“The 2013-2014 Executive Budget proposal covers a lot of ground. During his address, Governor Cuomo mentioned that we have a $1.3 billion gap, which he proposes to eliminate without implementing any new taxes, which I agree with. The overall budget proposal keeps spending increases to a minimum.

“I am happy to see that Governor Cuomo has acknowledged the need for unfunded mandate relief in his proposal. However, upon a preliminary review, I can see that more will need to be done to protect our school districts, localities, taxpayers and small businesses. While we are not out of the woods just yet when it comes to the economy, I look forward to reviewing the governor’s reforms on workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and his continued support for rebuilding the Upstate economy to create opportunities for private-sector job growth.

“At first glance, the proposal appears to be a good start, but I will reserve full judgment until I examine all of the details.”