Assemblywoman Russell announces important funding for agricultural programs included in state budget

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) announced that she fought to ensure that the final 2012-13 state budget includes significant funding for agricultural programs throughout the state. The funding will go to a variety of different programs for – among other things – development, research and outreach in the farming community.

            “This legislation will go a long way in bolstering our state’s economy – especially in the North Country,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “The farming industry is the backbone of our community, so we need to do all that we can to continue strengthening and expanding these programs.”

            The final budget restores $821,000 in funding for the NY Farm Viability Institute, an organization that works with farms throughout the state and provides grant funding to applied research and outreach education projects. It also restores $100,000 for the Maple Producers Association and adds $100,000 to the Farm Net Program (Farm Family Assistance).

            “The maple industry is an important piece of the North Country’s economy,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “By supporting this program and others like it, we are putting our hardworking North Country families, as well as New York State as a whole, on the right track to economic prosperity.”

           

The budget also targets investment toward expansion of large animal veterinary studies, the integrated pest management program, and provides $500,000 for Northern NY Agricultural Development, Assemblywoman Russell noted.

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Assemblywoman Russell announces 2012-13 state budget will increase education funding for North Country Schools

Base aid to community colleges increases for the first time in five years

            Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) announced that the final state budget will include an increase in education support to local school districts, especially those considered low wealth and high needs (A.9057-D).

            “The increase in education funding this year comes as needed relief for schools across the state, but particularly in the North Country,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “After years of struggling through crippling cuts to schools, the state is finally able to start adding money to educational funding,” she said.

Keeping the promise: Investing in education

             The final budget includes an increase of over $8 million for schools in Russell’s Assembly district. In addition, teachers’ centers, libraries, the comprehensive attendance program for non-public schools and adult literacy education programs are among areas that will also benefit from the education budget increase.

Statewide, that includes a $111.5 million increase in Foundation Aid, a $400 million increase in the Gap Elimination Adjustment restoration and a full restoration of $239 million for expense-based aids.

Additionally, a big victory in this budget was the fact that we redirected $200 million that was proposed to fund a competitive grant program into formula-driven school aid, which will benefit high need, low wealth school districts.

“The redirection of these funds is a huge triumph for North Country schools that were ineligible for competitive grants under state guidelines,” added Assemblywoman Russell.

Assemblywoman Russell also secured an additional $435,000 in discretionary funding for local school districts, including:

·        General Brown ($100,000);

·        Alexandria ($50,000);

·        Canton ($50,000);

·        LaFargeville ($50,000);

·        Ogdensburg ($50,000);

·        Potsdam ($50,000);

·        Thousand Island ($50,000);

·        Hammond ($25,000); and

·        Norwood Norfolk ($10,000).

“Success in life begins in the classroom,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “By increasing school aid, we can better prepare our students for the future and give them the opportunity to succeed,” she stated.

Recognizing the critical role that community colleges play for graduating high school students, as well as in job training and retraining, this year’s final budget includes the first base aid increase for SUNY community colleges in five years. The final budget increases support by $150 per full time equivalent (FTE) student, which will bring the total to $2,272 per-FTE student for the 2012-13 school year. Jefferson Community College will see an increase of $403,050 over the next academic year.

“Our state’s community colleges provide students with a quality education at an affordable price,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “With these funding increases, we ensure that community college remains an option for those in our community looking to further their education and better their lives.”

In addition, the budget proposal provides $1.6 million to SUNY child-care centers, a $653,000 restoration.

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Assemblywoman Russell helped include $4.2 million for Rural Preservation Fund in the final 2012-13 state budget

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) announced that she helped pass a 2012-13 state budget that includes $4.2 million for the Rural Preservation Fund. This funding will help with the availability of affordable housing and usher private investments into the housing market by supporting citizen-led, not-for-profit housing and community-based organizations that create and preserve affordable housing, according to Assemblywoman Russell.

“As a result of this economic downturn and housing shortages in certain communities, we need more affordable housing options. Providing funding for these programs helps create new units and improve sub-standard housing,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “I worked hard to make sure this funding was included in the final budget to help address the problems of overcrowding and unsafe living conditions.”

