Cuomo met with the newspaper for about an hour today after he delivered his budget address in Syracuse. He offered his most extensive comments to date on the technique used with gas drilling, saying a decision on whether to move forward with hydrofracking will be “months” away.

(His hydrofracking comments start around the 30 minute mark of the audio clip at the link above.)

“We’re going to have a decision in a couple of months,” Cuomo said. “The debate has been going on for years, by the way, so it’s not like a few weeks this way or the other is going to make a significant difference.”

The governor’s remarks aren’t inconsistent with those made yesterday by Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens, who told a panel of lawmakers a decision was “months, not years” away.

The DEC is in the process of reviewing some 60,000 comments it received on its proposed permitting guidelines for hydrofracking, a technique used in tandem with gas drilling in which a mix of water, sand and chemicals is blasted deep underground to unlock gas from shale formations.

Cuomo said he consciously slowed down the DEC’s review process of the much-debated technique to allow the agency to collect facts and sift through the “emotion” and “fear.” Those in favor of hydrofracking say it would create an economic boom for the deprived Southern Tier; those against say it could have a considerable negative impact on the environment.

“What I have said consistently is there is a lot of emotion on this topic. A lot of emotion, a phenomenal amount of emotion everywhere,” Cuomo said. “Not a lot of facts, but a lot of emotion on both sides—pro or con.

“I purposely said, let’s slow it down and let’s get some information and science and facts, and let’s make the decision on the facts rather than the emotion.

Cuomo said he’s not concerned that gas drillers will shun the state if the delay in issuing permits stretches on. High-volume hydrofracking has been on hold in New York since the DEC’s review was launched in 2008.

“Oh no, they will come. They will come,” Cuomo said. “I’m not going to apologize for an intelligent decision-making process.”

That’s, of course, if there is a 22nd District. But Danks Burke said in a statement that she plans to run for Congress regardless of what the district looks like and would run against a Republican incumbent.

“I am fortunate to live, work and raise my children in this beautiful region where the Catskills meet the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier stretches into Western New York,” Danks Burke said. “I’m committed to seeing upstate New York rebound into an economically vibrant place for everyone who lives here. I work hard for my community, my clients and my family, and I will bring that same determination and passion to representing the people of New York.”

She is currently chairwoman of the town of Ithaca Democratic Party. She moved to Ithaca in 2004. She said he has already raised more than $100,000 for a run.

Danks Burke is the latest to jump into the race to succeed Hinchey, who is retiring at year’s end.

Gannett’s Albany Bureau reported yesterday that Tompkins County Legislator Nathan Shinagawa may run. Already, Julian Schreibman recently resigned as head of the Ulster County Democratic Committee to run for Hinchey’s seat. Other Democrats mentioned include a few of Hinchey’s current and former aides: Dan Lamb and Dan Ahouse.

Bill Samuels, who was finance chair of the Senate Democrats’ successful 2008 push to take over the majority and helped lead an effort to oust embattled Democratic Sen. Pedro Espada in 2010, told Gannett’s Joe Spector today he would not be getting involved in 2012, blasting both parties for failing to act on an independent redistricting process.

Samuels heads the reform-minded New Roosevelt Initiative, and is part of the Citizens Committee for an Effective Constitution, a bipartisan group dedicated to reforming the state’s constitution. He appeared on our Live from Albany series today. (You can watch the full interview here.)

“I was finance chair in 2008 when the Democrats won the state Senate. They blew it. They had control, they didn’t pass independent redistricting, and both parties therefore have to blame. So I do not plan to be active in the legislative races this year,” Samuels said. “New Roosevelt and effectiveny.org, we’re going to focus on constitutional change because frankly neither party has done it, and we need to go to the people and get them interested in it.”

Samuels was also plenty critical of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has vowed to veto any district lines that aren’t drawn by an independent commission, but hasn’t taken his message on the road like he has with other top issues.

He floated the idea of a constitutional amendment—which Senate Republicans say is necessary to implement an independent redistricting process—that would allow an independent panel to redraw district lines in 2014, and then again each time a new Census is released. All state legislators and congressional representatives face re-election every two years.

“The question is does Cuomo really want to change this permanently,” Samuels said. “I have my doubts, whether they’re all winking at each other. A veto is a wink.”

“We should be going for constitutional amendment taking effect in 2014,” he added. “Right now, that’s what Cuomo should do, and that should be the compromise in the Legislature.”

Here’s a pair of videos of Samuels; the first discusses the 2012 election cycle, the second is on Cuomo’s strategy regarding redistricting.

