Honorable George E. Pataki
Governor
Executive Chamber
The Capitol
Albany, New York 12224
Dear Governor:
My heartfelt congratulations on a superb, uplifting State of the State message. Your vision remains focused on the tremendous future New York has before it—not on the bumps in the road
Facing
a potential budget deficit of $2 billion this year and one
several times larger next year, New York State faces a choice
between jobs and taxes-and must choose jobs, Governor George
Pataki said today in his State of the State message
ALBANYThe Public Policy Institute of New York State, the research affiliate
of The Business Council, has updated the 11 reports on New York State spending
issues in its Budget
Watch '03 series of research reports.
The updates were made possible by the publication of new data by the U
ALBANYThe Business Council has asked the National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB) to seek an injunction preventing New York State from implementing its
controversial "labor neutrality law."
The NLRB should seek an injunction declaring the law invalid because the
law is preempted by the National Labor Relations Act, Business Council President
Daniel B
Assembly
Republicans have unveiled a comprehensive agenda for revitalizing
New York that includes tax relief, mandate reform, debt reform,
and improvements to the state's budget process.
Assembly
Republican Leader Charles H
The
Business Council today praised Senate Majority Leader Joseph
Bruno for his "consistency and persistence" in opposing a
return to high-taxing, high-spending policies of the past.
"We
applaud you once again for your consistency and persistency
in encouraging actions on the state level which will lead
to the type of economic growth New York must have if it is
to meet the many needs of its people," Business Council President
Daniel B
ALBANYNew
York State lawmakers in 2003 should focus on creating more jobs in the
future, not on the state's recent economic travails, a new white paper
from The Business Council concludes.
"Our job
in 2003 is to look ahead-not back," The Council argues in Back to Business:
An Agenda for New York State 2003, which The Council released today
The Alliance For Quality Health Care (AQHC) has issued the
first-ever New York State Hospital Quality Indicators Report
Card for hospitals statewide. The report card is an independent
source of information for consumers and community leaders
concerned about health care quality and value
New
York State should restrain state spending and reject higher
taxes in crafting a 2003 state budget in challenging fiscal
circumstances, The Business Council has advised Governor George
Pataki.
Noting
that tax cuts and spending restraint in the mid-1990s helped
reverse historic job losses of the early 1990s, Business Council
President Daniel B
Nearly half
of all states are responding to budget challenges in the current fiscal
year by reducing state spending in net enacted budgets, a new analysis
shows.
The National
Governors Association (NGA) and the National Association of State Budget
Officers (NASBO) released their biannual report, The Fiscal Survey of
States, on Nov