A Letter from Senator Flanagan

Dear friend,
Yesterday, I joined Governor Andrew Cuomo as he signed the landmark Property Tax Cap measure, which I sponsored and voted for, into law. This tax cap will help ease the burden that skyrocketing tax increases have placed on hardworking middle-class homeowners, senior citizens and small businesses throughout our state by limiting the growth of school and local taxes to less than two percent or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is lower.
While this much-needed legislation is aimed at protecting our taxpayers, it is important to note that steps have been taken to make sure our schools and our local governments are able to continue providing the critical services we all rely on. That is why the tax cap legislation that was signed into law included important mandate relief with $127 million in savings to local governments and the creation of a Mandate Relief Council to identify and repeal unsound, unduly burdensome laws and regulations.
This package has been my number one priority this year because it is a sensible way to help our families stay here on Long Island without harming the overall quality of life we all have come to expect and appreciate.
The enactment of the property tax cap is just one of the many key measures approved during the recently concluded 2011 Legislative Session -- a session many observers are calling the most productive in many years. Working with Governor Cuomo, we were also successful in passing a responsible on-time budgetthat achieved my key goals of reducing state spending and cutting taxes, as well as an historic ethics reform packagethat increased accountability and transparency for government.
While these changes to the Albany status quo were long overdue, there is much more work that lies ahead and I will be sure to keep you posted.
As always, your input on the issues that matter most to you and your family, and I encourage you to respond to this email if you have thoughts on this or any other state matter.
Sincerely,
John J. Flanagan
New York State Senator, 2nd District
P.S. If any of the links on this e-mail will not open in your Internet browser, please visit my web site (flanagan.nysenate.gov) for more information.