Shortly after the clip starts, Avella grows frustrated with Nozzolio and asks for his undivided attention. Nozzolio—a Fayette, Seneca County, Republican who co-chairs the Legislature’s redistricting task force—was conversing with an aide.

“Senator Nozzolio, can I have your attention?” Avella asked. “Senator? Can I have your attention while I’m speaking?”

“Continue,” Nozzolio said. “You’re time is running.”

Later, when Avella charged that Senate Republicans “have done something absolutely disgraceful” in gerrymandering district lines to protect their majority, Nozzolio fired back.

“You made a charge, senator,” Nozzolio said. “Where is your documentation? Are you submitting documentation of this charge for the record?”

“Look at my testimony, senator,” Avella said.

Here’s the video, courtesy of NY Now:

Samuels led an effort in 2010 to elect reform-minded Democrats to the state Senate. The group helped defeat scandal-plagued Sen. Pedro Espada, D-Bronx, in the Democratic primary that year.

Now Samuels, son of the late businessman Howard Samuels, who lost the Democratic primary in 1974 to Hugh Carey, is turning his sights on changing the state Constitution. He has started a new group, Citizens’ Committee for an Effective Constitution, to push for constitutional changes.

Samuels has teamed up with Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, and SUNY New Paltz professor Gerald Benjamin to push the effort.

The new website lets people review changes that could be made to the state constitution—such as legalizing gambling and reforming campaign finance laws—and shows how parts of the constitution are outdated.

The last constitutional convention was in 1967, and subsequent attempts to hold one have failed. The last time the state Constitution was changed through a convention was in 1938.

You can watch the interview live at 1 p.m. here.

Cuomo’s mandate relief council—led by Secretary to the Governor Larry Schwartz, pictured—will hit all corners of the state to hold hearings on ways to ease state mandated costs on local governments, a point of contention among local officials.

But while Cuomo’s office released a framework itinerary today, it’s far from final or specific. The schedule lists broad regions—such as the Hudson Valley and Western New York—but doesn’t have specific times or locations.

Here’s the basic schedule, with specifics to be “announced announced closer to the date of the actual meeting,” according to a news release. The hearings will be streamed live here.

Feb. 10 – Long Island
Feb. 23 – Central NY
Feb. 24 – Mohawk Valley
Feb. 27 – Hudson Valley
Feb. 28 – Capital Region
Mar. 2 – North Country East
Mar. 8 – North Country West
Mar. 9 – Southern Tier
Mar. 16 – Western NY
Mar. 16 – Finger Lakes

(AP Photo)

Shinagawa, a Democrat, told Gannett’s Albany Bureau that he’s been talking with local leaders about a run to succeed retiring Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, Ulster County.

“The Ithaca and Tompkins County area, we’re surrounded by freshman Republicans – except for Maurice Hinchey, who is retiring – so no matter what, we’ll need a strong Democratic representative, and I think I might be that guy,” Shinagawa said.

Shinagawa, a California native and hospital administrator, was first elected six years ago at age 22 to the county Legislature.

He is among potential candidates considering a run for Hinchey’s seat, which runs from Ithaca through the Hudson Valley. But as Gannett’s Albany Bureau reported, many candidates have been staying on the sidelines for that seat and others because the state hasn’t released new district lines for its 27 House seats.

Julian Schreibman recently resigned as head of the Ulster County Democratic Committee to run for Hinchey’s seat. Other Democrats mentioned include a few of Hinchey’s current and former aides: Dan Lamb and Dan Ahouse.

Capital Tonight reported that Sean Patrick Maloney, who was embroiled in scandal during his time in the Spitzer administration, may run for whatever becomes of Hinchey’s seat. Republican George Philips is talking about running on the Republican side; he challenged Hinchey in 2008 and 2010.

Brodsky is the long-time critic of the state’s scandal-scarred public authorities and authored the law in 2009 that reformed them and put them under the Public Authorities Budget Office. His favorite line is that they are “Soviet-style bureaucracies.”

“Each board member has a legal obligation to protect the statutory mission of the authority and any attempt to undermine that essentially creates chaos,” Brodsky said today. “If the MTA is there to be a transit agency, it’s not there to be, if you will, a road-building entity or a hospital-building entity.”

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli today warned that Gov. Andrew Cuomo may be looking to undo some of the oversight on public authorities, proposing in his budget to let the roughly 700 authorities transfer money among them.

“This new, broad transfer authorization raises the possibility that an authority may use revenue generated for one program or purpose, such as tolls intended to be used for highway or bridge maintenance, for an entirely unrelated purpose,” DiNapoli’s report states.

Brodsky said that each authority board member, part of the 2009 law, has a “fiduciary responsibility” to act on the behalf of the authority they represent.

