Albany Update Volume 4 - February 13, 2004 Budget Update The state budget is late for the 20th straight year. During this past week the Zarb report was issued stating that the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) decision would cost between $2.5 and $6 billion dollars. There are now at least four proposals estimating the costs of implementing the CFE decision. According to the CFE ruling, if agreement on this issue cannot be reached by the first of July, the court will impose one. Mayor Bloomberg also released a wish list for New York City schools, asking for $5.6 billion in new funding. With the court date looming and a variety of proposals with major differences in cost circulating, the budget negotiations could become protracted. In the past, the longer the negotiations on the budget continued, the more "legislative issues" were thrown into the mix, further complicating the negotiations. This week several Republican senators urged that negotiations on Workers Compensation and Section 240 and 241 of the labor law be linked to the budget. The optimistic talk budget of an on-time budget is now over and the new question is how long will it take to hammer out an agreement. If major issues like Workers Comp are linked to the budget, we may see a July 1 deadline. A word to the Wise... For those of you planning to come to Albany for meetings, the lines at the Security check points outside of the Capitol and the Legislative Office Building have been long and slow. It can take as long as one hour to pass through security. Please plan your time so that you can get to your meetings on time. If your group is planning to come by bus, please call Lynne Scorsone in our Albany office at (518) 462-4620 and she will help you with parking procedures. The Spring recess of the legislature will last until April 14th. As always, this is a good time for contacting with your representative in his or her district office. If you need help scheduling an appointment, please let us know and we will be happy to facilitate this. Upcoming Fundraisers Wednesday, April 14th Assem. Michael Cusik [D] Albany, $250 Assem. Francine Delmonte [D] Albany, $225 Assem. Richard Smith [D] Secretary Majority Conference - Albany, $250 Monday, April 19th Assem. Scott String [D] Chair, Cities - NYC, $175 If you have any questions about fundraisers, please call Sandy in the Albany office, 518 462-4620. Back to newsletter list

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