Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos on Monday said he wants the Legislature to pass a cap on school taxes. Under the proposal, school districts would not be able to increase taxes more than 2.5 percent or slightly more than the inflation rate, whichever is lower.
It’s a good idea, and we support capping spending growth, but to suggest that now is the time to do it is ridiculous.
In this area, most school districts have cut spending, but their proposed budgets also call for small tax increases. The biggest problem, of course, is that the districts have been given no indication from the Legislature what to expect for state aid next year.
So, since the rate of inflation was zero last year, given the economic recession, the Senate Republicans’ 11th hour proposal would effectively require school districts to have budgets with 0 percent tax increases for 2010-11.
Skelos said he’d like to have the new law signed before May 18, the statewide date for school budget votes.
But school districts have already spent months trying to come up with budgets, and the state-mandated deadline for holding public budget presentations begins in only two weeks.
Does anybody in Albany really believe that school districts can go back and rearrange their budgets before the public votes on May 18?
ALBANY (April 27, 2010)—The New York State Senate Transportation Committee today moved legislation sponsored by Sen. Aubertine (S.4277) that would allow all-terrain vehicle riders to legally register and ride side-by-side ATVs on trail systems throughout the state. The committee voted 16-1, meaning the bill—which has an Assembly sponsor—will be eligible for consideration soon on the Senate floor.
“These vehicles have grown in popularity and under current law cannot be registered,” Sen. Aubertine said. “Moving this legislation out of committee today is a critical step to seeing this bill signed into law this year. Many enthusiasts are using these vehicles on the trails and registering them in other states because they want to be in compliance with the law in some way, even if our current laws do not recognize these vehicles.”
Law enforcement officials and riders from across the state, including Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, have asked Sen. Aubertine to carry this legislation. It would limit ATVs to 70 inches wide and increase the dry weight limit for ATVs from 1,000 lbs to 1,500 lbs, making side-by-sides and other utility terrain vehicles used on farms and for work purposes legal for registration with the state Department of Motor Vehicles. Like other ATVs, these vehicles would remain limited for use on trails and private property.
This increased weight limit for these slower vehicles would increase revenues brought in by registrations, open up markets for these vehicles and clear up confusion for law enforcement.
“This is the right thing to do for riders, for law enforcement and for our economy,” Sen. Aubertine said. “The weight limit in statute now does not cover side-by-sides and it should. These vehicles are used on our farms, enable seniors to enjoy the outdoors and allow families to bring younger riders out to enjoy the trails. We should not exclude these vehicles from the trail systems open to ATVs or deny owners the chance to register their vehicle. Pennsylvania registers these vehicles and we should here in New York State as well."
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Senate passes legislation to include information on agriculture businesses in state promotions
ALBANY (April 26, 2010)—A bill passed by the New York State Senate today would ensure that the state’s “I Love New York” tourism promotion campaign shows love for the state’s agricultural industry.
“Agriculture and tourism are two key components in our state’s economy, both of which we have been working to promote more and more,” said Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “Including agricultural tourism in the I Love New York campaign will bolster both industries and help highlight the too often forgotten cornerstone of our economy in New York—the farms and agricultural businesses that support jobs statewide.”
The legislation (S.6673) passed today would authorize state agencies, including the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, to develop a program to promote and distribute statewide and regional guides featuring farms, farmers’ markets, wineries, harvest festivals, and other agriculturally significant tourist destinations. These guides could include but not be limited to already developed Ag & Markets guides.
“Agriculture should be at the forefront of our economic development efforts and this legislation recognizes the importance of our farms and agriculture businesses,” said Sen. Aubertine, who is also chair of the Senate Upstate Caucus and Legislative Commission on Rural Resources. “By promoting our farms, markets and other agricultural businesses as destinations for tourism within New York State, we are promoting local food and growing the customer base for our locally grown and locally made products.”
This legislation will ensure that when people are looking for travel information they are provided with information about agricultural guides in the area they are interested in, which will expose them to the many aspects of New York’s agriculture industry. The cost of this bill is expected to be contained within the current costs of printing already being incurred through the “I Love New York” program.