Brodsky said such a move by Cuomo could be highly problematic and could put the authorities—which are supposed to be independent of state government—under undue political pressure.

“It’s fraught with dangers that we return to the old system where the governor’s office calls up an authority and tells them what to do with their money,” Brodsky said. “That’s not what the law is. Remember, authorities are not part of the executive branch. They are set up to be independent.”

The Senate approved a resolution congratulating the New York Giants on winning Super Bowl XLVI, beating the Patriots by a 21-17 score in Indianapolis on Sunday.

“From all of us to the New England Patriots and Tom Brady—who would dare say anything negative about a New York team such as the Buffalo Bills—we say, ‘Nice try,’” Skelos said on the Senate floor. “Not quite good enough.”

Skelos said the game brought New York’s football fans together. (Though this bitter Bills fan is glad to point out there’s only one team that plays its home games in New York state.)

“Whether you’re a Jets fan or a Buffalo Bills fan, we were all … Giants fans because we wanted to see the Lombardi Trophy returned to a New York team,” he said.

“If anybody wishes not to sponsor (the resolution), I will then know that you’re probably a Jets fan. But get over it, move on, New York Giants won the Super Bowl.”

Skelos’ comments can be watched below. The resolution can be found here.

Education advocates made their case for the funding increases based on a report released Tuesday that detailed reductions in funding over the past four years.

The report, called “Early Childhood Education: Frozen Funding Leads to Cracks in the Foundation,” highlights the decrease of $67 million in funding for universal pre-kindergarten programs since 2009.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2012-2013 budget provides $384.2 million in funding for pre-k, down from $451.2 in the 2008-2009 budget.

The advocacy groups also called on the Legislature to pass $93 million included in the budget for child care. The $53 million re-purposing would come out of $250 million in competitive grants that Cuomo has included in the budget.

“We came together today because we all believe investing in early childhood education, including pre-k, is one of the most cost-effective investments a state can make to improve school success and close the achievement gap,” said Kate Breslin, the president of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.

Breslin pointed to the report’s claim that children who attend pre-k programs are more likely to attend college as a reason for the funding increase.

Increases in pre-k tuition have forced families to reconsider having their children attend, putting them behind their classmates when they enter kindergarten, advocates said.

“I can’t implore the legislators enough to make this funding a priority,” said Kelly Chiarella, the president of the Westchester-East Putnam Region Parent-Teacher Association.

The $384.2 million proposed by Cuomo is the same as last year, as well as the maximum number of students capable of being served by the money, 104,800. The number of school districts eligible to receive money went down from 444 to 441.

“There’s a lot of talk about competition in education right now,” said Billy Easton, the executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education. “But if we were to hold a competition for the most effective programming possible, early childhood education and pre-k would get to the finish line first.”

Here’s some of Easton’s pitch at the press conference.

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens told a panel of state lawmakers that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal does not seek any funds for additional gas-drilling regulators because of “the considerable work that remains before we finalize our regulatory framework.”

But he acknowledged the possibility that a small number of permits could be issued in 2012 with the agency’s existing staff. The amount of permits, however, would be “extremely limited,” he said.

“It could only be a limited number of permits,” Martens told reporters. “And that’s after we get through the whole process, complete the (permitting guidelines), do the summary of comments. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Martens testified as part of the Legislature’s budget hearing on environmental conservation. Cuomo has proposed to maintain the Environmental Protection Fund’s balance steady at $134 million, and keeps the agency’s staff level at 2,983.

Currently, the agency has 16 gas-drilling regulators. The DEC had previously estimated it would need 140 additional workers the first year it issues permits for high-volume hydrofracking, a technique used with gas drilling that requires a high-pressure mix of water, sand and chemicals.

That estimate is based on 75 wells, the gas industry’s best guess for how quickly it would ramp up production in New York if the state gives hydrofracking the green light.

Before that can happen, however, the state would need to finalize its final report on the much-debated drilling technique. The agency also has to respond to any substantive issues raised in the more than 60,000 comments it received during a public response earlier this year.

Martens told lawmakers the agency’s current staff could conceivably handle only “a handful” of new drilling permits, but declined to put odds on the likelihood of that happening.

Wayne Bayer, a shop steward for the Public Employees Federation, said the union supports a moratorium on hydrofracking because of the agency’s dwindling staff level. The agency has lost more than 800 full-time employees since 2008.

PEF represents about 1,700 scientific and technical workers at the DEC, Bayer said.

“(The union) continues to support a moratorium on high-volume hydrofracking, because the existing staff shortages do not support this labor-intensive mission,” he told the panel of lawmakers.

The ad warns that “some politicians are putting the retirement security of hard-working New Yorkers on the chopping block.”

