Gov. Cuomo’s budget plan would deny nearly $1 billion in state aid to 372,000 legal New York college students if the Legislature refuses to provide tuition assistance to illegal immigrants and tax credits to supporters of parochial schools.
The poison pill was inserted by Cuomo into the state budget last week, but isn’t widely known.
...
State Conservative Party chairman Mike Long fumed, “This is definitely blackmail. The governor is holding college students hostage. It’s ethically wrong.”
The state spent $935.6 million on Tuition Assistance Program benefits to 372,527 students last year. Grants ranged from $500 to $5,000.
But in amendments to his budget plan, Cuomo linked the release of the TAP grants to expanding eligibility to undocumented residents as well as enactment of the Education Tax Credit.
The way the budget bill is written, the Legislature can’t reject the Dream Act or the tax credit without also wiping out the entire tuition assistance program for nearly 400,0000 college students.
The actual language of the amendment says “funds from this [TAP] appropriation shall not be spent” unless the two other programs are also approved.
Cuomo is calculating that his provocative maneuver will force lawmakers to pass both the Dream Act and the Education Tax Credit to avoid being blamed for scrapping the popular tuition grants.
Asked about the linkage, Cuomo’s office provided a comment the governor recently made on Long Island.
“It’s the best way to get it passed,” he said. “Because they wouldn’t pass it last year, and I think this gives it the greatest likelihood of passing.”
Pretty soon they'll be no other legislation passed in New York State except for the stuff Cuomo sticks into the 30 day budget amendments tied to other things.
I'm not sure when we went from living in a democracy to an autocracy, but that's where we're at these days.
Cuomo - the governor with the 44%-55% job approval rating - is imposing his will on the state like he's The Sun King.
Pass what I want or I kill off all state financial aid to college students.
Nice.
At least it's something that those who are in need (not the banks) benefit from. That's an actual accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it, this connecting everything to everything else and sticking it into a 30 day budget amendment is anti-democratic. Regardless of the merit of each of these pieces of legislation, the way they get passed matters as much as whether they get passed. This sets up a bad precedent, with the governor continuing to subsume more power into the executive.
DeleteAnd the tax credits are really a voucher program for parochial schools. That's not how public funds should be used!!
DeleteRule by budget is a pillar of neoliberal governance
ReplyDeleteYes, they tell us it's the only way to govern now. There's "no time" to govern any other way.
DeleteThis is how we are "ruled" now. They stick all kinds of provisions into bills creating an all or nothing dictatorial hype.
ReplyDeleteThat's right - autocracy from the functionaries for the 1%.
DeleteWord on the street from informed sources is that as soon as Loretta Lynch is confirmed as attorney general, there will be multiple arrests in Albany. It cannot come soon enough if one of those arrested is Andrew Cuomo. In fact, it might be the only way we are all saved.
ReplyDeleteEmail me with the details and where you have heard this:
Deleterealitybasededucator@aol.com
Yup...from the Federalis on down, all kinds of unrelated items, as a result of horse trading , get pasted into bills, and voila- a confusing, breathless piece of legislation that even the legislators don't bother to read, or become expert on. For the most part , the lobbyists write the legislaton, ala Obamacare.
ReplyDeleteits very nice article
ReplyDelete