SENATOR STEC STATEMENT ON STATE BUDGET VOTE<\/p>\n
\u201cNew York\u2019s budget has ballooned to a whopping $217 billion, which is an astonishing increase of more than $41 billion in just two years. Despite the billions and billions of federal dollars to plug the state\u2019s budget hole, this year\u2019s budget includes more than $4 billion in new taxes to fund more spending.<\/p>\n
\u201cHigh taxes and a very challenging business environment, not the weather, has chased a lot of people out of New York State. Rather than improve our competitiveness, this budget will likely hasten the exodus of residents, particularly professionals who have found this past year that they can do business in New York, but remotely and much more affordably.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe $2.1 billion so-called \u2018excluded worker\u2019 fund to provide financial benefits of up to $27,900 for \u2018off-the-books\u2019 workers, including illegal aliens, held up budget negotiations for days as far-left New York City senators battled with more moderate fellow members. At a time when businesses \u2013 many of them \u2018mom and pop\u2019 small businesses \u2013 are financially devastated and in need of help, the \u2018excluded worker\u2019 fund became the focal point.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I am very pleased funding and language for a comprehensive broadband study is in the budget, they also put in the budget a laudable but costly and unfunded mandate for low-cost broadband that may put small providers of broadband services out of business.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinally, while some might call this budget transformative, it has been far from transparent. The \u2018messages of necessity\u2019 and rush to pass bills late at night continues to reflect badly on a budget process that is anything but \u2018good government\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SENATOR STEC STATEMENT ON STATE BUDGET VOTE \u201cNew York\u2019s budget has ballooned to a whopping $217 billion, which is an astonishing increase of more than $41 billion in just two years. Despite the billions and billions of federal dollars to plug the state\u2019s budget hole, this year\u2019s budget includes more than $4 billion in new … <\/p>\n