The Assembly Majority’s one-house budget proposal doesn’t create enough opportunities for middle-class families in Central and Northern New York.

Absent from the majority’s proposal is meaningful tax relief that would help families struggling to put food on the table and their kids through college. Real tax cuts would encourage job-creating commercial investment that is so needed in our region.

I was disappointed there was no increase for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS). Investing billions from bank settlement funds to repair our bridges and resurface our roads would revitalize our infrastructure, spark tourism and trade, and create thousands of good jobs.

As budget negotiations continue, I will fight for real economic development, not gimmicky competitions. I will be promoting policies that help municipalities control their costs so they can lower everyone’s property taxes, not just a few people who qualify under a convoluted formula. As always, I will be fighting for the education aid that will get our children the tools they need to succeed in a competitive and evolving economic landscape.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to strike a budget deal that better assists Upstate and Central New York.