News from Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb
Assembly Office:
933 Legislative Office Building • Albany, NY 12248 • (518) 455-3751
District Offices:
607 West Washington Street • Suite 2 • Geneva, NY 14456 • (315) 781-2030
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For Release: IMMEDIATELY, June 28, 2013
Contact: Doug Finch, (315) 781-2030
2013 Legislative Session - Unfinished Business Remains
Legislative column from Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,C,I-Canandaigua)

Now that the 2013 legislative session has concluded, we have an opportunity to look back on the activity in Albany since the beginning of the year. In this week's column, I want to share with you my overall assessment of the Legislature's activity, and outline some of the positive outcomes that were achieved, the unfinished business that needs to be addressed and mention a few initiatives that were simply wrong for New York State.

PRODUCTIVE AND POSITIVE POLICY ACHIEVEMENTS

As legislators engage in important conversations with individuals and families in their home districts, they can discuss a number of productive and effective legislative items that were enacted this year. I am proud to have supported and developed policies that help move New York in the right direction. We can celebrate hard work that resulted in positive outcomes that:

  • Passed an on-time state budget for the third consecutive year and held the line on government spending growth.

  • Restored $90 million to protect the critical programs and services for the state's developmentally disabled community.

  • Extended the Middle Class Income Tax Cut until 2018 to ease the tax burden on New York's hard-working families.

  • Provided $20.8 billion in total School Aid, a $936.6 million increase from last year, allowing schools to continue to provide quality student programs and services.

  • Included a $4 million increase in library aid from last year to help bolster local libraries - some of our most important educational community assets.

  • Enacted the Veterans Employment Act, which directs all state agencies to hire from the Veteran temporary hiring list whenever possible. This measure expands the job opportunities available to the men and women who served our country.

  • Created the Hire-A-Vet Tax Credit for businesses that hire veterans, making it easier for military men and women to find employment and helping business owners who provide jobs to veterans.

  • Helped New York State's farmers by reducing the limit on how much property taxes can rise on agricultural lands. In previous years, farmers could have seen their land assessments rise by as much as 10%. This new legislation limits any potential property tax increase to 2%.

  • Increased Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) funding by $75 million over last year to ensure municipalities have appropriate funding to conduct important improvements to local roads.

  • Established the START-UP NY Program, an economic development initiative which provides tax breaks and financial incentives to new businesses locating near college campuses.

WRONG PRIORITIES TAKE NEW YORK IN THE WRONG DIRECTION

There are wins and losses in every legislative session. I'm proud that the Minority Conference supported measures that create jobs, provide economic relief for New Yorkers, and cut the onerous taxes and mandates facing families, businesses and localities. Unfortunately, misguided priorities of other legislators resulted in bills that are simply bad for New York State. For example, this year lawmakers in the Assembly:

  • Hastily enacted gun-control legislation with the NY-SAFE Act, which infringes on the Second Amendment Rights of law-abiding gun owners, and used a closed-door process that completely ignored public opinion.

  • Raised the state minimum wage above the federal level, creating a competitive disadvantage with other states, skyrocketing labor costs, and potential job losses for New York businesses.

  • Increased taxes and fees by $661 million this year and by more than $11.3 billion over the next five years.

  • Extended for four more years, the temporary 18-A energy tax, which was set to expire in 2013, costing families and businesses another $1.7 billion.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS DEMANDS OUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION

Despite big ideas and big announcements, many major priorities failed to move through the Legislature and become law. There were opportunities to move great distances, but most of the legislative accomplishments only qualify as small steps. When the second half of the two-year legislative cycle resumes, lawmakers should act on important agenda items that went ignored. New Yorkers lost out this year because the Legislature:

  • Failed to enact "The Public Officer's Accountability Act of 2013" - comprehensive anti-corruption legislation unanimously supported by the

  • Minority Conference, which creates new crimes and penalties for convicted public officials, implements term limits on legislative leaders, reforms campaign finance requirements, and creates a new, independent public integrity unit to oversee the activity and conduct of government officials.

  • Did not enact the individual provisions contained in the "Women's Equality Act" - a measure that addressed women's issues such as workplace harassment, protections for victims of domestic violence, and pay equity.

  • Did not legalize Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to bring revenue and jobs to Upstate communities, despite more than 60 bill sponsors and bipartisan support in the Assembly. New York remains the only state not to sanction MMA.

  • Did not enact reforms that would restrict the ability of welfare recipients to use public assistance money for the purchase of alcohol, tobacco, and lottery tickets or the ATM withdrawal of benefits at casinos, liquor stores or strip clubs.

  • Failed to repeal the burdensome and costly Wage Theft Prevention Act annual notice requirement - an unnecessary mandate on businesses that cuts into their bottom lines and makes growth and job-creation more difficult.

  • Did not enact broad-based mandate relief for our localities or school districts to reduce the crippling property tax burden facing New York's businesses and families.

  • Did not enact Brittany's Law to create a registry of violent offenders, which is designed to protect the safety of children, families and communities.

  • Failed to streamline state government operations by merging the day-to-day operations of the Thruway Authority with the Department of Transportation.

LOCAL LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS

I'm happy to say that there was good news for Finger Lakes residents. In addition to the positive outcomes mentioned above, legislation addressing the specific concerns in our home region was passed that will:

  • Authorize Ontario County to apply to the federal government to obtain Foreign Trade Zone benefits to further promote economic development and job creation in the Finger Lakes Region.

  • Legalize rifle hunting in Ontario County, making our expansive natural resources more appealing to sportsmen and conservationists.

For our local legislative to-do list, I will continue to fight for measures that improve our local economy. Specifically, I am committed to advancing legislation that allows Cayuga and Seneca counties to receive state reimbursement for property taxes that the Cayuga Indian Nation refuses to pay.

These uncollected taxes create an unfair financial burden on our local counties, and inhibit the ability to provide quality services and programs upon which Finger Lakes residents rely.

Moving forward, Albany should be doing everything in its power to demonstrate that it truly supports New York's small businesses, listens to constituents and that political dysfunction is a thing of the past. We need a greater commitment to passing meaningful legislation that addresses the needs of individuals and families in the Finger Lakes Region and across the State.

To do any less is a disservice to the legislative process and to the people who elected us. I look forward to meeting with local citizens and continuing to find solutions for the issues that are most important to Finger Lakes families.

What do you think? I want to hear from you. Send me your feedback, suggestions and ideas regarding this or any other issue facing New York State. You can always contact my district office at (315) 781-2030 or email me at kolbb@assembly.state.ny.us.