Agriculture is the foundation of our state’s economy, with about $4.5 billion in gross receipts in 2007, and about 25 percent of the state’s land is used for agriculture. The economic impact goes much further, with that money turning over in rural communities many times over. Many farms, however, are experiencing extreme hardships and are fighting for their survival. Since 1980, more than 12,000 farms have gone out of business in New York. To put this into perspective, every day over the past three decades in New York State, at least one farm has gone out of business—more than 400 every year.
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William Gheen, head of the conservative, anti-"amnesty," anti-illegal immigration group Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), spoke at a Greenville, S.C. Tea Party rally this weekend and called for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to "come out of that log cabin closet." According to Gheen, being gay is "a secret that Lindsey Graham has."
Gheen told the crowd: "I hope this secret isn't being used as leverage over Senator Graham, so today I think Senator Graham, you need to come forward and tell people about your alternative lifestyle and your homosexuality."
"Barney Frank is more honest and brave than you," Gheen continued, referring to the openly-gay Massachusetts congressman.
ALIPAC has posted the video titled "US Senator Graham is Gay" on YouTube, where various news outlets have covered it.
ALBANY (April 21, 2010)—Farmers from across New York are applauding the Senate Agriculture Committee’s decision to vote down the Farmworker Fair Labor Practices Act (S.2247B), saying the bill would have devastated their businesses and in fact, limited the earning potential and job opportunities for farm laborers statewide.
“We really appreciate the efforts of Senator Aubertine to make sure the Ag Committee did the right thing and I look forward to his continued fighting on our behalf,” said Douglas W. Shelmidine of Sheland Farms, a dairy farm partnership with his father and brother in the town of Ellisburg, Jefferson County. “It was a good thing that happened. Senate leadership in the Ag Committee came through and won the day. The efforts of Senator Aubertine and Senator (Catharine M.) Young made the difference.”
“I’m very pleased that Senator Aubertine and the Senate Agriculture Committee put forth a very bipartisan effort to look at what they were voting on and do the right thing,” said Cathy Martin of John B. Martin & Sons Farms Inc., and president of Monroe County Farm Bureau. “For the entire Ag committee, it shows a great deal of respect for all parties involved and the taxpayers of New York State by working together to do the right thing.”
Kevin Bowman of Bowman Orchards, an apple grower in Clifton Park in Saratoga County said: “Needless to say we’re extremely happy the Ag Committee did the right thing. The chainsaws were sharpened and we would have been removing many acres of trees from production that will now remain in production.”
“This is certainly good news and we really appreciate Senator Aubertine’s leadership in opposing this legislation which would have been a tremendous hardship on farmers at a time like this when we’re already hurting,” said Jon Greenwood of Greenwood Dairy, in the town of Potsdam.
The legislation would have created onerous regulations for farms large and small, regardless of whether they have regular employees or hire a worker when needed. The bill would also require a day of rest provision, time and a half overtime, and collective bargaining. For farms with stable work force needs, these new expenses would force farmers to limit hours or reduce pay to fit within what they can afford.
“We certainly don’t need this legislation and would hurt the very people it’s intended to help,” Mr. Greenwood said. “Despite the number of unemployed, there are not a lot of people looking for farm work. Farmers are forced to pay decent wages and farmers do provide benefits to keep good employees. The proponents pushing this legislation do not understand the farm labor situation and the realities that are out there.”
Mr. Shelmidine added: “It certainly would have caused a lot of hardship and cause farms to have fewer workers or just more disorganization within the workforce as we tried to figure out ways to cope with it. It doesn’t recognize the special needs of agriculture and how we operate.” He also noted that a shortage of reliable workers has resulted in competitive wages and benefits, including regular time off.
According to the USDA, the demand for farm workers has the average wage in New York at around $10 per hour. State law requires farm wages to be at least equal to the federal minimum wage. Mr. Greenwood said that on his farm, in addition to paying competitive wages, he offers his employees regular time off, though there are times when workers put in long hours for longer stretches.
