Assemblyman Joe
GIGLIO
Delivering for the Southern Tier


JOE GIGLIO: Delivering for the Southern Tier

Improving Education

The 2007-08 State Budget provided a $1.76 billion increase in school aid, for a total of $19.65 billion in support for education. This includes funding for teacher resource and computer training centers.

Equally as important, the state budget also includes several measures to increase accountability in schools. We can no longer afford to dole out extra funding for schools without requiring that performance standards are improved. That’s why the budget also includes the following measures:

  • Some school districts receiving additional aid will be required to prepare a Contract for Excellence which aims to reduce class size, lengthen the school day, restructure the schools, implement full-day kindergarten and enhance teacher quality.

  • Authorize school districts to use up to 15 percent of the additional funding for programs designed to improve student achievement.

  • Regents must establish targets for improvement of schools and school districts based upon performance of state assessments, graduation rates and other indicators of progress.

  • Require the commissioner to develop student progress, school progress and school leadership report cards.
Building a Stronger Economy

The 2007-08 budget provided funding for several major economic development programs to help promote the growth of industry in New York state. The budget includes funding for major initiatives, such as $16 million for the "I Love New York" program, and $40 million for the Empire State Economic Development Fund.

Additionally, Assemblyman Giglio continues to consider legislation intended to stimulate business activity in depressed regions, encourage technological innovations and create new jobs.

One major accomplishment this year was reform of the workers’ compensation system. The new changes provide cost savings to businesses by capping permanent partial disability benefits, while continuing a medical care safety net. It also increases the current maximum weekly benefit rate for injured workers to $500, and then increases it over a period of four years to two-thirds of the state’s average weekly wage.
Investing in Our Farms

Over the past several years, New York state has been losing its family farms at an alarming rate. An average of one farm is lost every day. To help prevent the downward spiral of this trend, Assemblyman Joe Giglio helped secure $30 million for the Dairy Assistance Program. This program paid farmers per hundredweight for milk produced during the 2006 calendar year.

Assemblyman Giglio also helped secure a $5 million increase for a total of $28 million for the Environmental Protection Fund’s Open Space account for Farmland Protection.
Keeping Our Community Safe

This year, Assemblyman Giglio voted to pass civil confinement legislation - a milestone in the effort to protect women and children. The new law will help keep sex offenders off our streets and away from our children.

Under provisions of the law, a screening panel composed of mental health officials will decide whether a released sex offender is a candidate for mental health treatment. If found likely to re-offend by a screening panel, they will be sent to a secure facility to receive mental health treatment.

Civil Confinement also increases the penalties for sex crimes and expands the category of sexual offense to include crimes motivated by sexual violence. For example, an individual who breaks into a house to rape a woman will be charged with a sex crime even if the woman is unharmed.
Cutting Taxes

Assemblyman Giglio knows property taxes are too high and overtaxed homeowners need relief. That’s why he helped secure $1.3 billion in property tax rebate checks for New York homeowners as part of this year’s budget, and $4 billion in property tax rebate checks over the next two years.

Other tax relief Assemblyman Giglio secured this year:

  • $55 million reduction in the Corporate Franchise Tax to create manufacturing jobs;

  • $50 million for the immediate phase-in of the single sales factor to aid businesses and manufacturers; and

  • Fought back $480.7 million in new tax and fee hikes.
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Assemblyman
Joe Giglio’s
 2008 To Do List

Providing Taxpayers with Relief:

  • Meaningful Property Tax Reform for all homeowners and businesses

  • Restricting unfunded mandates (unfunded state mandated programs) placed on localities and school districts

Protecting Children & Families:

  • Expanding the DNA database to include all persons convicted of a crime or adjudicated as a youthful offender

  • Passing the Chronic Criminal Act to increase penalties for habitual misdemeanor criminal offenders

Helping Create and Retain Jobs:

  • Provide funding for programs that will help upgrade and renovate downtown and main street facades;

  • Restore the one percent lower tax rate for small businesses;

  • Provide a Small Business Energy Tax Reduction;

  • Enact a prompt payment law for state contracts with small businesses and require that at least 15 percent of state contracts are with businesses employing 100 or fewer employees; and

  • Provide education grants to business owners and employees for courses necessary for the support and operation of a micro-enterprise business.


Contact Assemblyman Giglio:
700 West State Street, Westgate Plaza • Olean, NY 14760 • (716) 373-7103

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