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Post-Budget Issues
Now that the budget debate is over, lawmakers will now begin to discuss important non-budget issues. While it is likely that some discussions on budget issues will be ongoing – such as environmental spending, health care finances and property tax relief – the post-budget portion of the session is when lawmakers begin to debate important issues that were not part of the budget. Lawmakers are scheduled to wrap up the session in the latter half of June and so with roughly seven work weeks to go, here’s a list of some of the important issues that should be debated: Reforming the Budget. How much did the legislative budget spend? $112 billion, $113 billion or $115 billion? No one knows. Twenty states, the Congress, and local governments like New York City and Suffolk County have Independent Budget Offices (IBO). New Yorkers deserve to have a fiscal watchdog holding the Governor and the legislature accountable. Creation of an Independent Budget Office would help do that. Restricting the “Personal Use” of Campaign Contributions. Lawmakers must crack down on the “personal use” loophole in the state’s campaign finance code. Controversies and scandals – such as the Insurance Superintendent raising and spending campaign contributions even though he’s not running for office and the conviction of a Long Island town official for using his spending on a luxury car and trips abroad – underscore the need for action in this important area. Ethics Reform. Now that gifts from lobbyists have been banned, the Governor and the legislature should turn their attention to strengthening the state’s ethics law. The current practice of lawmakers secretly hearing ethics complaints against their own colleagues cries out for change. Creation of an independent ethics commission to monitor both branches of government is a critical reform. Lowering the Cost of Prescription Drugs. One of the major reasons for the dramatic increases in health care costs is the rising price of prescription drugs. Legislation allowing the state to negotiate for the lowest price for millions of New Yorkers (those in Medicaid, public employees, etc) could save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. It is also clear that pharmaceutical companies aggressively market their most expensive medications to physicians. This marketing often influences physicians’ decisions to prescribe the most expensive drugs to their patients – even when older, less expensive drugs are medically equivalent. It is a practice that needs state oversight. Strengthening the Freedom of Information Law. The state should broaden the current allowance for attorney’s fees when a citizen brings a successful FOIL action against a stonewalling agency.The single biggest complaint heard about New York’s FOIL is the difficulty citizens have in obtaining government records. A new, reasonable standard for attorneys’ fees should be set when the plaintiff “substantially prevailed” in bringing legal action. This change will knock down barriers. Expanding the Bottle Law. New York's Bottle Bill, which has successfully spurred recycling and diverted more than 6 million tons of glass, plastic and metal beverage containers from landfills and incinerators, has not kept up with the times. The Bottle Bill was enacted before beverages such as bottled iced tea and bottled water were popularized, and needs to be expanded to capture these and other containers. Reforming and Reinstating Energy Planning. Three years ago, the laws that require the state to produce an energy plan and govern how new power plants are built in New York expired, and still have not been renewed. Meanwhile, consumers have seen the costs of energy rise on all fronts – from keeping the heat and lights on in homes and running businesses to fueling their vehicles. The right plan could mitigate these very real problems. In addition, the state should allocate at least a portion of the state’s sales tax on gasoline to fund short- and long-term demand reduction measures to save money and ease prices. Credit report freeze. In some 12 states consumers can guard against identity theft by “freezing” the release of their credit report for a nominal fee and “thawing” the report when they want to shop for new credit. New York should join New Jersey, California and other states by helping New Yorkers protect themselves from identity theft. In this election year, voters should demand action on these and others issues before the end of session. That’s all for now. I’ll be keeping an eye on the Capitola and will talk to you again next week. |
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