Politics on the Hudson

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, put out a victory video touting the on-time budget’s passage and included a few digs at Democrats.

In the video, released this afternoon, Skelos opens with recalling the dysfunction that gripped the Senate while it was being controlled by the Democrats.

“For the past two years, when the state government was controlled by the Democrats, New York was hit with late budgets, increased spending and out of control taxes that drove jobs out of the state,” Skelos said.

He then pivots to taking credit for the passage of $132.5 billion budget that reduces spending and doesn’t include new taxes, which was approved early this morning.

“The budget we passed two days before the April 1 fulfills those promises,” Skelos said. “The budget spends less, taxes less and includes real reforms that will put New York back on the path to economic prosperity.”

Senate Democratic spokesman Austin Shafran responds with criticism leveled at the GOP for closing the Senate’s public galleries to protesters demonstrating against cuts (the Democratic-led Assembly chamber was also closed off to the protests).

“The Senate chamber, which Senator Skelos blocked the public from yesterday, should be a place for bipartisan cooperation and united action, not political attacks. It is our hope the spirit of bipartisanship that gave us an on-time budget will continue and the promises we all made will be promises kept,” Shafran said.

Here’s the Skelos video:

Without much prompting from reporters, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said early this morning that focus in his chamber will turn toward passing an ethics bill, re-approving rent regulations for New York City and a cap on property taxes.

“Clearly an ethics reform bill, keeping homes affordable to people whether they rent or they own,” Silver said after the Democratic-led Assembly approved the final budget bills. “I think those are things that just jump off the page.”

Silver has not committed to whether he would back the 2 percent cap on property taxes that was approved by the Senate on Jan. 31, which has the backing of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The powerful Assembly speaker also gave credit to Cuomo (while also giving a nod to his rank and file conference) for achieving an on-time spending plan.

He said some of the more forceful personalities in the Assembly were “tempered by a strong leader in the governor’s office. That led to this particular budget to be able to function in such a difficult set of our circumstances.”

Silver was the subject of an interesting Times piece on Monday that discussed his seemingly diminished roll in the budget process and the notion that Cuomo, at least this year, was able to gain unusually large concessions from the speaker.

Attention in the Senate could turn to pension reform and reducing the cost of unfunded state mandates on municipalities, Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, said this morning.

The Senate wrapped up voting late last night on the $132.5 billion state budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year. Among the savings in the state budget is a plan to achieve $450 million in state worker concessions. Skelos said the ball is firmly in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s court on those negotiations, which are currently underway.

“I think now it’s an executive function to negotiate with the unions to see if he can bring savings to the state. This is now between him and the unions, but we’re going to do legislatively is pension reform at least from the Senate Republican point of view, mandate relief and costs that are driving up local government and the state,” he said.

Asked about the chances of an ethics package clearing the Senate—where good-government groups and Democrats have claimed GOP lawmakers have balked at that possibility—Skelos said measures would be taken soon, adding that Republican former Sen. Vincent Leibell and the charged Sen. Carl Kruger, D-Brooklyn, would likely have still gotten in trouble.

“I think we want to negotiate an ethics bill that’s fair,” he said. I don’t think one change in the ethics law would have changed what these individuals did, but we are going to move toward an ethics package, there’s no question about it.”

Here’s some video:

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who is not a political ally of Gov. Andrew Cuomo by any means, gave a partial thumbs up to the budget, but said more remains to be seen on the impact of the cuts to local education aid.

From his statement:

Addressing a $10 billion deficit will not come without pain. Many school districts and health care providers face a formidable challenge to absorb significant cuts in funding. When school districts present voters with their proposed budgets in May, we will start to see the impact of these cuts at the local level. In addition, the cuts in health care must be managed to minimize the impact on those most in need of care.

The budget cuts about $1.2 billion in education spending over last year, one of the deep education cuts in history. Cuomo has said the districts can absorb the revenue loss without layoffs by cutting superintendent pay, administrative overhead and seeking concessions from teachers unions.

