The Republican Assembly minority has unveiled a series of policy proposals that it says would improve state government and foster job creation to reinvigorate the state’s economy.
The proposal, which the Assembly minority dubbed “Excelsior 2005,” includes many policy proposals that are expected to be part of the Vote for Jobs Index in 2005. The Vote for Jobs Index is a legislative report card introduced last fall by the Council as a means of evaluating individual state legislators on their actions and inactions on policy priorities.
“Assembly Republicans are returning to Albany as agents of change, with a bold, clear path that will help all New Yorkers,” Assembly Republican Leader Charles H. Nesbitt said in announcing the plan.
Business Council President Daniel B. Walsh welcomed the plan, saying it includes many ideas that are needed to improve New York’s economy.
“These are important ideas that can improve the security of our economy, and how all state legislators act on ideas like these will be reflected in our 2005 legislative report card,” Walsh said.
The plan’s proposals would:
- Enact comprehensive mandate relief, including a graduate
state takeover of all local
Medicaid costs.
- Make several changes to legislative processes and procedures
designed to make lawmaking more efficient.
- Implement various debt reforms, including a prohibition
of “backdoor borrowing” not authorized directly
by voters.
- Enact broad mandate reform, including a five-year state
takeover of counties’ Medicaid
costs, repeal of the Wicks Law, and a prohibition of new unfunded mandates.
- Create a new state tax credit for manufacturers that create
new jobs.
- Enact of the single-sales factor tax reform for manufacturers
to encourage companies to invest in plants and jobs in New
York State.
- Reduce the effective tax rates for businesses with earned
net income of $290,000 or less.
- Create a health insurance tax credit for small businesses.
- Increase benefits available under the state’s workers’
compensation program and, at the same time, implement a
range of reforms designed to reduce employers’ workers’
compensation costs.
- Renew Article X of the state’s Public Service Law,
which outlines a process for siting new power plants.
- Expand the state’s Empire Zone program by creating a statewide “superzone” to give the state flexibility in offering benefits to attract major employers and their investments in plants and jobs.