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Division of Budget Offers To Provide Assistance; Bruno Calls On Comptroller, "Government Reform Groups", To Pressure Speaker, Not Cover For Him
Wednesday, June 6, 2001
Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno today convened a sixth meeting of the General Budget Conference Committee in an attempt to get Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver involved in a public budget discussion. The meeting was attended by Budget Director Carole Stone who told committee members that Division of the Budget staff are ready to provide support and assistance to budget conference committee talks, as they have in previous years.
"The budget conference committee process has proven to be a successful format to publicly resolve the differences between the two houses," Senator Bruno said. "Part of the reason for that success has been the input and participation of the Division of the Budget on behalf of the Governor. They have been represented at the previous five committee meetings and I appreciate the offer from Director Stone to once again assist in the process. Anyone who contends that the Administration has not been part of this process is clearly wrong."
Senator Bruno pointed out that the Governor has met his constitutional responsibility by giving the Legislature his budget proposal and said it�s time for the Legislature to meet its responsibility by negotiating a budget to send back to him.
"The Constitution spells it out very clearly that the Governor proposes a budget, the Legislature acts on that budget and returns it to Governor, who then has a right to veto," Senator Bruno said. "If the Speaker doesn�t like the Constitution, he should try to change it."
Senator Bruno said that others who parrot the Speaker�s belief that the constitution be ignored - including Comptroller Carl McCall and self-proclaimed "government reform" groups - should either advocate for a constitutional amendment or demand that the Speaker fulfill his constitutional obligation.
"It is the ultimate act of hypocrisy to turn a blind eye towards the Assembly Democrats refusal to meet their constitutional responsibility or negotiate a budget in public," Senator Bruno said. "Comptroller McCall should be admonishing the Speaker for holding up the budget instead of acting as his apologist. NYPIRG, Common Cause and others only further damage their credibility by failing to do the same.
"If they want to contribute in a constructive way they should call on the Speaker to begin the public conference process without further delay," Senator Bruno said.
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