The ad is the latest by unions to knock the state budget and like the other ones doesn’t mention the popular governor by name—even though the Tier VI proposal is Cuomo’s idea. Cuomo does, after all, have a 74 percent favorability rating.

Sixty-nine percent said in a Siena poll yesterday that they support Cuomo’s push to create a new, less generous pension tier for new state workers.

“Since the economic recession began, middle class New Yorkers have suffered,” said Mario Cilento, president of the NYS AFL-CIO, in a statement. “Wage freezes, layoffs, and givebacks have been all too common. Now, the retirement security of workers is threatened by an ill-conceived Tier 6 proposal.”

The ad is running across the state and calls on workers to call the governor’s office or their state lawmakers. The number listed is the AFL-CIO action line—1-877-255-9417—which puts people in contact with the governor’s office or the legislative office’s switchboard.

Here’s the script and ad:

AFLCIO-R12-01_NoSecret

What’s happening to the middle class?

Income for average families is down. Jobs are scarce. Opportunities working people thought they could count on no longer exist. For many New Yorkers, times are tough. And they could get even tougher.

Because some politicians are putting the retirement security of hard-working New Yorkers on the chopping block.

But going after the pensions of firefighters, teachers, nurses, school bus drivers, police officers – the people we all depend on—is the wrong way to go. It’s time to rebuild the middle class, not attack what’s left of it.

Working New Yorkers have been the backbone of our success for generations. When they suffer, we all pay the price. Call Albany at 1-877-255-9417. Tell them to fight for the middle class and STOP the attack on our pensions.

The ceremony took place Monday night during the organization’s annual legislative conference in Albany.

Piperato was elected to the post by his colleagues, his deputy clerk, Debbie Vobroucek, said Tuesday. There are 62 county clerks in New York state.

The 53-year-old Piperato, a Democrat from Thiells, was elected county clerk in 2005 and re-elected in 2009. He previously served as a deputy county clerk for 16 years.

The Rockland County Clerk’s Office serves as clerk to the County and Supreme courts, and is the custodian of all county records, including the filing, recording and storing of millions of court and real property documents.

The office administers several services, including U.S. passports, U.S. Department of Homeland Security naturalization ceremonies, New York state notary publics, business certificates, pistol licenses and an archives building.

Piperato told The Journal News that to assist customers with accessing records, navigating filing requirements and fees, and understanding application procedures, the office has developed a comprehensive web site, www.rocklandcountyclerk.com.

The site contains instructions, downloadable forms, and links to other sites, as well as free access to view and print records.

In 2008, Piperato launched the FAVOR program to provide discounts for services and purchases to veterans. It has since been adopted by 31 other counties.

In 2009, with other local organizations, Piperato began promoting a series of ongoing workshops for people interested in starting their own small business, offering tips on registering a business, creating a business plan and obtaining financial support. The action was in response to public inquiries for such information, he said.

In 2011, Piperato embraced the electronic filing of records as Rockland became a test site for such filings.

He continues to stress support for e-filing, as he did during remarks to his colleagues Monday.

“We are now clearly at an important turning point in how we conduct business,” Piperato said. “Technology will drive our future and we must be ahead of the curve. So together let us share ideas and look at ways to continue to excel given the current economic conditions.”

His list of priorities for the year include expanding the electronic filing of court records, launching the electronic filing of land records, hosting additional business seminars, increasing organ donor network efforts and developing a FAVOR program in every New York county.

DiNapoli warned in a 70-page report today that Cuomo is trying to gain control over how state money is spent among agencies—even after the budget is passed. Cuomo is also trying to take away the comptroller’s review of many contracts and move the oversight to the state Office of General Services.

But Megna said Cuomo is simply trying to better streamline state services and how taxpayers’ money is spent. He may have also coined a new phrase: “flexibility language.”

“We can no longer abide by the Albany status quo that allows for out of control spending and contracting that wastes taxpayer dollars, Megna said in a statement.

“To avoid cuts in services, local aid or tax increases, the Executive Budget directs State agencies to be more efficient and focuses resources on their core programs and services. The flexibility language will allow for a range of operational measures and will improve functions such as procurement, real estate, and information technology.”

“I think we can be more efficient and at the same time not compromise on transparency and checks and balances,” DiNapoli said.

“The Legislature is part of the government in Albany, and I believe when we appropriate, make a decision jointly with the governor, money should be spent a certain way – that’s the way it should be spent,” Skelos told reporters after this morning’s legislative session.

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli today analyzed the state budget proposal and found that Cuomo would take several steps that would give him some autonomy over how taxpayers’ money is spent—such as letting the executive branch shift money among agencies after the budget is adopted.

