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Governor Pataki announced Tuesday a proposed new state budget that would cut energy taxes on manufacturers retroactive to January 1, provide other new tax cuts, restrain the growth of state debt, and limit new spending. "We're on the right path - the path of limited government, controlled spending, lower taxes, and more jobs," the Governor said in his budget address to the Legislature

Acknowledging that school districts' tax increases may be soaking up property-tax relief intended for homeowners, Governor Pataki has proposed that the state take over the distribution of tax-relief payments and impose caps on school spending increases. The Governor said the state will spend $2 billion in the next fiscal year to support property-tax relief under the STAR program, which provides exemptions to homeowners

Following is The Business Council's 2000 Legislative Program. It identifies legislative, regulatory, and administrative issues to be worked on by the Committees and Councils during the coming year. **To view the text of any bill listed below, click here and enter the bill number and year. Issue Areas: Business Law / General Counsel Construction Consumer Contract Procurement E-Commerce Economic Development Education and Job Training Energy Environmental Conservation Financial Services General Health Insurance Labor & Human Resources Manufacturing Occupational Safety & Health Small Business State Administrative Procedures Act (SAPA) Taxation Telecommunications Transportation Unemployment Compensation Workers' Compensation Overview: Since the mid-1990's tax cuts, employee-benefit reforms and an improved attitude toward business have helped New York generate an economic recovery

New Yorkers continued to move away from home, and the state continued to lose population relative to the rest of the nation, from July 1998 to July 1999, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau show. Domestic migration out of the state-net of residents who moved here from other states-totaled nearly 168,000, far more than in any other state

Governor Pataki's proposed "21st Century Upstate Economic Agenda" urges repeal of the state's Gross Receipts Tax on energy. Additional elements of his economic growth incentive include: Additional energy tax changes Taxation of all energy companies based on net income. Repeal of the current utility franchise tax based on gross receipts and dividends

State auditors found inaccuracies in public school attendance records across the state, raising questions about state aid allocation and educational performance, state Comptroller H. Carl McCall has reported. The state Education Department and the New York City Board of Education "have to crack down on inaccurate and false reporting," the Comptroller said in releasing audits of schools in the city and in six districts elsewhere in the state

Oppositon from The Business Council helped defeat a bill that would have weakened a key employer-friendly provision of the unemployment insurance (UI) reform of 1998. Governor Pataki vetoed the bill late last month. The Council had urged a veto in a Dec. 22 letter to the Pataki administration

Governor Pataki today called for renewed efforts to cut taxes and stimulate growth in jobs, with a special emphasis on the needs of the Upstate economy. In his State of the State message opening the annual session of the Legislature, the Governor said New York has made major strides in improving its economy

Workers' Compensation Comparative Costs Lower Cost Average Cost Higher Cost State Index Rank State Index Rank State Index Rank Utah 0.414 1 Iowa 0.841 14 Maine 1.193 33 Arizona 0