The Remarks Of Speaker Sheldon Silver

Press Conference Regarding Passage Of The Budget

Speaker's Conference Room
Wednesday, April 9, 2008

{As Prepared For Delivery}

Clearly, this was not the best way to craft and complete what is this state's most important statement of policy.

We believe that the Legislature should have under taken and completed a full conference committee process.

Nevertheless, if there is one thing on which we all agree, it is that Governor David Paterson did an extraordinary job in leading us to this final state budget.

For someone who has been Governor for 23 days to step up the way that he did and to deliver a balanced and full funded state budget that was only nine days late - despite the shifting economy, despite the political upheaval - is not merely remarkable, it is a testament to the caliber of leader our Governor, David Paterson, really is and will be for the people of this state.

Still, there is no denying that this was an arduous budget process.

How do you meet the needs of working families in an economy that is in recession? That was the challenge of this budget.

Although they are not the "revenue raisers" that the Assembly Majority promoted, there are taxes in this budget and there are real revenues to pay for school aid and for our restorations.

Given our experience this year, I think that it is clear that we need to develop a more sound tax policy in this state, and my colleagues and I look forward to leading that discussion.

As we have said for years, there a certain moral obligations that this state must honor regardless of where we are in the economic cycle.

The education of our children is one of those moral obligations.

Given the constraints on this budget, it is amazing that we were able to keep the promise to the children in our classrooms throughout this state by increasing school aid by $1.75 billion over last year.

It is amazing that we were able to keep the CFE promise and provide a $534 million increase in Foundation Aid for New York City's public schools.

It is amazing that we were able to keep the Universal pre-K promise and increase the funding by $96 million over last year, enabling this state to provide these valuable early educations programs to up to 121,000 four-year-olds.

Now, we call upon New York City - and all of this state's local leaders - to keep their promises to the children in our classrooms as well.

This budget also honors our moral obligation to provide for the health and well being of our citizens.

We restore $453 million in health-care cuts.

We provide $25 million for S-CHIP to ensure health coverage for each of New York's 400,000 uninsured children and denied the increase in S-CHIP premiums.

We fully restore the $170 million cut to nursing homes, as well as $62 million of the cut to home care.

Recognizing that we must continue to invest in a job-creating, 21st Century economy, this budget restores a portion of the Executive's cuts in the operating aid provide to our state university and city university systems, recognizes their maintenance needs, and invests in strategic projects that will enhance our public colleges, universities and community colleges.

In fact, this budget provides $4.1 billion in capital funding for SUNY and $1.8 billion in capital funding for CUNY as part of new five-year capital plans for each system.

We restore funding to our SUNY and CUNY community colleges.

We restore funding to the Tuition Assistance Program.

We ensure that there will be no tuition increase in the 2008-2009 academic year.

This budget also keeps the promise of the Upstate Revitalization Program by providing $1.7 billion in economic development capital; a billion dollars of which are dedicated to upstate projects originally proposed in the Executive Budget.

We ensure that funding is available for the Regional Blue Print Fund, for the Upstate City by City initiative, and for the New York State Capital Assistance Program.

In addition, we have identified specific capital projects, which we are releasing in a news release this afternoon; projects that include:

• $25 million for the University at Rochester's Clinical and Translational Sciences Building;

• $15 million for neighborhood renewal in the City of Buffalo;

• $13 million for Magna Power Train in Syracuse;

• And $10 million for the Marcy NanoCenter in the Mohawk Valley.

Recognizing that a strong workforce requires decent and affordable housing, this budget adds $200 million to fund affordable, supportive and workforce housing opportunities across this state.

Included in our affordable housing program is:

• $54 million allocated to the State Housing Finance Agency to support its Mitchell-Lama Rehabilitation and Preservation program and all affordable housing programs;

• And $25 million for the Assembly's "Sub-prime Foreclosure Prevention Services Program to provide counseling and legal services to homeowners going into default.

This has indeed been an interesting four weeks.

Now, however, I am optimistic and confident that - with Governor Paterson's leadership - we will move forward to make this a successful and productive legislative session … by advancing an agenda that is dedicated to improving the quality of life for working families throughout this state.

Our conference priorities include:

• Job creation and economic development;
• Continuing protections for those home buyers who are the victims of predatory lenders;
• Enhancing the minimum wage;
• Providing paid family leave for this state's hardworking families;
• A fully funded Road and Bridge Plan;
• And a fully funded MTA Capital Plan.

On that note, let me close by saying that I applaud Governor Paterson for naming Richard Ravitch to lead a commission that will be developing a plan for the future funding of the MTA.

I spoke to Governor Paterson and to Richard Ravitz, and pledged that the Assembly Majority will work with them to find a solution to funding the MTA in the long term.

That said, I will take a few questions.