Government Affairs Council
Update
December
1, 2006
Government
Affairs Council Meeting
The first Government Affairs Council
meeting of 2007 will be held Tuesday,
January 16, 2007, from 10:00 a.m. to
12:00 noon at The Business Council's
offices at 152 Washington Avenue in
Albany. We will begin with an informal
reception for new Business Council
President Kenneth Adams at 9:30 a.m.,
which will provide an opportunity for
GAC members to meet Kenneth. The agenda
will focus on activities and outcomes
of the various Spitzer transition committees,
the State of the State message, and
the first 100 day agenda. We hope you
will be able to participant. No registration
is required. A detailed agenda, and
a full schedule of 2007 GAC meetings,
will be included in future GAC updates.
Berger
Report Overview
The Business Council has prepared
a summary of the 240 page Berger Commission
report on health care faciilties, issued
earlier this week. Our summary, is
available online at www.bcnys.org/whatsnew/2006/BergerSummary.pdf.
The report itself, and additional information
on the Commission's efforts, are also
available online at www.nyhealthcarecommission.org/ .
The Commission recommended that New
York State close nine hospitals and
eliminate some 7,200 hospital and nursing-home
beds, reductions that would save an
estimated $250 million per year in
annual medicaid costs, and a similar
amount in annual private sector health
care costs. The report made additional
recommendations regarding health care
reforms. The Business Council has not
yet issued any formal comments on the
final report. Earlier this week, both
Governor Pataki and Governor-elect
Spitzer issue strong statements supporting
the Berger Commission recommendations.
Spitzer
Imposes Ethics Standards
Staff
Contact: Ken
Pokalsky
Governor Elect Eliot Spitzer yesterday
announced a series of self-imposed
ethics standards and reform measures
for the Executive branch, to be implemented
as of January 1, 2007. The announcement
stated that several of these initiatives
would be implemented through Executive
Order. Additionally, Spitzer had earlier
appointed a Government Reform advisory
committee to consider legislative initiatives
in these and other areas.
The self-imposed reforms announced
yesterday include:
- Ethics Reforms
- Prohibit appointed executive
branch officials from receiving
any gifts with more than nominal
value.
- Prohibit former Governor's
Office employees from lobbying
any Executive Branch agency
for two years.
- Preclude the Governor Lieutenant
Governor from appearing in
any taxpayer-financed commercials
and from accepting fees for
speeches.
- Prohibit agency commissioners
and other high-level personnel
from running for state or federal
office while serving as State
employees.
- Campaign Finance Reforms
- The Governor and Lieutenant
Governor will not take campaign
contributions of more than
$10,000 from any private entity;
or from corporate subsidiaries
or LLC partners if the parent
company or controlling partner(s)
has already contributed the
$5,000 maximum. unt allowed.
- Appointed executive branch
officials will be prohibited
from making campaign contributions
to the Governor and the Lieutenant
Governor.
- Neither the Governor nor
the Lieutenant Governor will
hold or participate in any
fundraisers within the Capitol
Region during the legislative
session.
- Nonpartisanship
- Executive officials are prohibit
fro inquiring about the political
affiliation of a prospective
employee or contractor.
- No individual will be required
to change their party affiliation
to meet the requirements for
appointment.
- Budget Process
Governor-elect Spitzer said he would:
- Bring both houses of the Legislature into
the budget making process as early as possible,
and share with them as much information as
possible about both expected revenues and
plans for spending.
- Attempt to reach early consensus with the
legislature on revenue projections, and if
no consensus can be reached, agree to be
bound by the projections issued by the Comptroller's
Office.
- Require that all member item appropriations
be set forth as separate line items in the
budget.
- Open Governmment/Accountability
Governor-elect Spitzer said he would:
- Hold regular news conferences and media
interviews.
- Have an open-door policy for all members
of the Legislature.
- Make the Executive Mansion and State Capitol
more accessible, while still maintaining
security.
- Expand the use of the Internet to communicate
with New Yorkers, including real-time webcasts
of government sessions.
- Institute “regular and rigorous” evaluations
of the Executive agencies, including requiring
that agencies adopt performance measurements,
establish goals, and track their performance
over time.
- Appoint a first-rate Inspector General,
and give that office adequate resources to
pursue corruption in government.
Power
Commission Report
Staff
Contact: Ken
Pokalsky
The Temporary Commission on the Future
of NYS Economic Development Power Programs
is scheduled to submit its final report
later today to Governor Pataki and
the legislature. It is unclear whether
there will be a web posting, but the
public can request either a written
or email version by submitting their
requests to powerprogramscommission@empire.state.ny.us.
The eleven person Commission was created
by the legislature during the 2006
session, as part of its one-year extension
of provisions related to the Power
for Jobs and Economic Development Power
programs.
Based on the most recent draft report,
the Commission's report is recommending:
- greater integration of program
administration, and more consistent
eligibiilty criteria for the state's
nine current power programs.
- the award of power benefits based
on criteria including: contribution
of reduced cost power to a firm's
viability, business attraction and
retention, level of capital investments,
local economic significance, investments
in energy efficiency, ability of
enterprise to leave state, etc. The
report generally identifies these
criteria in broad terms, with specific
criteria to be developed.
- 550MW of rural/domestic Niagara
hydropower should be shifted to the
state's economic development purposes,
with protections for low income households
and agriculture energy user that
pays residential rather than commercial
rates.
- contracts awarded under the new
criteria should be for period of
at least seven years, with annual
audits to assess compliance with
award criteria.
The Commission also is recommending
that the state add additional generation
and transmission capacity to address
the state's power supply issues.
Key provisions of the PfJ and EDP
programs expire on June 30, 2007, and
will require legislative action. The
Business Council has supported many
of the Commission's recommendations.
