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ALBANY---Gov. Eliot Spitzer submitted amendments to his 2007-08 Executive Budget proposal Wednesday, marking the completion of the Governor's submission of his Executive Budget proposal to the Legislature.
The Governor submitted the amendments 21 days following his budget release in accord with the budget reform agreement he made with the Legislature last month. In addition to other reforms, that agreement increases by nine days the time the Legislature will have to consider his proposed budget. The Constitution allows the Governor 30 days to submit amendments to his budget proposal.
The majority of the amendments are technical revisions to the original Executive Budget, as well as revisions to spending forecasts based on actual operating experience to date. All dunds spending for the 2007-08 State Fiscal Year has been revised from $120.633 billion to $120.635 billion. Year to year growth remained the same at 6.3 percent.
With these amendments, General Fund spending decreased by $14 million and All Funds spending increased by $2 million from projections issued with the Executive Budget proposal last month. Over the current fiscal year and next fiscal year, positive reestimates more than offset the cost of the 21 day amendments by $50 million. In keeping with the Governor's priority to maintain adequate reserves, he is recommending that the entire $50 million be deposited in the new rainy day reserve fund, bringing the recommended total in that fund to $175 million.
Amendments include:
-- Medicaid Personal Care services. Restores funding for Personal Care Level 1 in Medicaid. Cost is $6.0 million.
-- Legal defense. Provides funding for New York State Defenders Association to support activities at a level consistent with last year. Cost: $1.0 million.
--District attorneys' salaries. Provides funding for district attorney salary increases to provide counties relief from mandatory increases in district attorneys' salaries. This funding is contingent on passage of legislation to increase judicial salaries. Cost: $1.1 million.
--School aid for computer hardware. Modifies the computer hardware aid formula to include non-public school students and uses enrollment-based pupil count comparable to that used for computer software aid. Cost: $6.2 million
--Workers' Compensation. Provides funding to the Insurance Department for the coordination of various work groups reviewing the workers' compensation system. Cost: $1.0 million.
--Prescription drug retail listing. Authorizes funding for a website that will provide consumers with comprehensive information on prescription drug retail prices in New York State. Cost: $1.4 million.
The amendments also increase funding for the Diabetes Control Program by $250,000 to fully fund the Diabetes Centers for Excellence; increase funding for the Breast Cancer Detection and Education Program by $900,000 to support anticipated program growth; and increase funding for community based programs by $200,000 to fully fund the Ovarian Cancer Information Program.
A full copy of the Financial Plan Projections and the 2007-08 Executive Budget Supplemented for 21-Day Amendments can be found on the web at: http://publications.budget.state.ny.us/executive.html 2-21-07
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© 2007 North
Country Gazette
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