Assemblyman David G. McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick) supported the passage of major reforms to the State’s budget process. The reforms will improve the process by making it more transparent and legislators more accountable.

“All of these reforms are a step in the right direction,” said McDonough. “But I have to question the timing of their passage. They have been a part of the Assembly Minority agenda since the Brennan Center called New York’s government the most dysfunctional in the nation three years ago. Should New Yorkers continue to suffer because Assembly leadership wanted to wait until the governor in office was a Democrat? What other legislation are they playing games with?”

McDonough continued, “While I support these new reform measures, the leadership in both houses feels it necessary to exclude the minority conferences from the budget process. This reverts back to the process of three men in a room, a process which failed to produce an on-time budget for more than twenty consecutive years.”

Highlights of the budget reform legislation include:

• A "Quick start" budget discussion will be required each November and quarterly meetings will be held between the executive and legislature;
• An expedited consensus revenue process;
• Authorizing the State Comptroller to resolve disputes over revenue;
• Plain language impact statements to be prepared on a range of program areas, including local governments;
• Requiring the legislature to resolve budget bill disagreements by prompt referral to a joint conference committee;
• A statutory requirement to enact a balanced budget;
• Requiring the legislature to explain fiscal impacts of changes it makes to the governor's budget bills;
• The itemization of lump sum appropriations, including “member items;” and,
• Increasing the state’s "rainy day" fund, the General Fund reserve used in the event of economic downturn or disaster, by three percent to five percent.