“The Assembly’s budget proposal was crafted by the downstate interests that have wreaked havoc on upstate New York’s economy for years. The governor’s tax relief proposals, which themselves were not significant, are scaled back even further in the Assembly’s budget. There is no mandate relief whatsoever, without which property taxes will continue to drive families out of upstate. In addition, there is no plan to pay back the education cuts from 2011 (Gap Elimination Adjustment), and our local libraries are not properly funded, creating the risk that our children will not have the resources they need to grow and learn. This is also a bad budget proposal for those who support the Second Amendment of our Constitution, as $3.2 million is devoted to implementing the SAFE Act, and a proposal to legalize crossbows for hunting purposes that the governor included in his budget was omitted here.

“It is also deeply troubling that the Assembly leadership has included controversial issues like college tuition for illegal immigrants, taxpayer-funded political campaigns and medical marijuana. Fortunately, this proposal is not the final product. We will have a chance over the next couple of weeks to fight for measures that provide tax relief for middle-class families and bring decent jobs to upstate New York’s economy.”