Politics on the Hudson

Death and taxes are the only two certainties in life, and both issues are on Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno’s priority list for the remaining 12 session days before the Legislature breaks. The GOP-controlled Senate wants $200 million in additional property-tax rebates for low-and middle-income senior citizens, and it wants a death penalty law for cop killers.

Bruno, R-Brunswick, Rensselaer County, wants the topics on the agenda at the now-weekly meeting that includes legislative leaders, the governor and Lt. Gov. David Paterson. It is scheduled for Wednesday.

This is the letter:more->

June 4, 2007

Governor Eliot Spitzer
Executive Chamber
Albany, N.Y.

Governor Spitzer:

With just 17 calendar days and 12 legislative session days left in
the 2007 session, it is critically important that we set priorities for
what we want to accomplish on behalf of the people of New York, and engage
in a public discussion of those priorities so we can achieve a positive
result.
The Senate Majority has made our priorities clear: we must strengthen
the state’s economy and create new jobs. The Senate has passed its Upstate
Now agenda that would help achieve these goals. We want $200 million in
additional property tax rebates for middle and low income senior citizens
to help them afford their property taxes so they can stay in their homes.
And we have passed a bill to enact the death penalty for criminals who kill
police officers.

On behalf of the Senate Majority Conference, I am requesting that
these issues be included on the agenda for the public leaders’ meeting
scheduled for Wednesday, June 6, 2007.
All of us agree that creating jobs, especially upstate, is important.
Yet, we’ve barely touched on the subject during the leaders’ meetings. We
have yet to discuss increasing property tax relief for seniors. And, even
though you agree with the Senate’s bill to enact the death penalty for
killing a police officer, you have allowed the Speaker to simply dismiss an
issue that merits additional debate during the leaders’ meetings.

The Senate has cooperated with you by passing legislation that
relates to your priorities: violent video games, healthy schools, power
plant siting and expanding the DNA databank. Public legislative conference
committee meetings on three of those issues begin today.
I again request that you place jobs and the economy, property tax
relief for seniors and the death penalty for killing a police officer on
the agenda for the Wednesday leaders’ meeting. These are very serious
issues that deserve a public discussion by the leaders of this State. I
look forward to your response as we set the agenda for this week’s meeting.

Sincerely,

JOSEPH L. BRUNO

 
 
 
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