Kellner to Mayor: Save Our Firehouses
May 7, 2010
Assembly Member Kellner speaks at a rally to save FDNY Ladder Company 116, which serves Roosevelt Island. Next to him are City Council Members Elizabeth Crowley and Jimmy Van Bramer
This week, Mayor Bloomberg unveiled a City budget proposal that would entail, among other cuts, the loss of 400 firefighters citywide. At a time when we have been reminded that New York City remains a prime target for terror, we can’t afford to lose essential protective services.
Today, I rallied with firefighters, union members, and other elected officials outside Ladder Company 116 in Dutch Kills, Queens, calling on the Mayor to find another way to save money besides closing firehouses. Ladder 116 is the closest firehouse to Roosevelt Island, and Island residents rely on the company for a quick response in emergencies. Eliminating Ladder 116 would be a mistake with potentially tragic consequences for Roosevelt Island — while we don’t know yet whether it’s on the list of proposed firehouse closures, I will do everything I can to ensure that it stays in the business of protecting Roosevelt Islanders and their neighbors in Western Queens.
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/
How to Save $50 Million a Year …and Improve Access-A-Ride
September 16, 2009
An estimated 60,000 wheelchair-users live in New York City, but only 238 of the 13,000 medallion yellow cabs (less than 2%) are able to accommodate a wheelchair passenger. This is an every day reality for wheelchair users who are often left stranded without access to a key element of New York City’s transportation infrastructure. To address this unequal access to transportation, I sponsor a bill (A.7842/S.4861) with State Senator Tom Duane to require that by 2011, all taxicabs in New York City are accessible to people with disabilities.
My Op-Ed, “Escape from Access-A-Ride,” in the New York Post on Saturday, September 12th pointed out that having a 100% accessible taxi fleet doesn’t just make sense from a civil rights perspective — it could also save millions of dollars for the Access-A-Ride program. These are costs borne by the cash-starved City and MTA budgets. And, not only could we save public dollars, we could do all this and provide a better service for paratransit consumers.
Taxing Gym Memberships is NOT Good Public Policy
February 25, 2009
In these tough economic times we are all trying to tighten spending and increase revenue, including New York State, as we negotiate this difficult budget. Everyone agrees that sacrifices need to be made across the board and these sacrifices are glaringly evident in Governor Paterson’s 2009-10 Executive Budget. While I understand the need to create revenue, I don’t agree that one of the answers to this problem is to impose a new tax on health club memberships and services.
At the same time that the Governor proposes this tax he has more famously put forward a new tax on sugared drinks, purportedly to fight against obesity. For several months, I have been flooded with letters from constituents who are confused about this contradiction and I agree with them.
We can’t on one hand penalize people for drinking too many empty calories in a soda and on the other penalize them for trying to be healthier on the tread mill at their local sports club. It doesn’t make any sense. As the budget negotiations in Albany continue I will fight for a budget which takes our current economic troubles into account while at the same time ensuring that New Yorkers are not unfairly burdened.
I have written Governor Paterson to let him know of my opposition to the tax on gym memberships. That letter can be found in the Publications section of my website.
The Executive Budget: Beginning the Conversation About Shared Sacrifice
December 19, 2008
Governor David Paterson presents the 2009-10 Executive Budget to the NYS Legislature.
As we all expected, the Executive Budget is the result of a painful reality of our difficult economic situation. It demonstrates what we have known for months: balancing the budget will require shared sacrifice.
I am very aware of the obligation that I share with my colleagues to ensure that necessary cuts and tax increases are done in such a way to ensures that higher education remains affordable, the commitment to funding our schools is maintained, quality health care is available to every New Yorker, and that mass transit is adequately funded.
There are many cuts that I am uncomfortable with as I am sure the Governor is. As an example, Senator Tom Duane and I wrote to Governor Paterson in November to ask that the relatively small amount of funding allocated for the Bridges to Health program be maintained, only to discover today that its funds have been frozen and its full implementation delayed for many years. This is a program to provide services to medically fragile, severely traumatized, and chronically disabled children in the foster care system. I will continue to advocate for its funding.
Despite this, I respect that the Governor made tough choices from a poor set of available options and I did not envy his task. Over 50% of our state’s spending is designated to healthcare and education, so it is impossible to avoid cuts in these areas when balancing our budget. I also know that our budget can’t be balanced on cuts, nor would I want it to be. You have probably heard that the Governor has proposed a new range of taxes and fees, some of which have gotten more attention than others (like the ’sweet tax’ proposed tax on non-diet soda drinks which Governor Paterson recently defended in an editorial posted on CNN.com).
Two of these fee increases concerned drivers; the first is a 25% increase on car registration fees and the second is a 25% increase in driver license fees. I wrote to the Governor in November to suggest these fee increases (see my blog post on this topic, Increasing Driver License, Car Registration Fees Could Raise $550 Million for Cash-Starved MTA), and I am happy to see them included in the budget. But I am disappointed that these fees are not designated for mass transit funding as I suggested, but rather to plug holes in the general operating budget. It is important to me to ensure that even as we repair the massive shortfalls in the 2009 budget we plan for mass transit funding for the future. Designating funding for mass transit from drivers’ fees can achieve both.
We are in the midst of an unprecedented global financial crisis that threatens our economic security. People are losing their jobs and their homes. Pensions are losing their value and families are making horrible choices about necessities. I have no doubt that we will pass a budget that contains significant cuts in spending and increases in fees and taxes. And I will continue to demand that this sacrifice is shared and not shouldered by the most vulnerable New Yorkers. Continuing to advocate for more progressive tax structures is one way that I will work to achieve this.
It is very important to me to hear what you think about the Executive Budget. It is by no means a final version of what we will pass in 2009. The Governor himself emphasized yesterday that it is a starting point for dialogue. The PDF of the Governor’s presentation can be found on his 2009-10 Executive Budget website.
Increasing Driver License, Car Registration Fees Could Raise $550 Million for Cash-Starved MTA
December 1, 2008
So it’s “official,” our country has been in a recession since December, 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, which announced the non-news earlier this morning.
Of course, we already knew this to be true for many months. On November 20th, MTA CEO Elliot Sander told the MTA Board, that new economic forecasts show projected deficit gaps of “$383 million for 2008, $1.441 billion for 2009, $2.394 billion for 2010, and nearly $3 billion in 2012, before prior-year carryover or gap closing actions.”
As I’ve blogged before, I am very concerned about the fiscal outlook for the MTA and how cuts to services, capital projects, system maintenance, and increased user fees will impact riders. But the negative effects spillover beyond transit users. The MTA is the lifeblood of the New York metropolitan area and when it suffers, so does the regional economy.
On September 15th, the Citizens Budget Commission (CBC) testified before the Ravitch Commission and outlined a number of practical suggestions for how to increase dedicated mass transit revenue.
Today, I wrote to Governor Paterson to urge that two CBC proposals be included in his 2009 Executive budget: Raising car registration fees and driver license fees by at least $50 annually.
When CBC President Carol Kellermann testified before the Ravitch Commission she noted that today the cost for a driver license in New York is under $6 annually. Raising annual fees for driver licenses to $50 would yield nearly $300 million. New York has the 8th lowest vehicle registration fees in the country (according to the CBC’s 2006 study South Carolina has the lowest at $12, and Maine has the highest at $435), and raising the vehicle registration fees would net an additional annual revenue stream of $250 million.
With the Ravitch Commission’s report due to be released on Friday, now is the time to be examining all the options including this one and other good ideas like reinstituting the commuter tax.
Recently, New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. outlined a proposal to impose a weight-based transit-dedicated assessment of $100 for vehicles weighing 2,300 pounds or less, plus $.09 for every pound of curb weight over 2,300. This is an interesting idea that I believe merits further study. It differs from the CBC proposal which would see a flat fee increase for car registration fees.
In these tough financial times, I believe that it makes sense that those who choose to drive should help bear the costs of maintaining our public transportation infrastructure. These two new recurring revenue streams would constitute a good start in getting the MTA’s finances back on track.
In my letter, I suggested that during the first two to three years of this budget crisis, the MTA be given the flexibility it needs to put this revenue towards its operating deficit. But in the long term this money should be used for capital needs. After the third year I suggested that these recurring funds be dedicated 70% towards the MTA’s capital plan and 30% towards the NYS Department of Transportation Five Year Capital Plan - a fund which finances highway, tunnel, and bridge projects across the state.
I told the Governor that if these proposals were not included in the budget, I was prepared to introduce them as a separate piece of legislation. My letter to Governor Paterson can be found in the Publications area of my website.
Take Back Our Economy: Closing a Tax Loophole on Big Business
July 22, 2008
On July 17, over one thousand union members gathered in Manhattan, joining more than a dozen coordinated events worldwide, for a “Take Back the Economy” protest calling attention to preferential tax treatments for corporations and the mishandling and questionable ethics related to the investment of employee pension funds by private equity firms. The rally was organized by SEIU 1199, SEIU 32B-J, and the Working Families Party.
Over the last 30 years, our state’s tax code has been more and more tilted against middle-class New Yorkers and in favor of big corporations and the very wealthy. While the well-off exploit tax loopholes and benefit from low rates, working New Yorkers are forced to pay more through rising property taxes, sales taxes and user fees that many don’t consider taxes (but should), such as rising subway and bus fares.
With the economic problems our country is facing, tax cuts for the rich and for certain big businesses leave us with ever-growing budget gaps - billions of dollars’ worth - in necessary areas like school funding, health, and public transportation infrastructure.
Something has to give.
One of the ways that I am working to address this is through a bill that I introduced last month with the support of the Working Families Party. My bill would close a tax loophole that allows managers in private equity and hedge funds to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes resulting from “carried interest.” The loophole unfairly allows these major financial engines to avoid taxes that small businesses have to pay under the Unincorporated Business tax laws of New York.
The Fiscal Policy Institute issued a report on April 15th that found that closing this loophole would generate between $165-225 million every year in revenue for New York City. The Executive Director of the Working Families Party, Dan Cantor, wrote an excellent piece for the Gotham Gazette that explains how the tax loophole works and how it is costing City taxpayers money (“Where The City Can Find $200 Million”). It is wrong that these multi-million dollar companies continue to get away with avoiding paying the same taxes as small businesses, especially when middle-class New Yorkers are struggling in a bad economy.
State Budget Increases New York’s Investment in Affordable Housing
June 12, 2008
Investing in and maintaining affordable housing are some of the most important things that I fight for in Albany. I am proud that New York’s 2008-09 state budget includes more than $300 million in capital funding for affordable, supportive, and workforce housing opportunities across the state.
This number includes $54 million in funds for the Mitchell-Lama Rehabilitation and Preservation (RAP) and All Affordable programs. RAP offers flexible, low-cost debt service financing to help the owners of Mitchell-Lama housing make needed improvements to their properties or restructure their debt in return for committing to remain in the program and keep rents affordable. All Affordable loans support the construction of housing in which every unit is affordable to low- and moderate-income tenants.
The budget also includes capital funds for other housing programs, including $60 million to the Low Income Housing Trust Fund, $45 million for the Affordable Housing Corporation, and $36.5 million to the Homeless Housing Assistance program.
The Assembly worked successfully to ensure that the state’s total capital investment in affordable housing was increased by $200 million over the executive budget proposal - dramatically strengthening New York’s investment in initiatives that help residents find affordable housing, create housing opportunities for homeless New Yorkers, and help communities restore and revitalize existing buildings.
State Budget Has Historic Increases for Education Funding
April 24, 2008
The 2008-2009 NYS budget continues the commitment to better education for New York’s students, increasing education funding by a record $1.7 billion, with a total investment of $21.4 billion. The spending plan includes a $533 million foundation aid increase for New York City schools, and affirms the Assembly’s deep commitment to education, despite a daunting economic climate.
These increases uphold the tenets of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity statewide and keep us on track to meet the 4-year educational investment plan.
The budget moves toward the full implementation of the school foundation formula, which calls for stable and transparent funding for school districts. It represents a second year of record school aid increases. The budget also increases funding to libraries and expands the number of 4-year-old children attending pre-K to 121,000.
However, more work needs to be done now by the City of New York to make sure that the students of the Upper East Side and the rest of the city receive the education that they need and deserve. I and the rest of my colleagues in the Assembly do not support Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to cut $324 million from the New York City Department of Education budget for 2008-2009. Therefore, the Assembly in its budget is requiring the mayor and the city to keep the $324 million commitment that they pledged last year to their students.
We cannot afford to compromise the education of this city’s and this state’s next generation of leaders in an attempt to cut corners in spending.
Health Budget: Great News for New Yorkers
April 24, 2008
The new 2008-09 health budget, which has been passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor, includes an impressive list of major health reforms and initiatives. This is the best health budget New York has had in many years.
In a groundbreaking – and long-overdue – change, the new budget begins to shift resources from inpatient hospital care to primary, preventative, and other outpatient care. Medicaid payments will increase for community health centers, physician and dentist care, school health centers, family planning clinics, hospital outpatient clinics, and others.
The budget also expands New York’s Child Health Plus program, raising the eligibility level for Child Health Plus from 250% of the poverty level to 400% - making health care for children affordable to more middle-class New Yorkers. Now thousands more children will get health coverage.
There will also be a new prescription drug discount card for some low-income people who have no drug coverage. The discounts will come from the state using its bargaining clout with drug companies, not from taxpayer dollars.
Additionally, under the new budget, New York will offer to repay new doctors’ medical school loans if they practice for five years in an under-served area in primary care or certain shortage specialties – helping to make access to health care a reality for many more New Yorkers.
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