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Press Releases

For Immediate Release: August 27th, 2004

Contact: Brad Usher (c) 347-693-4640 (w) 212.490.9535 (f) 212.490.2151

 

***PRESS RELEASE***

 

State Senator Liz Krueger Says Governor’s Vetoes Make a Bad Budget Worse

Cuts Critical Education, Housing and Social Service Programs

 

Albany, NY – State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) blasted the Governor’s vetoes of funding key programs, saying they targeted programs that assist New Yorkers in getting a quality education and meeting basic human needs.  “If the Governor felt the budget was out of balance, there are a number of places he could have cut, such as the $250 million in discretionary spending allocated to the governor for economic development,” said Senator Krueger.  “Instead he targeted programs aimed at keeping seniors in their homes, providing poor New Yorkers an opportunity to go to college, and providing services to at risk populations such as domestic violence survivors and children with autism.”

 

Krueger pointed out that the Governor repeated the Legislatures mistake by not providing any serious analysis of expected revenue.  “We cannot know whether these cuts were needed to balance the budget, because no one has really crunched the numbers.  This is one more reason why we need to require that New York State adopt accepted accounting procedures for balancing our budget,” said Senator Krueger.

 

Krueger pointed to a number of cuts as particularly damaging, including:

§         $6.5 million in HEOP, SEEK, Liberty Partnership and other programs aimed at increasing access to higher education;

§         $21 million in public school and library aid, including $3.1 million for programs supporting disabled new workers;

§         $25 million in operating aid and $500 million in capital programs for CUNY and SUNY;

§         $7.3 million in aid to preserve housing throughout the state;

§         $57 million in capital funding for affordable housing – the first significant increase since 1985;

§         $500,000 in in-home services for the elderly;

§         $250,000 for services for autistic New Yorkers;

§         $38,000 for domestic violence prevention programs.

 

“Once again the Governor has chosen to cut services for students, seniors and New York’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Senator Krueger.  “If the Governor were willing to focus his attention on tax breaks, grants and other forms of corporate welfare, he would not have to target these important programs. We need a balanced budget, but the Governor’s veto messages neither provide the information necessary to evaluate whether these cuts were necessary, nor justify his choice of cuts.”

 

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