The state Legislature is required by law to pass a budget by April 1, which would then need to be signed by the governor.

Skelos also questioned another Cuomo administration move: Letting the Inspector General’s Office have unfettered access to state employees and state officials tax returns through the state Department of Taxation and Finance.

“There should be judicial intervention if in fact there’s thought of a crime being committed,” Skelos said. “That’s the way it happens with all citizens in this state and country.”

“The Executive Budget contains a number of projections that should be considered uncertain, not only because of a vulnerable economy, but also
because of other variables,” DiNapoli’s review of the budget states.

Among the projections noted by DiNapoli:

—Insurance Conversion Proceeds: – The proposed budget anticipates $250 million in the 2012-13 fiscal year, increasing to $300 million annually for the conversion of HIP and GHI, not-profit insurance companies, to for-profit status.
“The conversion process has, in the past, proven lengthy, and funds have not been realized as expected in prior financial plans,” DiNapoli said.
—Public Authority Transfers: The budget relies nearly $100 million in non-recurring revenue from various public authorities to support the
proposed spending plan. This includes the transfer of $65 million in “voluntary contributions” from the New York Power Authority.
—Lottery revenue: The budget expects a 5 percent increase in lottery revenue in the 2012-13 fiscal year, to nearly $2.2 billion, mainly through new revenue from the Aqueduct racino. Revenue from traditional lottery sales continue to slump, though, and required a $128 million bailout from the state’s general fund.
—Native American casino revenue: The budget anticipates $125.5 million in the current fiscal year from the three western New York casinos owned by the Seneca Indian Nation. Next year’s budget estimates $129.3 million, but the tribe continues to withhold the aid—more than $300 million since 2009—because they believe their gaming compact is being violated because of the state’s three racinos in western New York.
—Growth in Income-Tax Revenue: The current budget initially projected a lofty 7.9 percent growth in income-tax revenue. Recently, the state lowered the estimates to 6.8 percent—and that includes an adjustment to account for December’s deal to keep higher income taxes on the wealthy. If it weren’t for the millionaires’ tax, the growth would have been 5.7 percent. The 2012-13 state budget estimates a more modest growth of 4.3 percent from the 2011-12 estimates.
—- State Operations: The budget expects to reduce agency costs by more than $1.1 billion, making up a bulk of the $2 billion remaining budget deficit for the 2012-13 fiscal year. That’s on top of the $1.4 billion in agency and workforce savings expected in the current year.
DiNapoli said: “There is a lack of specificity as to how these savings will be achieved, and the anticipated impact of these reductions on programs and services is unclear.”

Responding to County Executive Rob Astorino’s announcement that his administration is well ahead of schedule on the affordablehousing settlement, Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins says the self congratulations are premature.

The board, the Yonkers Democrat noted, hasn’t seen any report that shows that the county is in the clear on the decree reached with the federal government in 2009 that has had its share of challenges.

“The Westchester County Board of Legislators has yet to see any of the documentation to support the information in the Administration’s Quarterly Housing Report regarding the number of new fair and affordable housing units that are ‘in the pipeline,’ and so it’s difficult to respond accurately to such a simple declaration,” Jenkins said in an email. “The Administration’s self-congratulatory tone in its statement (Monday) needs to be balanced against the fact that the County has been asked by a federal court to answer a set of questions concerning the Administration’s position on source of income legislation passed by the Board, which, according to the terms of the stipulations of the housing settlement, may end up nullifying the settlement and exposing the County to a judgment  of upwards of $500 million.”

In its quarterly report to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the federal monitor, the Astorino administration maintains that 540, or 72 percent, of the required units are at some point in the planning pipeline.

“The county has made extraordinary progress and it is the result of our approach to work closely and cooperatively with municipalities, developers and non-profits around common goals,” Astorino said in a statement released Monday. “This will continue to be the county’s approach until we have fully met our obligations under the settlement. The numbers tell the story.”

The federal housing settlement mandates that Westchester spend $52 million to help build 750 units in mostly wealthy and white communities over seven years. It also sets benchmarks along the way, notably that 200 units have financing and 125 have building permits by the end of 2012. The county expects to meet those goals by spring.

Cuomo spoke out against the idea earlier this year, saying he does not believe the “benefit outweigh the costs.” Proponents say it could create an economic boom for New York wineries and grape growers, while opponents say it would destroy mom-and-pop liquor stores that rely on wine sales to stay afloat.

“New York Farm Bureau has long supported the sale of wine in grocery stores because of the enormous opportunities that it would provide to New York’s wineries and grape growers,” Dean Norton, president of New York Farm Bureau, said in a statement. “Studies have shown that making this common sense modification in state law would create more than 6,000 jobs in wineries and related industries and produce more than $70 million in new sales tax revenue.