“This program serves as a catalyst to inject private capital into construction and rehabilitation projects, maintaining affordable housing for moderate and low-income families, as well as the elderly,” Assemblywoman Russell noted. “Our local housing programs have been focusing on repairing dilapidated homes and buildings in our communities, and making older homes more energy efficient,” Russell said.

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Assemblywoman Russell announces $30.6 million for EPIC restored in final budget

“In an effort to help our seniors afford much-needed prescription drugs, I pushed to include $30.6 million in restorations to the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) program in the 2012-13 state budget – helping reinstate co-payment assistance. This crucial measure will allow seniors enrolled in the EPIC program to return to paying no more than a $20 co-payment for each prescription drug.  The benefit will be available beginning in January 2013.

“As the cost of living continues to rise, many seniors struggle to make ends meet, and can no longer afford the staggering cost of medication. By restoring this vital funding to EPIC, we can help North Country seniors afford their prescription drugs, protecting their health and well-being.

“Bringing back this part of the EPIC program has been a priority.  I am relieved that we have been successful, and encourage seniors to look for program details as they become available.  In the meantime, please reach out for assistance if you are having difficulty affording your medications so that we can explore other programs that may be able to provide immediate help.”

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Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell announces Department of Transportation’s Watertown office will not be consolidated

“I am pleased that the budget will include keeping the Department of Transportation (DOT) Regional office in Watertown open. This will save 150 local jobs in the county. The Dulles State Office Building will continue to house DOT Regional offices, which is also the most cost effective option.

“It is critical that this regional office be located near the major transportation corridors in the north country and given the growth of Fort Drum it is helpful that the office can feel the impact of its growth and react to emerging transportation trends in a timely fashion. As I continue to be a vocal advocate for jobs and the revitalization of our local businesses, the Regional DOT office in Watertown continues to provide a valuable resource to our community and keeping it here is key to strengthening our economy.

“This is also great news for our downtown area businesses because these employees contribute to lunch business, the farmers market and other vital enterprises in Watertown.”

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Assembly passes compromised Tier VI legislation

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (Theresa) announced that the Assembly passed Tier VI pension legislation that will reduce local government and district pension costs in the long run. The passage of the bill (A.9558) protects current public employees from layoffs and protects the solvency of the system. The legislation reflects some significant differences than what was in the Governor’s original pension reform proposal.   

Changes from Tier V that will affect new public employees include: 

   

·        raising the retirement age to 63, which is lower than the Governor’s proposal of age 65;

·        exempting workers making less than $45,000 annually from having to contribute more than the current 3 percent rate to their retirement, and adjust other employee contributions as follows:

o       those earning $45,000-$55,000 at a rate of 3.5 percent;

o       those earning $55,000-$75,000 at a rate of 4.5 percent;

o       those earning $75,000-$100,000 at a rate of 5.75 percent; and

o       those earning $100,000 or more at a rate of 6 percent.

·       limiting the type of employee that can opt into the SUNY TIAA CREF plan to those who are classified as ‘exempt’ and earning over $75,000

·        increases from 3 to 5 years the period of time used to calculate final pension benefits 

“This plan requires public employees not already in the system to pay more toward their pensions based on a sliding scale," Russell said. "I believe this plan strikes a better balance than the original proposal when you compare the cost savings achieved versus compensation levels needed to continue to attract quality employees into public service," she continued. "However, should it become apparent that the balance is negatively impacting recruitment and retention of needed personnel, I will support revisiting these changes," she concluded.

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Assemblywoman Addie Russell: Assembly passes redistricting reform

For Immediate Release:                                                        

March 13, 2012                                                                     

***Statement***

“Today, I helped pass legislation reforming the state's redistricting process. If our legislation is signed into law, an independent redistricting commission will draw legislative lines going forward. Our district is kept wholly in tact, with the addition of three towns; De Peyster, Rossie, and Hounsfield. With this issue behind us, we can fully concentrate on the issues North Country working families are most concerned about: passing a fair, on-time, fiscally responsible budget that invests in education and provides an environment to help businesses create good-paying jobs.”

