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Legislator Says State’s Budget Is “Take It Or Leave It” Matter
At the Community Board 18 meeting held at the King’s Plaza community room last Wednesday, January 19, State Senator Carl Kruger explained that Governor George Pataki recently won a court case against the State Legislature that will forever change the way the budget is modified by our lawmakers. According to Kruger, Governor Pataki recently sued the legislature over its right to amend his budget and a court of appeals ruled in the governor’s favor. The court ruled that a state budget can either be accepted or rejected by the legislature, but not amended. “It appears to be a doomsday budget,” said Kruger. “The budget has devastating affects on the citizens of this city because it will affect college aid, hospitals, schools, assisted living for seniors and non-profit organizations.” The senator went on to say that there is almost nothing we, as citizens, can do to change the budget because the government will only allow for a full-on approval or a full-on disapproval, but nothing in-between. It’s likely that the legislature will reject the current proposal but their lips are sealed when it comes to recommending any changes to it. In the past, representatives in Albany had every right to propose amendments to a budget, which would then either be passed or vetoed. But the recent court decision has changed all that. Kruger explained that only the governor’s office will be responsible for making changes to a budget once it is rejected by the legislature. This would mean that it can only pass once the governor’s office finally creates a budget that is totally satisfactory to the people. “We are now at the point where we can only accept or reject a budget with-out any opportunity to reach some common ground,” explained Kruger.” “This decision has drastically changed the way our budget will be established,” he concluded.
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