“It’s long past time that we remove this barrier to consumer choice and job creation and become the thirty-sixth state to make this important change.”

In a joint news release, the groups—including the New York Wine Industry Association and the state Business Council—play to Cuomo’s love of state history, comparing the wine in grocery stores bill to a 1974 bill signed by then-Gov. Hugh Carey. That bill revamped the state’s permitting system for wineries.

“Governor Andrew M. Cuomo should take the next step to continue this growth and allow thousands of grape growers and small businesses in rural towns to create jobs, by supporting the Wine Industry and Liquor Store Revitalization Act currently in the New York State legislature,” Don Tones, president of the New York State Wine Grape Growers Association, said in a statement.

He said the state is still going through more than 60,000 comments it has received on its preliminary environmental report and it would take “months, not years” to go through them.

Gannett’s Albany Bureau wrote last week about how the comment review has been slowed by the development of “scanning shoulder” by the workers charged with recording the thousands of documents.

Martens also wouldn’t commit, when asked by lawmakers, if and when hydrofracking would commence.

“I don’t want to be presumptuous that hydrofracking is going forward or not,” Martens said.

He said there is no money for hydrofracking in this year’s budget because it hasn’t been determined when it would proceed. But if it does, he said the DEC would need 140 new positions and more than 200 positions by year five.

Here’s the live stream of his ongoing testimony, which started at 9:30 a.m.

In his review of Cuomo’s budget, DiNapoli applauds Cuomo’s ability to stabilize the state’s finances. The Democratic governor’s proposal would close a $3.5 billion deficit for the 2012-13 fiscal year without the bevy of risky moves that had previously wrecked the state’s finances, DiNapoli said.

But DiNapoli warned that Cuomo wants to shift oversight of contracts away from the Comptroller’s Office, give the governor’s office broad powers to unilaterally make spending decisions and shift billions of dollars to scandal-scarred public authorities.

DiNapoli said the proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts April 1 continues the state’s recent trend of aligning revenue with spending.

“This year’s executive budget proposal continues that trend and substantially reduces out-year deficits,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “However, this progress should not be made at the expense of transparency, appropriate checks and balances, and the realistic and necessary safeguarding of public dollars.”

DiNapoli said the budget plan does offer the state long-term financial viability, limiting future-year budget gaps.

But DiNapoli warned that the state’s fiscal condition remains tenuous, citing the state and nation’s weak economic recovery and the European debt crisis. Those factors could result in a decline in federal aid and lower-than-expected state tax revenue.

DiNapoli also said that some of Cuomo’s budget estimates, such as about $1 billion in savings from agency consolidations, isn’t clear.

In the 70-page report, DiNapoli, a Democrat, contended that the authority Cuomo is seeking would increase his hand over the budget process and how and where taxpayer dollars are spent.

The report says that the budget “includes provisions that reduce financial transparency, accountability and oversight.”

Cuomo’s budget, which would require legislative approval, would exempt many agency contracts from the comptroller’s review and approval, which is currently prescribed in state law. Contracts would be centralized within the state Office of General Services.

In another proposal, Cuomo would bypass the Comptroller’s Office review of bidding for at least five major health-related contracts. Some state agreements with Cornell University’s land grant program would be exempt from state finance law, the report said.

The budget, DiNapoli’s report said, also includes language that would give the governor the ability to shift spending among agencies with “minimal oversight or legislative input.”

Here’s the report:

2012 Review of Executive Budget

“If you want to know in 2012 what we’ve got to say, it’s very simple – General Motors is hiring and Bin Laden is dead,” Smith was quoted as saying in a media pool report filed by the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper.

In its quarterly report to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the federal monitor that was released today, the Astorino Administration maintains that 540, or 72 percent, of the required units are at some point in the planning pipeline. Read the report here.

“The county has made extraordinary progress and it is the result of our approach to work closely and cooperatively with municipalities, developers and non-profits around common goals,” Astorino said in a statement. “This will continue to be the county’s approach until we have fully met our obligations under the settlement. The numbers tell the story.”

The federal housing settlement was reached in 2009 and mandates that Westchester spend $52 million to help build 750 units in mostly wealthy and white communities over seven years. It also sets benchmarks along the way, notably that 200 units have financing and 125 have building permits by the end of 2012; the county expects to meet those goals by Spring.

So far, 15 communities including Ardsley, Briarcliff Manor, Cortlandt, Hastings, Larchmont, New Castle, North Castle, North Salem, Pelham, Pleasantville, Rye Brook, Rye, Somers, and Yorktown are at various stages of approval or in construction.

