IDC Announcement 1-5-2011
Uploaded by
Celeste KatzIDC Announcement 1-5-2011
Uploaded by
Celeste KatzNews from the
Independent
Democratic Conference
For Release- Jan. 5, 2011 Contact: Rich
Azzopardi 518.859.0586
Senators Klein, Savino, Valesky, Carlucci
Announce Formation of Independent
Democratic Conference
State Senators Jeffrey D. Klein, (D-Bronx/ Westchester), Diane Savino, (D-Staten Island/
Brooklyn), David J. Valesky, (D-Oneida) and David Carlucci, (D-Rockland), today
announced their departure from the Senate Democratic Conference and the formation of a
third legislative conference.
The four senators will caucus together as the Independent Democratic Conference. As a
group, they will push for commonsense solutions to the problems facing this state, break
the hyper-partisan gridlock that has gripped this chamber, and work to restore the public's
trust in its public officials.
“This is a new beginning,” Senator Klein said. “The squandered opportunities, ethical
lapses, and mismanagement of the last two years have left the residents of this state
distrustful and disappointed in the State Senate as an institution and their government as a
whole. As members of the Independent Democratic Conference, we will work to bring
integrity back to this house and once again make government a tool to improve people's
lives.”
The IDC has pledged to work with Governor Cuomo, the incoming Senate Majority and
Minority, and its other partners in government to get New York's fiscal house in order,
foster job creation, and cap property taxes. They will also be pursuing a legislative
agenda that includes enacting tough new ethics reforms, establishing non-partisan
redistricting, and protecting a woman's right to choose.
“We are, and remain, Democrats who are committed to Democratic principles,” Senator
Savino said. “The Independent Democratic Conference will allow us to make a clean
break from the dysfunction that has defined Albany for far too long and allow us to
govern in a manner that our constituents expect and deserve.”
The IDC creates a new paradigm in the State Senate, which for the first time will have
more than two legislative conferences. There will be no concentration of power in the
Independent Democratic Conference. Each member will have an equal say and an equal
vote when it caucuses.
“This conference represents a new way of conducting the people’s business— with
civility, a commitment to sound policy, and a willingness to work together,” Senator
Valesky said. “In time, this may become a new model for legislative governance; but for
now, it is the only choice that makes sense.”
“The late Senator Morahan understood the importance of setting aside partisan politics to
get work done for the residents of New York State,” Senator Carlucci said. “As a member
of the Independent Democratic Conference, I will uphold that tradition. It is time to stop
thinking about the next election and start thinking about the next generation.”
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The Independent Democratic Conference
2011 Agenda
Job Creation This past October, New York State was given the dubious distinction of
having the least hospitable tax climate in the nation. The key to job creation in New York
is removing obstacles to business investment and business creation through broad-based
reforms that benefit all sizes and types of employers all across the state.
Streamlining Upstate NY Economic Development Efforts to Attract and Retain
Businesses
We will continue to strongly encourage development of programs like the Historic
Rehabilitation Tax Credit that foster economic development in Upstate urban cores and
villages. Support for core industries, including medical and pharmaceutical research,
healthcare and renewable energy, and agricultural priorities, including providing relief for
farmers and promoting local foods, is also critical.
Property Tax Cap Our new legislation to impose a 2% annual tax cap on property tax
levies will require school districts and other local governments to live within their
taxpayers’ means and will help create a more sustainable funding stream than the current
one that drives seniors from their longtime homes and makes it unaffordable for young
people to start families in the communities where they were raised.
Real and Immediate Mandate Relief for Local School Districts and Municipalities
State government must also do all that it can to help school districts and local
governments control their costs by eliminating non-essential state mandates and
encouraging a more streamlined government through regionalization, shared services and
functional consolidations.
Identifying Government Waste and Creating Government Efficiency Last year we
committed ourselves to investigating costs on a State agency-by-agency basis. In the
coming session, we will switch our focus to State government wide issues that would
allow us to highlight larger possible savings such as an examination into simplifying
business regulations and their costs, controlling costs in the Legislature and modernizing
State government functions
Women’s Reproductive Rights New York’s reproductive health laws are outdated and
inadequate. The Woman’s Reproductive Health Act of 2011 is needed to ensure that New
York gives women an affirmative right to their reproductive health and would enact the
critically important reforms in New York’s laws governing women’s reproductive health
such as protecting the right to privacy in reproductive decision-making, safeguarding not
only the right to end a pregnancy but also the right to bear a child and the right to use or
refuse birth control.
Ethics Reform in Albany The Ethics in Government Now Act ( S.573) has been
introduced to comprehensively reform the operation of the Legislative Ethics
Commission and to establish new prohibitions against nepotism for hiring relatives in the
same legislative chamber
Independent Redistricting Concerned New Yorkers have indicated that the current
reapportionment process exposes the legislature to claims that the deck is stacked to favor
the re-election of incumbents and to discourage potential challengers. Senate Bill S. 660
will create an independent commission which would enable the reapportionment process
to unfold in a manner that debunks any claims that legislators are primarily concerned
with apportioning districts in order to facilitate their own re-elections.
MTA Tax Reform Gross mismanagement is blamed for 1/3 of the MTA’s current fiscal
debt. Our goal is to conduct a comprehensive forensic audit of the MTA to find areas of
waste and corruption and determine the need and the efficacy of the current MTA tax.
Medicaid Reform An examination of Medicaid and is needed because of the centrality
of the issue to the State’s long-term fiscal health. Our focus will be to start to target
individual areas of Medicaid for examination with the goal of cost savings to all New
Yorkers. Possible targets are Long-Term Care, Transportation Services, or care for
patients with disabilities. Furthermore New York is one of a few states that disburse
Medicaid funds through its counties. This system has caused New York to lose control of
spending. It is imperative that we we consider disbursing Medicaid funds from the State
level, eliminating the need for counties to pay and wait for reimbursement.
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