Govnernor Andrew Cuomo has announced the results of the latest legislative session in New York as part of his “Making NY Work For You” campaign. Read more below.
Today is the official end of New York State’s legislative session and, once again, the Governor and our state legislators have shown that by working together, we can make government work for the people.
It has been an exciting 18 months in our state. When Governor Cuomo assumed office, the state was suffering from the national economic recession, burdensome taxes, dysfunctional management, and a profound lack of trust in government.
The Governor set out to make the government work. His first task was to stabilize the state and end the dysfunction in Albany. He got an honestly balanced, on-time state budget with no new taxes, fees, or gimmicks. He passed a property tax cap to stop the upward spiral of property taxes burdening our families and businesses, achieved unprecedented ethics reform that provides transparency and accountability to state government, and empowered our state universities to be centers of excellence and engines of economic development. And he fought to make New York the largest state in the nation to grant full marriage equality to all its citizens. In the end, after years of dysfunction, he got government in Albany to work again.
With the government working, the Governor set out to boost our economy to create jobs and fundamentally transform our state. Highlights of these achievements include:
An early, balanced budget with no new fees, taxes or gimmicks
The New York Works program that will create tens of thousands of jobs and lay a foundation for the future of our state
Cutting middle class income tax rates to their lowest levels in 58 years and eliminating the MTA payroll tax for over 700,000 small businesses and self-employed individuals
A statewide teacher evaluation system that is a national model for promoting achievement and accountability in our schools
The creation of the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, which will transform how our state protects the over 1 million New Yorkers in state operated, certified, or licensed facilities and programs
Broad pension reform that will save local governments more than $80 billion over the next 30 years and help protect working families from out-of-control property taxes
The first all-crimes DNA databank in the nation, which will help prevent crimes and exonerate the innocent
Providing mortgage foreclosure counseling services to help New Yorkers keep their homes
Combating hunger, particularly among children, by removing the finger imaging requirements for federal food stamp benefits
Awarding greater funding for community colleges to give students the opportunities they deserveClick here to read more about the tremendous progress that New York has made.
While there is still much that needs to be done, Governor Cuomo has made New York State a different place and he has begun building a new New York – a New York State that works for you and your family.
Thank You,
The Office of the Governor