One three-family house in Pelham has residents living in the units.

More than 200 site reviews have taken place across all 31 communities, according to the report. The county has also set up a $2.5 million revolving loan fund to acquire and rehabilitate foreclosures in eligible municipalities. The county expects to an additional 14 units under this program.

But progress hasn’t been easy, in part, because of disagreements with HUD and the federal monitor, James Johnson, on a range of issues, including local zoning and an income discrimination law that Astorino doesn’t support. HUD has also held back millions in community development block grant monies because of differences.

Those disagreements are now being addressed in court.

“Even though that’s going on, we’re continuing to make progress,” said Ned McCormack, Astorino’s senior advisor and director of communications. “It’s important to keep moving … The process is working.”

HUD had no immediate comment today.

Lawmakers, in a meeting that was called to address this matter, won’t back Liberty Lines application to the state to reconfigure a route that covers some stops lost with the elimination of Route 76 line.

The resolution, which passed 10-5 with one Republican supporting it an a Democrat voting against it, merely sends a message to the state Department of Transportation that the county board doesn’t agree with any route changes that don’t encompass all of the lost stops.

“It eliminates bus service to an important area in Rye,” said Legislator Judy Myers, a Democrat from Mamaroneck who represents part of Rye. “There is a great need for this (bus). This is definitely an area that needs to be served.”

Myers and other legislators don’t like that the county executive cancelled a contract with a smaller carrier operating the Route 76 line and that Liberty Lines, the operator of the county-wide system, would only cover part of the line with its changes to the Route 13 line. They were also upset that there was no public hearing.

All the legislators want is for some excluded areas, notably Milton Point, to be covered under a new route, they say.

Legislator Sheila Marcotte, R-Tuckahoe, said while she understood their concerns, this resolution may hurt riders because it could jeopardize all of the modifications. She said the wise thing to do is to talk with Liberty Lines to see if they’ll cover the entire route.

“(It’s) going to hurt the residents they’re actually trying to help,” she said.

Democrats, however, also feel snubbed that Astorino made the changes without consulting them and after they added the roughly $243,000 back into the county’s $1.8 billion budget to continue this service.

Any changes should have been discussed with them, they say.

“The law says there is a process for that and that was not followed,” said Majority Leader Peter Harckham, D-Katonah.

“This piece of legislation is a preventative measure to ensure that New York state continues to maintain its commitment to discourage terror funding and acts of terror,” said Ball, who chairs the Senate’s Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee.  “New York state must continually assess what preventative measures are in place against terror and what new initiatives can be put in place to ensure our continued safety.”

The bill was sent to the Assembly.

The Independent Democratic Conference is pushing a set of bills they say would lessen the impact of state regulations on local governments and small businesses, putting a greater emphasis on electronic records and allowing outside business groups to petition state agencies on rule proposals.

In its report, the IDC found that of the 794 rules and regulations—not laws—proposed by the state the past three years, 745 were adopted. Of those, 10 percent had “some monetary impact on small business,” Sen. Jeff Klein, D-Bronx, said.

“That’s something we need to take a close look at,” Klein said. “When legislation passes or legislation is introduced, everyone takes a good look at those bills to see what industries are in favor, whose opposed, what’s the fiscal impact … I think, first and foremost, we need to have state agencies do that as well.”

Among the regulatory reforms proposed by the IDC:

• Cutting the review period of substantial regulations from five years to two years


• Mandating agencies to seek input from industries and groups before drafting rule change


• Expand electronic filing


• Eliminating a requirement to send the state register to local governments

Klein, whose district stretches into southern Westchester County, was asked about his support for a higher minimum wage, which is opposed by several business groups. That includes the state Farm Bureau, which stood behind Klein at the IDC press conference today.

“I have the utmost respect for the Farm Bureau, but I beg to differ on this issue,” Klein said. “I think it’s outrageous right now that are making less than a fancy cup of coffee. I think we can do better.”

Here’s video of Klein and Sen. David Carlucci, D-Clarkstown, Rockland County, discussing their regulatory proposals:

She spoke briefly with reporters as she headed into the conference meeting, saying she’s looking forward to her re-election bid this fall.

A Siena College poll today showed that the junior senator, who was appointed to the seat in 2009, was well ahead of potential rivals. Gillibrand, a Democrat, had a 52 percent to 20 percent favorability rating, and 53 percent of voters were prepared to re-elect her. Twenty-seven percent preferred someone else.

“I’m going to run on the ideas and the priorities that I’m fighting for for New York, specifically the economy, fighting for our middle class, less taxes for the middle class, more investment in job creation and small businesses and manufacturing,” said Gillibrand, who was elected in 2010 to the remainder of Hillary Clinton’s term.

