State Legislatur​e Unveils Budget Proposals

From Michael J. Borges, Executive Director, NYLA

Both the Senate and Assembly released their respective budget proposals this week. The Senate has proposed to restore $4.2 million and the Assembly has proposed no restoration of the $8.45 million in Library Aid cuts. The Assembly has rejected the Governor’s proposal to divert Library Materials Aid for computer software and textbook purchases by school districts and the Senate has accepted the Governor’s proposal. The next step in the process is the scheduling of Budget Conference Committees.

The first meeting of the Education Budget Conference Committee that will work to resolve differences in their budget proposals has been scheduled for 2 pm Wednesday in Hearing Room C.

We need to get the Assembly to support the Senate in their partial restoration of Library Aid. Without the Assembly’s support, it will make more difficult for the Senate to keep their partial restoration included in a final budget agreement.

Please contact your state legislators – Senate to both thank and urge them to keep the restoration in the final budget and the Assembly to castigate them for abandoning libraries and to amend their budget proposal to match the Senate’s $4.2 million restoration. Visit www.nyla.org to new revised letter by fax or email.

Members of Education Budget Conference Committee:
Senator John Flanagan, Co-Chair, Senators Andrew Lanza, Mike Ranzenhofer, Jim Seward, Suzi Oppenheimer
Alt. Senators Steve Saland, Joe Addabbo

Assemblymembers Catherine Nolan, Co-Chair, Vivian E. Cook, Joan L. Millman, Kevin A. Cahill, Joel Miller
Alt. Philip Ramos, Gary Finch