Photo Courtesy of Sen. Addabbo’s Office
“There is still time for my constituents to have input on budgetary issues before a final vote on the spending plan is taken,” Sen. Addabbo said.
By Forum Staff
Even with the Monday, April 1, budget deadline fast approaching, State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said this week that the annual dance isn’t “over until it’s over.”
“[T]here is still time for my constituents to have input on budgetary issues before a final vote on the spending plan is taken,” Addabbo added. “In the end, I look forward to enacting a 2019-2020 New York State Budget that will meet the most pressing needs of our state’s residents, and particularly our most vulnerable populations, in a compassionate but fiscally responsible manner.”
The senator noted on Thursday that the process of “fine-tuning” the State spending plan has begun. Both the State Senate and Assembly have put forth their own specific visions of a 2019-2020 budget through their respective one-house budget resolutions, according to Addabbo. They have proposed changes and additions to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed Executive Budget, which was released in January, with the purpose of adopting a final spending plan by Monday. The joint public hearings on all aspects of the plan will solicit input from the public, non-profit organizations, union members, the business community, local governments, and other Empire State stakeholders. Once the hearings are completed, the Senate and Assembly develop and pass their own one-house budget proposals, which are used as blueprints for final negotiations, Addabbo noted.
The senator also said that he has personally identified a number of priorities that he wants to see addressed in the final 2019-2020 State Budget, including increased funding for education, additional aid for senior citizens and public health programs, tax relief for low- and middle-income families, assistance for veterans, adequate funding for environmental protection programs, mobile sports betting and support for small businesses.