“Our farm workers understand the importance of making hay while the sun shines as the saying goes, and take time off when the weather is off,” Mr. Greenwood said. “We do understand the need to be at their kids’ events and go to the doctor. As farm owners, we’re working alongside our employees and we understand their needs. It’s not like a factory.”
Now that the bill in its current form has failed to make it through the committee process, some farmers indicated that a better approach for advocates would be to start from the ground up working with agriculture interests to develop legislation that is fair to all affected parties.
“We’re pleased with the agriculture committee’s decision and I want to thank Senator Aubertine,” said Peter Martini, vineyard manager for Martini Vineyards and the Anthony Road Wine Company in Penn Yan. “I truly appreciate all he’s doing and the work of the whole committee. We’re not against legislation, but it needs to be more carefully thought out. If they truly want a compromise the only way that can happen is if they come to the table before introducing a bill.”
“I absolutely think agriculture needs to be at the table,” Mrs. Martin added. “This is our livelihood and people are trying to justify laws that won’t necessarily help the people they’re trying to help. Sometimes the best of intentions create something that makes it worse. This bill would have destroyed the ability of farm workers to earn what they want to earn. Farm workers should be at the table too. I appreciate Senator Aubertine and Senator Young standing up for farmers across the state.”
The farmers said they appreciated the thorough process which included hearings in Watertown and Albany, plus roundtables in every region and the collection of input from farmers and other agricultural interests, including farm workers, across the state.
“There were many things brought up at the hearing that were falsehoods and half truths,” Mr. Bowman added. “We want to deal with anything that is an issue, but most of what was brought up was not the reality. It’s just the advocates trying to gain power for themselves at the expense of the residents of New York State. I thank Senator Aubertine and the committee for seeing through the rhetoric that was presented and actually looking into both sides and coming up with the proper conclusion.”
The farmers also commended the committee’s vote in support of the Farm Tax, Fee and Mandate Relief Act (S.6947A), sponsored by Sen. Aubertine.
“It’s a good bill. I think that farming is over taxed and over regulated,” said Mrs. Martin. “We have fees every day and they’re going up 50 percent or 100 percent at times. It may not go on the books as a tax increase, but we’re bearing a larger piece of the burden of paying for state government. I think this bill is a start to helping farmers and I appreciate Senator Aubertine and the committee moving this bill forward.”
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Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's much-an ticipated announcement that he's running for governor could come a week from Wednesday, as he holds a major fund-raiser in Manhattan, sources said last night.
An April 28 announcement makes sense because the large crowd expected at the $1,000-a-ticket Waldorf-Astoria event "will be pumped up expecting to hear something big about the governor's race, and that would be the place to do it," said a well-positioned source.
An announcement that day would also come just two days before the start of the nominating convention of the Democratic Rural Conference, a group with which Cuomo has strong personal and political ties.
Ted Kennedy's replacement in the Senate doesn't appear to be quite as articulate as his predecessor.
It's hard to tell whether NY GOP chairman Ed Cox is living in a Republican fantasy world, or the NY GOP press shop is recruiting writers from The Onion. There's no other way to explain this press release, sent out late in the day, that attempts to pin 44 years of Republican tax increases on the Democrats:Oswego County's Unemployment numbers still are the worst in all of upstate New York. Looks like the Republican Legislature should rethink the Windmill development issue.
They hold more conservative views on a range of issues than Republicans generally. They are also more likely to describe themselves as “very conservative” and President Obama as “very liberal.”
And while most Republicans say they are “dissatisfied” with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as “angry.”
Their responses are like the general public’s in many ways. Most describe the amount they paid in taxes this year as “fair.” Most send their children to public schools. (Paid for by Tax Dollars) A plurality do not think Sarah Palin is qualified to be president, and, despite their push for smaller government, they think that Social Security and Medicare are worth the cost to taxpayers. They actually are just as likely as Americans as a whole to have returned their census forms, though some conservative leaders have urged a boycott.
Senators call on the minority conferences to provide policy alternatives in lieu of just saying “No” ALBANY (April 14, 2010)—State Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine and several of his colleagues have called on Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Conference Leader John Sampson to initiate the conference committee process.
