and in home services for the
elderly.
·
Restores $200,000
to the Foster Grandparent Program, slated for elimination in the Governors
budget.
New Revenue Sources
|
New State
Revenue |
FY
2003-2004 |
|
Temporary
Income Tax Surcharge |
$1.7 billion |
|
Sales Tax |
$463
million |
|
Decreasing
Corporate Depreciation Deduction and Closing other Corporate Tax Loopholes |
$248
million |
|
Collect
Sales tax on Products Sold to Non Native Americans on Indian Reservations |
$164
million |
|
Video Lottery
Machines at Race Tracks |
$150
million |
|
|
|
|
New
Revenue Authorizations for New York City |
|
|
Temporary
Income Tax Surcharge |
$600
million |
|
Sales Tax |
$115
million |
|
Absentee
Landlord Tax |
$44
million |
|
Assumption
of City Dept |
$170
million |
I strongly
support the underlying premises of the Legislative budget – that State
government has a duty to continue to provide essential services, that New York
State must act to ensure the fiscal solvency of New York City, and that tax
increases are a necessary part of the solution to this year’s budget problems. I will be working hard in the weeks ahead to
ensure that this budget, which protects the future of New York State and New
York City, survives the Governor’s vetoes and is fully enacted.
Rules and Budgetary Reform
Last month, I
introduced fifteen pieces of groundbreaking legislation to reform the State
Legislature. The main objective behind
the package is to modify the rules of the Senate in order to equalize the
playing field, reform the budget process and restore democracy and true
deliberation to the State Legislature.
I will be conducting a series of hearings throughout the state on these
and other proposals for legislative reform in the coming months. The first hearing will take place in Albany
on Monday, June 9th at 10:00AM at the Legislative Office Building,
Hearing Room A. For more information on
the hearing contact Brad Usher in my office at (212) 490-9535.
The sad state of
affairs in Albany is often laid at the feet of the real decision-makers – the
‘three men in a room’ who year after year negotiate budgets and decide which
issues will be ignored with little or no participation from other legislators
who are elected every two years to make precisely these decisions. While Governor Pataki, Majority Leader Bruno
and Speaker Silver bear some responsibility for allowing this undemocratic
arrangement to persist, they can rightly point out that their role in the
process is largely established through rules, procedures and practices that
have been institutionalized for decades.
As I discussed earlier
in this report, while this years’ unprecedented budget process offered more
opportunities for participation and deliberation than is typical, it still fell
far short of the open process we should have for making such critical decisions
about the future of our state.
My proposed
legislation challenges some of the dysfunctional ways of doing business in
Albany. For instance, one bill, S.4685,
simply requires that members of the legislature be physically present in order
to vote. Currently, if a Senator is
recorded as being present in the chamber at any time during a session day, he
or she can then leave and will be recorded as voting with the Majority on every
piece of legislation. This practice is often referred to as ‘empty seat
voting.’ Requiring members to be
present would open up opportunities for a majority of members to stop bad
legislation from being pushed through by the leadership.
A second reform I
have proposed would involve changing the process by which bills held in
committee can be brought to the Senate floor.
Under current Senate Rules, minority Senators are only allowed up to ten
motions to petition to bring legislation out of committee per session and no
roll call vote is taken. The proposed
legislation (S.4686) would emulate the process in Congress and allow for
motions to discharge at any time, remove the limit on the number of motions per
session and allow members to sign onto motions at any time, making it easier to
build majority support for bringing bills to the floor for debate. A more open motion to discharge process will
go a long way toward allowing legislation that has the support of a majority of
the Senate, but is opposed by the leadership, to have a chance of advancing.
Another bill
(S.4681) would eliminate allowances for members serving as officers of either
house of the legislature. Currently,
State Senators who serve in leadership positions are given a stipend, also
known as a “lu-lu” ranging from $9,000 to $41,500. By repealing the “lu-lu” provision, the Senate leadership’s power
over individual members would be severely decreased. I have refused to accept my “lu-lu” for the current session.
Other proposed
legislative reforms include requiring that all bills and resolutions be open to
co-sponsorship by any member of the legislature (S.4687), prohibiting either
party from limiting debate on any bill or resolution without a three-fifth’s
majority (S.4688), and requiring the legislature to meet daily if it fails to
pass the state budget on time (S.4682).
The State Senate is broken, but it can
be fixed. The key is to build a
coalition of legislators on both sides of the aisle who recognize the need for
change. I am convinced that many of my
colleagues – both Republicans and Democrats – do recognize that need. My experience in Albany has convinced me
that while some of my colleagues are satisfied with their limited role, and
minimal responsibilities, many others recognize that they are not being given
the opportunity to do the job they were elected to do.