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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