STATEMENT BY SENATE MAJORITY LEADER DEAN G. SKELOS

The 2008 Senate session that concluded yesterday was one of the most productive in recent memory. Despite unprecedented turmoil caused by the sudden change in the Governor’s office, we were able to reach agreements on many critical issues that impact the lives of every New Yorker.

We were able to reprioritize the Executive Budget by rejecting proposed tax increases on cars, gas and health insurance. The Senate fought to increase school aid by a record $1.8 billion that was distributed fairly across the State. We rejected costly new mandates on local governments, restored investments in health care and higher education and approved $1 billion in capital investments to create new jobs. The efforts of the Senate Majority ensured that the final budget spent less than the Executive Budget, and was much more fair for taxpayers.

By the time the regular Senate session concluded we were able to pass important legislation including bills to:

> Protect school property taxpayers by stopping pension abuses by school administrators and preventing "double-dipping" that drained tax dollars;

> Make the Internet safer for children by keeping sexual predators off the web;

> Turn polluted properties into productive land that can be used for new business and new jobs by reforming the brownfields redevelopment program;

> Stop the practice of mandated overtime for nurses;

> Help homeowners who are facing the loss of their homes, and the lending industry, address the problems caused by subprime mortgages; and

> Protect consumers from identity theft, and help victims restore their credit.

With dozens of agreements on important new laws, it would be easy to declare this session a success, but I will stop short of doing that because our unfinished business includes the most important issue facing New Yorkers -- skyrocketing property taxes. As I made clear yesterday, the Senate Majority will continue discussions with the Governor and Assembly so we can deliver a result that will bring true relief for property taxpayers. Only when we achieve that goal, can we really call this session a success.

Click here to view the summary of 2008 Senate Legislative Action