Making the budget process more open and timely

To end New York's unacceptable string of late budgets, Magnarelli sponsored legislation and a constitutional amendment to reform the budget process (A.1, A.2):

• moving fiscal year start from April 1 to May 1

• enacting a contingency budget if one isn't adopted by May 1

• requiring a two-year appropriation for education aid to help schools plan ahead

Improving the Assembly's legislative process

For the 2005 legislative session, the Assembly - in a spirit of true bipartisanship with the house's minority - adopted a series of internal rules changes that will dramatically improve the way the Assembly operates. The new rules will:

• require a joint conference committee to achieve a more timely state budget

• help ensure a public review of state spending

• institute Tuesday session to allow for greater review and debate of legislation

• provide public access to television coverage of state government including televising Assembly proceedings

Ensuring Empire Zones do their jobs

Empire Zones need to get back to the business of creating jobs and revitalizing struggling communities, and that's why Magnarelli supports legislation (A.6):

• reconfiguring zone boundaries to better assist distressed communities

• requiring the state Department of Taxation and Finance to certify that businesses receiving tax benefits are legitimate

• mandating annual job creation reports

Reducing the Medicaid burden

Last year, the Assembly reached agreement on a plan to have the state pick up the total local cost of the Family Health Plus program, saving Onondaga County taxpayers $2.8 million this year alone.

In the coming year, Magnarelli will work to ensure that the governor uses his influence with the president and Congress to deliver a fairer Medicaid reimbursement rate for New York.

Ending state authority abuses

To end abuses of the public trust by state authorities and public benefit corporations, Magnarelli sponsored a measure (A.3):

• creating a public authority inspector general to oversee authorities

• restricting lobbying on awarding of authority contracts or spending taxpayers' money

Reforming New York's voting system

In order to make elections in New York more efficient and inclusive, the Assembly's comprehensive reform plan will also implement the Help America Vote Act, which would:

• establish standards and a funding system for the purchase of new electronic voting machines (A.5)

• transfer the ownership and maintenance of voting machines from towns and cities to counties to consolidate election administration with county boards elections (A.122)

• implement a new uniform statewide voter registration database (A.121)

• enact a new administrative complaint procedure process for resolving complaints related to voting (A.119)

• require that polling places be accessible to the disabled (A.120)

Closing lobbying loopholes

Billions of taxpayer dollars are at stake when it comes to awarding state contracts - but no one's held accountable for how they're awarded. That's why Magnarelli supports expanding the definition of lobbying to include any effort to influence any public official regarding procurement of goods or services, construction, or the sale or purchase of land, as well as implementation of rules and regulations, tribal state compacts and executive orders (A.9).