A new legislative commission empowered to help make New York more affordable has an appointee from Long Island: Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano.
One of 10 members, the fourth-term lawmaker was named by the leadership of the Republican Caucus to bring the voice of the suburbs to the Commission on State-Local Relations.
“It’s important to have a local voice on this commission, which is charged with examining, evaluating, and making recommendations concerning the distribution of state aid,” DeStefano said.
According to the legislator, who serves on the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee, the group will also examine state mandates on local governments and limits on their ability to raise revenue, incur debt, and manage resources.
“We want the system to be more equitable in terms of returning state revenue back to the areas that provide it,” DeStefano stated, noting the disparity between what local taxpayers send to Albany and the funds they get back. “Municipalities must also be allowed to manage their money with minimal interference from the state.”
According to its enabling legislation, the State-Local Relations Commission is authorized to undertake any study, inquiry, survey, or analysis it may deem relevant to its activities.
The commission can obtain data from any state entity and local municipalities.
“The commission shall make such recommendations as it may deem necessary to provide an equitable system of state aid to local governments, to encourage the most effective use of state and local resources, to preserve the fiscal integrity of both state and local governments and otherwise to strengthen the partnership between the state and its local governments,” according to the law.
DeStefano joins members appointed by the Republican and Democrat leaders of both the Assembly and Senate. The commission was granted the full powers and privileges of a standing legislative committee.
“We expect to get right down to work, holding hearings and making recommendations,” DeStefano said.