“The fact is the Senate has begun the process and reached out to both the minority conference and the Assembly, but the process has gone nowhere,” Sen. Aubertine said. “We are in the toughest budget crisis this state has ever faced and have passed the deadline. It is imperative that we take the time to get this budget done right as soon as possible, but that should include open and public conference committees.”
In the letter, signed by Sen. Aubertine and Sens. David J. Valesky, Craig M. Johnson, Brian X. Foley, and William T. Stachowski, the Senators note that the passage of Senate and Assembly budget proposals marked the start of the formal process and to date, only one leadership level meeting has been held. The Senators said they believe the process is an appropriate and necessary vehicle for the dialogue needed to bridge the gap between budget proposals.
“We need to put people before politics here and bring everyone to the table,” said Sen. Aubertine, who is chair of the Senate Upstate Caucus. “The Assembly and the Senate, the majority and minority conferences, need to be involved in this process. Our proposals need to be reconciled and the minority conferences which have said ‘no’ need to be more involved and present their policy alternatives now, before the bills are printed.”
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Last week I wrote about a story about a tip I received that Patty apparently has been telling folks that she has been promised $500,000from Senator Skelos. Watertown Mayor Jeff Graham commented on the $500,000 story:
The Democratic operatives who write DaBrinker want to make hay over the fact Patty Ritchie has told friends the Senate GOP has promised her a half million for her bid to unseat Senator Darrel Aubertine. In all fairness, while Team Darrel may want to make that sound she is beholden, the fact is they all are....The nightly register ring at Pete's is more the either party could actually raise locally...The big bucks have to come from elsewhere.
If its only a half million, that may not be enough....The last two times around this district has produced multi-million dollar races.
The Mayor completely missed the point. Sure there are concerns about Long Island Senator Dean Skelos calling the shots in the North Country or that Patty will be a sock puppet with no control of her messaging. But the bigger concern is, if this is true - which is extremely likely, than Patty has proven herself to be a liar. She has lied about who's funding her campaign. It makes you question everything else she has been saying such as: her position on abortion; her claim she'll run a positive campaign; and what she really stands for in general. Patty needs to start telling the truth.
| New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has a 74 - 14 percent job approval rating and commanding leads of 2-1 or more against the little-known Republican contenders in the race for Governor, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. | |
| With 40 percent of Republican voters undecided, former U.S. Senate candidate Rick Lazio leads in a primary for Governor with 34 percent, followed by Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino and Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, each with 11 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. | |
| Cuomo leads in possible general election: | |
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Earlier today, (4/12/2010) we linked to a post that included a variety of way-too-raunchy-for-the-DP (or OD) -to-fully-reprint emails gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino supposedly forwarded all over the place. "Many of the emails included anti-Obama birther claims, and others were just pictures of naked women... Some of Paladino’s emails contain hardcore pornography. One contains a video clip involving bestiality. Other emails display an attitude of misogyny or blatant racism..." said the post by WNYMedia.net.
Stay-at-home training director Michael Cunningham says his career with the Department of Labor slipped off the tracks around six years ago when he complained to the Inspector General’s Office about an e-mail he received from a supervisor encouraging state employees to buy tickets to Gov. George Pataki’s annual prayer breakfast. That’s what Cunningham’s friends and representatives say, too. Cunningham is “working” from home, his assigned office the past 19 months as he faces disciplinary action. He does little more than call a secretary twice a day to prove he’s at his Colonie residence
“His problems go back to the era where it was deeply resented that he helped to expose the prayer breakfast fiasco,” said Assemblyman John McEneny, who said he’s known Cunningham since the 1980s. “I would hope that the public’s outrage is with management. Michael is the victim. He’s been a nervous wreck over this.”
It seems that the Oswego County Legislature, or let us say the Republican members of, turned a cold shoulder to the possibilities of windmill manufacturing and development here in Oswego County. As the Pall-Times said in an editorial, " Rather than exploring the potential benefits, many local lawmakers decided to look at the glass as half-empty, parading around with claims of doom and gloom instead of stopping to think of the potential such a project could have."