DiNapoli and Cuomo are both Democrats, but Cuomo declined to endorse him during a tough campaign against Republican Harry Wilson. There was even some talk of Cuomo, then the attorney general investigating DiNapoli’s disgraced predecessor Alan Hevesi in a pension fund scandal, endorsing Wilson over his fellow Democrat.

DiNapoli, in his statement this morning, pledged to perform a comprehensive review of the new 2011-12 budget.

“My office will begin its comprehensive review of the budget and will issue a report soon after the Financial Plan is released by the Division of the Budget,” he said.

Advocacy group Common Cause is decrying the restricted access to the state Capitol Wednesday night that prevented protests from spilling over into the public galleries of the Senate and Assembly as lawmakers passed a series of budget bills.

The lobby of the Senate was closed to visitors and lobbyists; press and lawmakers’ aides could work through. State Police troopers had a strong presence at the Capitol as well. About 300 protestors still demonstrated over the cuts to education, health care and in favor of a tax on millionaires throughout the public areas of the Capitol Building.

Common Cause, in a statement, says the state violated the constitution in disallowing the public from viewing the proceedings.

“The virtual lock-down of the State Capitol last night to prevent ordinary citizens from observing their elected representatives in person conducting what is supposed to be the people’s business offends all notions of good government and civic engagement and was plainly in violation of New York State Constitution. Locking the public out of public sessions of the Legislature would be objectionable at any time, but is even more so during the debate on this year’s budget bills. Given the financial challenges our state faces, the budget bills are arguably the bills which will have the most immediate and direct impact on millions of New Yorkers. It is outrageous that the Legislature is so frightened of ordinary New Yorkers that they will not allow anyone other than staff and the press to observe the debates in person. Not only does this fly in the face of long-standing American tradition, it violates Article III, Section 10 of the New York State Constitution. That section provides in relevant part: “The doors of each house [of the Legislature] shall be kept open, except when the public welfare shall require secrecy.” There is no question that the sessions were not secret; members of the press were able to observe and the sessions were webcast and broadcast. There is no justification for the Legislature’s conduct.

The business community is cheering the passage of a more or less early 2011-12 state budget this morning, which includes the creation of economic development councils and the repeal of a tax on industrial development agencies.

Among the highlights for businesses:

No new taxes;

Reduction in overall state spending by 2 percent;

Education and Medicaid spending caps;

Creation of Regional Economic Development Councils;

Merger of state agencies;

Repeal of the industrial development authorities tax;

Two-year suspension of diesel retrofit requirement; and

Creation of the Recharge NY Power Program

Rochester-based Unshackle Upstate said Gov. Andrew Cuomo was “leading by example.”

“For the past two years, we have been very clear that our elected officials cannot and should not continue to spend beyond their means and balance the budget with more taxes and fees. Finally, we have a governor who is willing to lead by example and legislative leadership who share and support his vision for a stronger New York,” said Brian Sampson, executive director of Unshackle Upstate. “By capping education and Medicaid spending and establishing Regional Economic Development Councils, this budget sends a powerful message that New York is on the road to recovery.”

Andrew Rudnick, the president and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, said the spending plan was imperfect, but much better than past budget years that included new taxes. The 2010-11 fiscal year budget was one of the latest in the state’s history.

“This agreement, though not without ‘issues’, is the best we’ve seen in ages,” said Andrew J. Rudnick, president and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. “We described last year’s budget as ‘hostile toward employers’, and blasted 2009’s for adding some $9 billion in new and increased taxes. This budget goes a long way toward addressing the transgressions that occurred in each of those two years, and in the decade before that. And after April 1, we’re ready to support efforts to address the remaining policy issues that were left out of the budget but remain necessary to put New York really back on track.”

Citizens Union Executive Director Dick Dadey is disappointed that the 2011-12 tentative budget includes funding for the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, also known as LAFTOR, which is the traditional mechanism for redrawing legislative districts.

