WPCNR’S ADAM IN ALBANY. By Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley. July 17, 2006: For the second year in a row, the Legislature passed an on-time budget that will benefit all New Yorkers. The bipartisan budget was negotiated in the open, with joint conference committees and provided a recoprd increase in school aid, including $40.2 million in total aid for the 89th Assembly District, that’s $2.7 million more than last year.
To ease Westchester’s crushing tax burden, we eliminated the state sales tax on clothing and shoes under $110, created a child tax credit, ended the marriage penalty tax, and capped the sales tax on gasoline. Most importantly, we created a property tax rebate plan, which will return to most Westchester homeowners an average of $532 and senior homeowners eleighible for Enhanced STAR an average of $822.
The Assembly and Senate also created the Office of Medicaid Inspector General to uncover and combat fraud and abuse in the state’s Medicaid system. Responsibilities of the office include Medicaid auditing and fraud and abuse prevention. This position will be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Governor. The legislature also came to agreement on creating five new crimes, including four felonies, to fight Medicaid fraund and help prosecutors do their jobs.
Before the legislative session closed, the Assembly and Senate passed several laws to protect the safety of New Yorkers. We enacted landmark laws to toughen drunk driving penalties and created strict penalties for fleeing the police. We also enacted a law to triple the size of the state’s criminal DNA database. The measure will expand the data base to encompass all persons convicted of felonies and 18 key misdemeanors, including petit larceny. We also expanded Megan’s Law to add Level 2 sex offenders to the state’s online sex offender registry and authorize local police authorities to provide information concerning Level 1 offenders to vulnerable populations.
The 2006 legislative session was a productive one, but there still is much more that needs to be done. In 6 months, New York will have a new governor, providing a new opportunity to tackle our many difficult challenges with innovation and vigor. I look forward to working with our next governor in a spirit of bipartisan cooperation to move New York forward.