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Assembly budget proposal helps education, economy and housing in the North Country

    Assemblywoman Addie Russell (D-Theresa) announced the passage of the Assembly budget proposal for fiscal year 2012-13 (K.1023). The spending plan closes the current budget gap with no new taxes and provides valuable assistance to education. The proposal will also help create jobs and offers assistance to keep families in their homes.

Investing in education

   The Assembly budget proposal also increases school aid by $806.4 million and honors the two-year commitment made last year to increase school aid by approximately 4 percent.

   “I am working to make sure our schools have the funding needed to give our children the best chance to succeed,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “Adequate State funding for our schools will mean better opportunities for our children and a lower tax burden on the hardworking families in our area,” she added.

     Specifically, the Assembly budget proposal:

• provides $178 million to schools districts by redirecting proposed competitive grant funding to Foundation Aid;
• restores $10.2 million to teacher resource and computer training centers;
• increases adult literacy education by $1 million;
• rejects the executive proposal to require schools to share in the cost of pre-school special education;
• increases aid to public libraries by $1 million;
• $3 million for ATTAIN Technology Labs;
• increases support to local community colleges by $205 per full time student;
• provides additional funding to the State’s Veterinarian School of Cornell University, specifically for students studying large animal care.

Rebuilding our economy and creating jobs

   The 2012-13 Assembly budget proposal supports the governor’s funding levels for various Empire State Development Corporation projects to help promote business growth, ultimately leading to job creation and thriving communities throughout New York State. However, the Assembly proposal goes further and, among other programs, restores $100,000 to the Maple Producers Association, a significant agriculture industry in the North Country.

   “We need to use all of our resources to rebuild our economy and create agricultural jobs in New York,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “By investing in programs that provide assistance to our farmers and help promote our products we can grow our agriculture sector significantly,” she said.

     The proposal includes:

• restoring $821,000 for the New York Farm Viability Institute;
• the creation of a Dairy Task Force to plan for an expansion of the current dairy herd in the state;
• authorizes the Linked Deposit Program to provide a 3% interest rate reduction for agricultural businesses;
• provides an additional $1.185 million for Centers for Advanced Technology, such as the center at Clarkson University;
• Commercialization Assistance Fund ($10 million).
• a second round of loans within the Small Business Revolving Loan Fund ($25 million);
• creation of a new Back to Work NY Jobs Program ($20.25 million);

Bolstering housing programs

   The Assembly budget proposal includes a restoration of $3.5 million to the Rural Preservation Program and $20 million to the Foreclosure Prevention Program. These restorations help maintain progress in the areas of affordable housing, economic development and community renewal, as well as aim to keep more hardworking families from losing their homes,” Assemblywoman Russell noted. “Our budget also provides $5.4 million to fund efforts to retain New York’s military installations,” she said.

   “The budget proposal is balanced and focuses on the needs of working families in our area,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “I will work with the Senate in the coming weeks to help finalize a state budget that invests in the North Country.”

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Promote National Ag Day March 8th

Our agricultural industry is responsible for providing the necessities of everyday life ... food, fiber, clothing and even fuel. That is the message of National Ag Day, which we celebrate this year on March 8^th. Producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and countless others across New York State and across the country will join together in celebration of the abundance provided by agriculture. 

The purpose of National Ag Day is to increase public awareness about the importance of agriculture. As the world population soars, there is even greater demand for the food, fiber and renewable resources that the United States produces.  In New York State and particularly here in the North Country, agriculture is large part of our economy.  Impressively, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties rank nationally in several areas of agriculture production. 

It is imperative that every American understand how food, fiber and renewable resource products are produced and value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy and strengthening out national security. Agriculture provides safe, abundant and affordable products, which has contributed significantly to our nation’s global strength. National Ag Day focuses on educating Americans about the industry and encourages us to consider the many career opportunities in the agriculture, food, fiber and renewable resource industry.

I hope you will join me in thanking those who are involved or provide support to our agricultural industry to everyone this Ag Day, March 8, 2012.

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