Gillibrand remains a top target for Republicans this year, but so far no well-known GOP candidate has entered the race. And two who may have been formidable—TheLadders.com CEO Marc Cenedella and Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks—said last week they won’t run against her.

Gillibrand, who had $8.1 million in her campaign account, had more than a three-to-one lead against her only announced opponent, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, Siena found.

Gillibrand, a former House member from the Albany area, said she’s shown an ability to work with Republicans, such as fighting for 9/11 responders, repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell or passing the STOCK Act last week.

“I’m going to talk a lot about how to work on a bi-partisan basis.” she said. “One of the things that’s so important is that most people around our state, they look at Washington and they believe it’s broken. So how do you bring people together on a bi-partisan basis to get things done … I’m going to talk to New Yorkers why I made it a priority to get things done and to work on a bipartisan basis.”

“I think the way the Senate is taking it up is seriously flawed,” Silver told reporters briefly. “It would open up the schools to anybody. It might include the Ku Klux Klan.”

The Senate bill is in response to a New York City case in federal court that upheld the city’s right to bar religious services in public schools when school is not in session. New York City schools have told religious groups their ability to use school facilities will end Sunday.

The Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Martin Golden, R-Brooklyn, and sponsored by some Democrats in the Assembly, would prevent school districts from excluding groups from meeting on “school property because of the religious content or viewpoint of their speech, including allowing religious worship services.”

Silver said, “I think it has to be done appropriately if it’s going to be done. I think the Senate bill opens it up to too many groups that should not be exposed to children.”

The bill argues that school property can be used for “social, civic and recreational meetings and entertainment” and prohibiting religious groups would be an intrusion on their First Amendment rights.

“Some school districts have excluded groups and have thereby acted to regulate free speech and the conduct of such members of the public, potentially in violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States,” the bill states. “This bill seeks to protect such organizations from these actions.”

Commissioner Thomas Mattox told legislators at a joint Assembly/Senate budget hearing that the state agencies have had a formal working relationship in this area since at least 1996. Following a reorganization of the Inspector General’s Office last year, the Department of Taxation and Finance no longer has on staff a deputy inspector general, who automatically came under the requirement to maintain secrecy.

The two agencies signed a memorandum of understanding specifying that dozens of employees of the inspector general would have access to the records, provided they received special training.

That didn’t sit well with Senate Finance Committee Chairman John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, a lawyer. He believes the memorandum of understanding provides overly broad authority to investigate state employees, without needing to go through the court system to get subpoenas.

“The inspector general is allowed to ask for information that he or she feels is necessary for an investigation. There’s nobody that there to have a check and balance over that request,” he said.

The Department of Taxation and Finance and the Inspector General’s Office just released a statement defending the memorandum of understanding, which the agencies have not released publicly. The Times Union published a story on the memorandum of understanding today.

“The story that appeared this morning in the Albany Times Union was misleading and inaccurate. The Department of Taxation and Finance’s Office of the Deputy Tax Inspector General previously reported directly to the State Inspector General, but was housed within DTF. To promote efficiency, the Office of the Deputy Tax Inspector General was consolidated into the Office of the New York State Inspector General. In light of this consolidation, the agencies entered into a memorandum of understanding to ensure that the Deputy Tax Inspectors General maintained the same authority and function as they always had. The MOU does not and was not intended to expand or diminish any authority or function, and to assert otherwise would be wrong.”

Commissioners Mou

The resolution also gives a pretty-good breakdown of the Giants last scoring drive.

“The exemplary performance of the members of the New York Giants football team are reflective of their dedication, determination and personal commitment,” the resolution states.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo also announced today a new commemorative license plate in honor of the Giants.

Here’s the resolution:

Giants Resolution

The protesters did what they call a “mic check,” meaning one person will call out statements and the rest will repeat them. They all chanted, “Hey you millionaires, pay your fair share!”  Lawmakers at the public hearing waited until the protesters had their say before continuing.

They said lawmakers should have increased the income-tax rate more for the rich. A higher surcharge for New Yorkers who earn more than $200,000 expired Dec. 31. The deal struck in December keeps higher taxes on people who earn more than $300,000 a year, but it was lower than the expiring rate.

Members of Occupy Albany and Occupy Wall Street handed out a flyer that said they “denounce a tax policy for the 1 percent.” The state should “fully extend the millionaires tax and cut corporate tax loohoples,” it said. It also said the December tax deal was a $3 billion tax cut for the wealthiest New Yorkers.

This is a video of Colin Donnaruma, 31, speaking about what the Occupy protesters did today: