As chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I’m pleased to report the new state budget includes $51 million in overall funding for many vital agriculture programs, including more than $9.8 million specific to helping the dairy industry. This much-needed funding will assist programs like the Cornell Dairy Center of Excellence and Cornell Pro-Dairy
New York State is a leader in the arts but one of the things that our region has traditionally struggled with is obtaining funding to help support the arts. Since New York City is so big and provides much by way of culture and entertainment, much of the state funding for the arts has been driven downstate. However, in recent years there has been a shift in how funding has been made available.
When most people think of dangerous jobs, farming probably does not immediately come to mind. However, the fatality rate for farmers is 800 percent higher than all other American workers, with the leading cause of death on a farm being tractor rollover incidents. In the past few years, I have been proud to have secured $1.2 million in funding, including $250,000 in the new state budget, for a program that helps to protect farmers from tractor rollover incidents.
The higher than normal rainfall and rapid snow melt have caused lake levels to surge and property owners are now facing levels that are two feet above the norm. To put this into perspective, Lake Ontario has only seen this much water three other times in the past century and unfortunately, levels are expected to continue to rise. Last week the governor declared a state of emergency and as part of that, sandbags are being made available.
As chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I was successful in securing $51 million in overall funding in our newly adopted state budget for New York agriculture. This record investment will support dozens of programs focused on marketing, education and research for agriculture, which will help bolster the more than 35,500 farms in our state, which generate $5.4 billion for the state’s economy.
This year’s budget contains an incentive for localities to share services through a newly created Countywide Shared Services Tax Savings initiative. While many localities and counties in our region already share services, under this new plan localities will be eligible for state reimbursement if they find new ways to share services. The plan that passed is different from what the governor first proposed in his executive budget in January.
I know firsthand that the relationship between New York State and our neighbors to the north is incredibly special. As the state senator who represents the longest stretch of our state’s 450-mile shared Canadian border, I have been active cultivating stronger ties with the government and people of Canada. Part of that effort has been working with my Canadian counterparts to advocate for legislation that would boost tourism in the Thousand Islands and Lake Ontario region by easing strict reporting requirements for boaters.
April is Donate Life Month – a time to draw attention to the importance of organ donation. Over the last year, New York substantially increased the amount of registered organ donors thanks to changes made at the state level. Medical professionals, public health educators, and others dedicated to raising awareness have advocated and supported these changes, however, more donors are needed in New York.
Central and Northern New York is home to numerous veterans who made immeasurable sacrifices to protect the freedoms we enjoy every day. Even after returning from serving on the front lines of some of the most dangerous battles, these brave men and women continued to serve, as they worked to better their community. As a small way to simply say “thank you,” I am once again accepting nominations for the New York State Senate’s “Veteran’s Hall of Fame.”
The 2017-18 New York state budget has been passed. The budget was nine days late breaking a streak of budgets that had been, for the most part, on-time for the last six years. The $163.2 billion budget is a behemoth. Not only does this budget continue New York’s reputation as a high tax state, this budget also ensures that New York spends more than almost any other state in the nation, second only to California.
All Content Copyright Dot Publishing 2024. All Submissions Become Property of Dot Publishing All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.