Senate ensures budget invests in education, job creation
The 2008-09 state budget makes important investments in education, health care and job creation, yet still spends hundreds of millions of dollars less than the one presented by the governor in January. For my colleagues and I in the Senate, protecting taxpayers was our number one priority, and we succeeded. We said no to a massive increase in personal income taxes.

MARY LOU RATH New York State Senator

We said no to an increase in car registration fees. We said no to higher gasoline taxes. We said no to new health insurance taxes. And we said yes to across-the-board spending cuts in state government.

The Senate rejected a plan that would have shifted a larger share of the costs for certain programs to counties, that would have added $83 million to the local property tax burden. We also rejected a plan that would have shifted $46 million in new costs to school districts. All of these actions in the budget, initiated by Senate Republicans, will help limit the pressure on local property taxpayers.

This budget also achieves the goals we set out in education. It delivers dollars directly into the classrooms, providing resources to students and the teachers who educate them. It includes a record $1.8 billion increase in school aid and ensures the funds are distributed fairly to our local schools.

New York spends the most money in the country per pupil. Now we must continue to work to improve results and strengthen accountability to ensure our children are getting the most education for our dollars. Educating and training young people so they can enjoy successful careers is critically important for our future.

To help create new jobs, the budget includes more than $1 billion in capital investments for businesses, and to fund capital improvement projects at SUNY and CUNY, as well as important improvements to housing and state parks. These investments will continue our successful partnership among the private sector, higher education and state government to help revitalize the economy for the future.

The new budget also addresses challenges we faced regarding investments in health care. The budget restores $245 million in health care funds, including $168.9 million directly to hospitals, nursing homes and home care. This budget will help ensure that patients receive the treatment they need and the prescription medication they require. It focuses on prevention and ensures that quality health care is accessible to everyone.

As we negotiated this budget, the Senate paid the most attention to the taxpayers who pay for state spending. They must come first, and that is why we rejected taxes that would negatively impact our citizens. In this time of growing economic hardship, fiscal responsibility and accountability are critical to moving our state forward.