“I am proud to announce that we have passed a state budget that finally fully restores the 2011 education cuts known as the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA), delivers a record amount of school aid for our educators and students, and secures a $1 billion middle-class tax cut. Long Island schools and taxpayers have suffered for far too long and I am proud to see us starting to make real progress.

“Unfortunately, despite the tremendous accomplishments in this budget, the process was far from transparent. The ‘three men in a room’ conducted closed-door meetings and exercised their power to strong-arm the Legislature into capitulation. We had mere hours to review bills before voting, and much debate was done under the cover of darkness to mitigate dissent. This is not true democracy and New Yorkers deserve better.”