The good-government advocates want an independent commission to redraw legislative districts. Advocates have long contended that the state and federal legislative districts are drawn to provide job security for incumbents.

District lines must be redraw every 10 years based on the most recent census data. The new districts must be drawn in time for the 2012 elections.

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, has hedged on the redistricting issue. His conference holds a narrow two-seat majority and, given the demographics of New York, an independent redistricting could hurt the GOP.

From Citizens Union:

What is also hard to fathom is that an overwhelming number of legislators made campaign pledges – a majority of members in both houses – to create an independent redistricting commission in time for the 2012 elections, and a growing number of legislators support either Governor Cuomo’s redistricting reform legislation to create an independent commission, or other reform legislation introduced by Senator Michael Gianaris, Senator David Valesky, and Assemblymember Hakeem Jeffries. In the Assembly, Governor Cuomo’s bill now has the support of a majority of members. By extending LATFOR in the state budget, legislators will be voting to continue the current system rather than enacting these important reform measures.

The Republican-led Senate and Democratic-controlled Assembly rolled along at an unusually quick pace today, tackling several budget bills in an attempt to reach the first early state budget since 1983.

In the Assembly, lawmakers there voted on budget bills pertaining to state operations, capital, revenue and public protection/general government.

In the Senate, public protection and general government, revenue and capital projects were taken up.

That still leaves the big measures like health and mental hygiene, in addition to education and family services, all of which include deep cuts.

The Legislature is expected to work through the night on the budget.

Assembly Joseph Morelle, D-Irondequoit, Monroe County, a key ally of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, summed up the feeling amongst lawmakers: “If someone had suggested just a few months ago that you would get a budget on time, cut taxes, no new borrowing, get bipartisan support from all over the state, you would have thought it some sort of fantasy. But here we are. I think this is transformational, I give him a lot of credit.

The last of the problems holding up the major components of the tentative $132.5 billion budget—education and health care—are being finished today, legislative leaders said this morning.

“We should have a final health committee meeting sometime today,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan. “There are a lot of complex issues, clearly a lot of changes, a lot of restorations that had to be done.”

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, said the measures his chamber will be able to vote on immediately include government operations, capital and revenue bills.

He said the education and health-care bills are being printed.

“We’ve got three bills that are ready to go right now,” Skelos said. “We’re ready to complete our job today. We want to complete everything today.”

It remains unclear when revised school aid information will be available. Skelos said the $272 million in cuts restored by the budget agreement will resolve the deeper cuts being made to rural and upstate school districts. The budget would cut $1.2 billion to local education aid.

“We’re going to have a reasonable distribution so it’s more in terms of old shares,” he said. “The cuts will be by those traditional shares. Not everything will be restored, but it will be back up to the traditional shares.”

The goal is to get everything finished by midnight tonight, thus giving the state an early budget. If passed Thursday, the state’s budget would be “on time.” If passed Friday, the start of the 2011-12 fiscal year, we’ve got a late budget.

As protest organizers claim thousands of demonstrators will appear at the state Capitol to rally against budget cuts, security in the building has become noticeably tighter.

You can watch the Senate proceedings here.

A State Police trooper stood guard this morning outside of the Senate chamber armed with a TASER. The Senate’s sergeant-at-arms officers closed the Senate gallery, the area that allows the general public to observe proceedings in the chamber. And entrances and exists have been restricted to the hallway outside of the chamber to two doors on either side.

A Senate official said a metal detector was broken, which required the restricted access to the floor.

Officers are checking press and other staffers for official credentials.

The tighter security comes as protestors plan hours of demonstrations around the Capitol Building. Billy Easton, the executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education, said 70 pizzas are being ordered to feed hungry protestors.

“It’s the largest pizza order in the state Capitol’s history,” Easton said.

It remains unclear what protestors plan to do. A news release sent Tuesday promised a 12-hour-long “sleepover” at the Capitol, with demonstrations against cuts to education and health-care services.