- Over the past eighteen months, Governor Paterson has accomplished $30 billion dollars in deficit reduction – more than the previous five highest annual deficits combined and more than any Governor in the history of this State.
- While other States have had to take drastic measures -- including issuing IOU’s because they didn’t have money to pay their bills and selling state properties to cover their deficits -- under Governor Paterson’s leadership here in New York, State and local services are still operating. Our credit rating is strong. Crime continues to fall.
- Governor Paterson passed an on-time budget for 2009/10 that included the key priorities he laid out for his administration beginning from his first day in office: strengthening the State’s long-term finances, enacting critical reforms to make government more accountable to taxpayers, and implementing significant, recurring spending reductions. The Governor created the Office of Taxpayer Accountability to act as a watchdog on behalf of the people of New York to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, reduce spending and increase efficiency.
- Now, in an effort to close our current-year gap of $3 billion dollars and to put New York on a path to fiscal recovery, the Governor has outlined a two-year, $5 billion dollar Deficit Reduction Plan that would address the state’s current-year budget gap, as well as institute major structural reforms. And, the plan addresses our deficit without imposing new taxes on hard working New Yorkers.
- Governor Paterson unveiled Bold Steps to the New Economy: A Jobs Plan for the People of New York highlighting the emergence of a New Economy based on knowledge, technology and innovation. The Governor’s Jobs Plan capitalizes on federal stimulus dollars to drive economic recovery in the fields of energy, environmental protection, technology and health care. The Governor also established the Innovation Economy Matching Grants program that will provide a 10 percent match for every stimulus dollar the federal government awards through competitive grants to research facilities in New York State.
- The Governor unveiled one of the most ambitious clean energy agendas in the nation with his “45 by 15” plan calling for New York to meet 45 percent of its electricity needs through improved energy efficiency and clean energy by 2015. Not only will this program help us meet our clean energy needs and help to protect our environment, it will also create an estimated 50,000 new jobs.
- Governor Paterson has implemented job and re-training programs for unemployed financial sector workers, tasked the Empire State Development Corporation with identifying transformational projects in Upstate communities and worked to retain and bring new companies to New York including Canon USA, GEICO, IBM, Yahoo!, Globalfoundries and many more.
- Under Governor Paterson’s leadership, the legislature overhauled New York State’s Rockefeller Drug Laws. The sweeping reforms eliminated the harsh sentences that the Rockefeller Drug Laws mandated by giving judges total authority to divert non-violent addicts to treatment and greatly expanding drug treatment programs. The law strikes a careful and appropriate balance to ensure that non-violent addicted offenders get the treatment they need, while predatory kingpins get the punishment they deserve.
- The Governor enacted the first increase in the basic welfare grant in two decades to help assist those struggling in poverty during a time of unprecedented economic turmoil. In addition, because of his leadership, family members up to the age of 29 can now be covered by their family coverage plans at their own cost and he has laid out an aggressive five-point plan to address the growing obesity epidemic which serves as the greatest threat to children’s long term health in the State of New York. The Paterson administration remains committed to seeing that the state’s most vulnerable residents aren’t left behind.
- The Governor is committed to providing quality, affordable higher education to all new Yorkers. That is why he established a new student loan program to provide 45,000 New Yorkers with at least $350 million in student loans annually. The New York Higher Education Loan Program (NYHELPS) will help ensure thousands of New Yorkers have access to the funds they need to finance their college educations.
- Governor Paterson’s leadership led to an MTA bailout plan that allows commuters to avoid the painful service reductions approved by the MTA Board earlier this year, and dramatically reduced the proposed fare and toll increases. Further, important additional measures to strengthen the governance of the Authority, increase its transparency and accountability and bolster the public’s confidence in the MTA were achieved.
- Governor Paterson introduced landmark civil rights legislation that will end legal discrimination against same-sex couples in New York State. The Governor’s marriage equality Program Bill recognizes the fundamental civil right of marriage and would grant same-sex couples the same legal recognition afforded to partners of the opposite sex.
- Governor Paterson has brought historic, broad-based change to the way New York State conducts business by increasing opportunities for Minority and Women Owned Businesses (MWBEs). Under the Governor’s leadership, revenues to MWBEs in New York State have increased by $100 million dollars. The Division of Minority and Women's Development has reduced processing time for state MWBE certification from two years to 90 days. The preliminary report issued by the Governor’s Task Force on MWBE showed that fees to MWBE underwriting firms have increased from four percent of total fees to over 23 percent of total fees.
- Under Governor Paterson’s leadership, New York State achieved landmark protections for victims of domestic violence. All victims of domestic violence, regardless of marital or related status, can now receive protection from their abuser through the court system.
- Governor Paterson continues to take decisive and prudent action to get the state’s fiscal house in order by addressing the structural problems that have plagued the way we do business in Albany for years while continuing to set forth meaningful reforms for the people of New York. New Yorkers are looking for leadership and Governor Paterson is providing it. This is the type of responsible government New Yorkers deserve.
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