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Assemblyman Jeffrion L. Aubry Reports to the People |
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Budget Highlights
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HEALTH CARE
The budget includes a soft cap on the growth of local Medicaid costs, along with an acceleration of the state takeover of the Family Health Plus program costs. The Assembly originally proposed a hard cap on Medicaid growth – which would have provided New York City with more than $690 Million in savings starting next year. The Governor’s compromise provides $523 Million next year, a step toward easing the burden Medicaid places on local taxpayers. Other steps to ensure quality health care while protecting taxpayers include, but are not limited to: increasing efforts to collect $20 Million in rebates owed the state by pharmaceutical companies; and creating a preferred drug list that protects consumers by giving physicians the final say in prescribing medicine. The budget agreement also dramatically cuts the out-of-pocket expenses that the Governor sought to impose on Family Health Plus enrollees through significantly higher co-pays, as well as the Governor’s attempts to cut basic benefits like vision, dental and hospice care. Instead, the Legislature agreed to only modest co-pay increases, such as the generic drug co-pay from $1 to $3 – the Governor had proposed a $10 co-pay. |
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EDUCATION
The spending plan will provide over $848 Million more in funding to public schools than last year – approximately $354 Million more than the Governor proposed. One of the most important jobs we have as state legislators is to adequately fund our schools. The budget provides $327 Million more for New York City schools. The Legislature restored the Governor’s cuts for various expense-based aids, funds that local schools already spent in anticipation of state reimbursement, including educating students with disabilities. The plan adds hundreds of Millions of dollars to the city’s education budget, increasing the city’s building aid by 5 percent. The budget addresses inequities in the state’s building aid formula that have shortchanged the city, leaving our schools with far less aid than they are entitled to for ensuring students have an opportunity to learn and achieve greater academic success. |
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HIGHER EDUCATION
The bipartisan budget rejected the Governor’s $500 SUNY and $250 CUNY tuition increase and his plan for automatic tuition hikes each year. I have worked with the Assembly to keep college affordable and defeated the Governor’s proposed tuition hike and annual automatic increases. The bipartisan budget rejects the Governor’s original proposal to cut 50 percent of the Tuition Assistance Program. Other important higher education items in the budget include, but are not limited to: restoring the Governor’s cuts in opportunity programs; creating memorial scholarships for the families of American Airlines flight 587 that crashed in Belle Harbor, New York on November 12, 2001. |
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CFE
The Governor’s latest appeal of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) court ruling to implement a new school financing system will come closer to a resolution when the case goes before the Appellate Division in October. Justice DeGrasse’s CFE ruling ordered the state to provide New York’s high needs schools with billions of dollars more in funding and implement a more equitable school funding formula. Given the poor results of recent English Language Arts (ELA) exams and how poorly students performed in high need areas of New York City, it is important to provide funding from the CFE decision to address the problems of those high need areas. I will continue to work in the Assembly to ensure that this important need is addressed. |
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EMPLOYMENT
The Legislature reached an agreement with the Governor on a comprehensive jobs plan to expand and reform the state’s Empire Zones program and allow each region of the state to use its strengths to compete in the global economy. The plan will improve technology, provide funding to businesses that show job creation potential, and enhance opportunities for expansion across all industries. |
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Legislative Highlights
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DEATH PENALTY
Death Penalty — Struck Down In New York State
Bill to Reinstate the Death Penalty is Defeated in the Assembly Codes Committee
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DEATH PENALTY REPORT
Compilation Of Five Public Hearings Drawing Testimony From 170 Witnesses For And Against State Law
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PUBLIC SAFETY
Rockefeller Drug Law Reform - 2005
Rockefeller Drug Law Reform - 2004
The Assembly Enhances Megan’s Law
Sex Offenders Banned from Using Medicaid to Obtain Viagara
Assembly Extends and Improves Kendra’s Law
Assembly Passes VaSean’s Law
Assembly Passess Bill to Address Excessive Costs of Collect Phone Calls from Inmates to their Families
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AGING
The Assembly passed legislation, which I supported, that would increase income eligibility for the “Over 65” property tax exemption (A.8696) and the real property tax exemption for people with disabilities to $29,000 (A.8697). The bill would allow local municipalities to increase the maximum income for both exemptions from $24,000 to $25,000, effective July 1, rising incrementally to $29,000 over the next five years. Under the measure, eligible seniors could receive a 50 percent exemption on their property taxes. Localities may also grant an exemption of less than 50 percent to senior citizens and people with disabilities whose incomes exceed the local income limit. For example, in a community that has taken this “sliding-scale” option and adopts the $29,000 income maximum, an eligible resident earning up to $33,400 on July 1 or up to $37,400 in 2009 may be eligible to receive an exemption of between 45 and 5 percent based on the sliding scale. I also supported legislation which ensures that seniors enrolled in the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage Program (EPIC) continue to have access to benefits when they reside in a nursing home (Passed Assembly 5/23/05). |
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CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
The Assembly passed legislation which I supported that provides permanent guardianship status for suitable relatives of children when parental rights of the children have been terminated or the children are otherwise freed for adoption and living with the relative or relatives (A.348; Passed Assembly 4/18/05). I also supported legislation that: provides an unlisted telephone number at no additional charge to victims of domestic violence with an order of protection (A.617; Passed Assembly 2/1/05); protects children from child abuse by expanding the list of mandated reporters of such abuse to include clergy and the types of child abuse which must be reported (A.912-A Passed Assembly 5/23/05); and that allows a parent seeking an out-of-home placement for a severely disabled child to retain custody rather than be required to relinquish custody to the county (A.2650; Passed Assembly 4/18/05). |
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SOCIAL SERVICES
The Assembly passed legislation which I supported that: ensures that the opinions and determinations of a public assistance applicant’s treating health care practitioner are given sufficient weight when making disability determinations (A.5402; Passed Assembly 5/17/05); protects certain Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients from being placed in work assignments that could potentially jeopardize their health (A.5445; Passed Assembly 5/31/05); and extends the Food Assistance Program (FAP) until September 30, 2007, ensuring that all those immigrants who are either elderly or victims of domestic violence eligible for FAP but not elgible for federal food stamps continue to receive food assistance (A.7486; Passed Assembly 5/25/05). |
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HEALTH
Timothy’s Law
Emergency Contraception Bill Passed
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EDUCATION
Protecting College Students
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Governmental Reform
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LEGISLATIVE
The Assembly, in its attempt to make State Government more open, accountable, and responsive to the needs of New Yorkers, has made progress on a variety of issues related to reforming and improving the legislative process which includes, but is not limited to: enacting rule changes that ends empty seat voting; instituting Tuesday sessions; clarifying the Rules Committee’s function and making its meetings public; expanding the deadline for bill introductions; and requiring the adoption of budget resolutions in early March to facilitate timely budgets. |
BUDGET
A bi-partisan budget reform agreement was also reached by the legislature by overriding the Governor’s veto of this bipartisan legislation, which moves the beginning of New York’s fiscal year to May 1st (formerly April 1st) to allow for better revenue and spending projections. If a budget is not passed by May 1st, a contingency budget that is equivalent to the budget of the previous year would take effect to ensure state funding until a budget agreement is reached. The reforms would also require a two-year appropriation for education aid that will help schools plan ahead by giving them the information they need, when they need it. The reforms will also create a reserve fund in the State Constitution to ensure education aid can be paid in May and June of each year. |
LABOR
Assembly Passes Four-Bill Pay Equity Legislative Package
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