“Today begins the countdown to April 1, the day the state budget is due; but, as they did last year, state leaders and the Legislature have the tools to work together to pass a responsible, on-time budget. I’ll inspect Governor Cuomo’s proposed budget carefully to ensure that Northern New York gets its fair share of school aid and agricultural funding. I am happy unfunded mandate relief is included, which focuses on shifting Medicaid administrative costs back to the state, reducing future public pension costs and reforming several other programs. However, we need to work for more unfunded mandate relief before we pass the final budget. I want to see the details, but this is a good start toward keeping our communities affordable for families, farmers, and small-business owners.”