Tagged: reform

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a major reform package aimed at ending the abuse and neglect of people with disabilities in state care.

The governor was joined by legislative leaders, district attorneys, and people with disabilities at the state Capitol on Monday.

The Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in New York State is taking on tax reform. Wendy Long used a tax-preparing site in Syracuse to make her point.

Russell, a Democrat from Theresa, has introduced legislation that will adjust the way school districts' wealth is measured.  Generally speaking, the poorer a district is, the more aid it gets. But it’s not a true sliding scale at the top and bottom ends.

Right now, the poorest districts are all lumped together in the same category, even though some may be much poorer than others. The same is true of the richest districts – they're all seen on equal footing, even though some may be much richer than others.

In effect, this drives less money to the poorest of the poor districts and more money to the richest ones.  Russell says that's a real problem when aid is being cut.

Governor Cuomo named Janet DiFiore, the District Attorney of Westchester County, to chair the commission. He also appointed Seymour Knox the IV, who is VP of Corporate Relations for the Buffalo Sabres, as well as the chair of a private equity firm, and Mitra Hormozi, who worked for Cuomo when he was Attorney General.   

Senate Leader Dean Skelos picks include former Western New York State Senator Mary Lou Rath. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver chose former state budget director Patrick Bulgaro.

Since the new ethics law was signed last August, there has been a kind of limbo period, with no active investigations of lawmakers for any alleged ethics violations.  Governor Cuomo, speaking on Long island earlier in the day says that now changes.

If, like many Americans, you’re worried about the future of Medicare, you’ll want to listen closely to this conversation about the program and the contentious politics surrounding it.  In a very information-rich interview, nationally recognized expert and University of North Carolina professor Jonathan Oberlander breaks down the elements of Medicare, the different proposals to change it, and explains why this huge—and popular—government program has become such a political lightning rod in recent years.  He also prognosticates about different possible futures in terms of Medicare’s structure and cost.  The bottom line to the future Medicare beneficiary:  The program is solid, but you’re going to need more money.