Assemblyman Robin Schimminger (D-Erie) has urged Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to ensure that "an appropriate level" of funds is set aside for tax relief in any conference-committee discussions on the state budget.

"A fair but favorable tax code is the most key component to creating the job-creation climate we mutually desire for our state," Schimminger said in a letter to Silver June 30.

Later that day, budget negotiations broke down and legislators left town. They are expected to return next week.

Schimminger is co-chair of the Budget Conference Committee's Subcommittee on Economic Development and Taxes.

Schimminger added: "I am hopeful that our subcommittee can reach agreement on actions which can be taken this year to continue the progress we have made."