Assembly Passes Budget Resolution
March 24, 2010
Today, the Assembly passed a fiscally responsible budget resolution for the State of New York. These are unprecedented times and the reality is that we are in a serious financial crisis. While New Yorkers across the state are making tough financial choices for their families, it would be irresponsible for us in Albany to raise taxes and spend wildly.
We in the Assembly have done our best to mitigate the cuts, originally proposed by the governor, to health care, education, and municipal aid to the City of New York. Our restorations in these areas will go a long way to ensure that teachers remain in the classroom and police and firefighters are there to respond to emergencies. I am not blind to the pain the cuts that we are making will inflict on hospitals, schools, and institutions of higher learning that serve our neighborhoods. I care about these institutions deeply, but we must accept the realities of this recession.
I am proud that the Assembly’s budget resolution does not rely on accounting tricks, holds fast to core Democratic principles, and honestly reflects our projected revenues. The people of New York do not deserve to have games played with them. Passing a budget that relies on gimmicks and unrealistically high revenue estimates would only mean that we legislators would have to come back to Albany to make more cuts later. This does not help anyone—in fact it makes it more difficult for people and institutions, both public and private, to plan responsibly.
Furthermore, the Assembly’s budget resolution does not create any new taxes. This recession has meant that New Yorkers have had to tighten their belts and new taxes would only cause more pain. Just as every family in this state has had to honestly reflect on its finances and learn to live within their means, so does Albany. I believe the Assembly’s budget resolution is a good first step in that direction.
For more information on the Assembly’s budget resolution, please visit: http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/Press/20100324/
Calling on the MTA to Save the X90 Bus
March 23, 2010
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has proposed to eliminate the X90 Express Bus Service-a service cut that would create significant hardship for its current riders, as well as strain the already overcrowded M15 bus and Lexington Avenue subway line. On March 4th, I delivered testimony calling on the MTA not to go forward with this cut.
The X90 express bus runs from Yorkville to Lower Manhattan and only operates during peak morning and evening hours. Approximately 620 men and women who rely on this bus to make their daily commute will be forced to instead use alternative transportation.
The MTA has indicated the M15 bus and Lexington Avenue subway as alternatives for riders displaced by the elimination of the X90, even though the MTA acknowledges that both are severely overcrowded. In fact, this is the rationale behind the planned implementation of Select Bus Service on First and Second Avenues and the construction of the Second Avenue Subway line. These alternatives are also quite far from where X90 riders live in Yorkville, and where the X90 bus stops are located.
These are tough times, and I understand that these difficult decisions are being made system-wide. Nevertheless, riders of the X90 express bus have no other reasonable alternative, and I strongly urge the MTA to reconsider its plan to eliminate the X90.
My testimony is below.
Kellner to New TLC Chair: Now Is the Time for Accessible Cabs
March 17, 2010
I have been a consistent advocate for making New York’s taxicab fleet fully accessible to riders with hearing, visual, or mobility impairments–opening the door to taxi service for all New Yorkers, regardless of disability. I sponsor legislation (A. 7842) to mandate that after June 30, 2011, taxi owners may put only accessible cabs into service when replacing old vehicles.
But there is another, even more direct route to this goal: the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) could adopt rules mandating accessibility. The TLC has taken some positive steps in this direction, but so far it has fallen short of a full commitment to 100% accessibility according to the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
With the appointment of former NYC Councilmember David Yassky as the new TLC Chair, we have an opportunity to move forward into a fully-accessible future. An accessible taxi fleet will uphold the principle of equal access for all New Yorkers, will generate additional business for drivers, and will help taxpayers save $50 million a year by making it possible for paratransit riders to use more cost-efficient (and user-friendly) taxis instead of Access-a-Ride vans. There are some great accessible taxi models already on the road–all that is needed is the will to make them a requirement.
I wrote to Chairman Yassky to congratulate him on his appointment and urge him to make a fully accessible taxi fleet part of his legacy at the TLC. A copy of my letter is below.
3.17.10 Ltr to TLC Chair Yassky
Support for the Creation of PS 267
March 10, 2010
Last night I delivered testimony to the Panel for Education Policy (PEP) in support of the proposal to co-locate P.S. 267, a new elementary school, in the P.S. 158 building beginning in the 2010-11 school year. This proposal represents a big victory for East Side students and their parents, offering immediate relief from school overcrowding and avoiding the earlier, much criticized plan to create a “mega-school.” The new PS 267 will have its own administration and will move into its own permanent location in the former Manhattan Ear Eye and Throat Hospital (MEETH) building on East 63rd Street.
The PEP will be holding a final vote on the proposal at its regular public meeting on March 23, at 6:00 pm in the Michael J. Petrides School, 715 Ocean Terrace in Staten Island.
My testimony is below.
3.9.10 PS 267 Public Hearing Statement
Enhancing Access to Hearing Aids
March 3, 2010
New York could take an important step this year in improving access to hearing aids for the growing number of hearing-impaired. This week, I along with Assembly Member Jeff Dinowitz of the Bronx introduced legislation that will make it possible for patients to purchase hearing aids directly from their doctors.
A current state law–the only one of its kind in the country–prohibits doctors who evaluate hearing loss from deriving a profit from hearing aid sales. As a result, few doctors’ offices offer hearing aid services to their patients, since doing so is economically unviable. These restrictions create artificially high prices and unnecessary inconvenience for patients. Doctors’ offices can provide patients with cost-effective and convenient services.
This new legislation will enhance patients’ access to treatment and increase competition among providers. Patients will be able to have continuity of care with their doctors, which is especially important when patients have complex medical conditions. A 2009 Consumer Reports article indicated that the best provider of hearing aids is a medical office headed by an ear, nose and throat doctor with an audiologist on staff- an unlikely option in New York under the current law.
Kellner to SLA: Revoke Saloon’s Liquor License
March 2, 2010
While city life is never perfectly peaceful, New Yorkers have a right to expect that their local businesses will be respectful neighbors. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. My office has received numerous complaints from Yorkville residents about Saloon, a bar and nightclub on York Avenue between 83rd and 84th Streets, including reports of fights, destruction of private property, public urination, and noise created by the club’s patrons. As a result of these complaints, and the consistent failure of Saloon’s owners to address them, I have been working with the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) in an effort to revoke the establishment’s liquor license.
When Saloon recently changed ownership, Community Board 8 made approval of the new owners’ liquor license contingent on their agreement to acknowledge and resolve these problems. However, in a letter Saloon sent to the Community Board, the owner arrogantly tried to brush the complaints aside as insignificant, referring to them only as “alleged” issues, and offered no concrete commitment to working with the community. As a result, the Community Board voted to deny the bar’s liquor license application.
Today, I along with Senator Liz Krueger and Council Member Jessica Lappin, called upon the SLA to respect the wishes of the community and deny the liquor license application. Saloon has proven itself unable—and unwilling—to be a good neighbor, and there is no reason why the residents of Yorkville should have to continue suffering.
3-2-10 Letter to SLA Re CB8 Saloon Vote
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My community office is here to help you.
315 East 65 Street
New York, NY 10065
Tel 212-860-4906
Fax 917-432-2983
Email KellnerM@assembly.state.ny.us
