It goes without saying that 2020 has been one of the most unpredictable and challenging years of our lifetime. The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for years to come.

As the Legislature prepares to return for a rare July session, many important questions remain unanswered.

In a recent Buffalo News article, it was stated that legislative leaders anticipated a “robust agenda” for the upcoming July session. It is my hope that we will not squander the opportunity and will start providing much needed clarity and assistance to families and businesses.

For years, I have advocated for increasing assistance to working families through an expansion of the Child Care Credit. This assistance is even more critical now as many families are struggling to find adequate childcare, while continuing to work from home.

In addition, it is critical that we develop plans to ensure that children and teachers can return to school safely and as soon as possible.

While I acknowledge that the current fiscal crisis could not have been predicted, it is still troubling that we have yet to be presented with the Governor’s suggested budget revisions.

Furthermore, it is impossible to ignore the fact that prior to COVID-19 the state was already experiencing an over $6 billion deficit. As part of my 2020 Legislative Questionnaire, over 51 percent of respondents said the state should address deficits by reducing spending and cutting outdated regulations.

Conversely, only 28 percent of residents advocated for tax increases or cost shifts.

Right-sizing New York State government is more critical than ever to ensure the quickest, most sustainable, economic recovery possible.

I strongly believe we need to examine how we utilize our economic development dollars. With so many small businesses struggling to survive we need to do all we can to assist them.

The Governor controls billions of dollars for economic development incentives to attract new businesses to the state. I can think of no better time redistribute these resources to support locally owned businesses.

In my previously mentioned questionnaire, nearly 53 percent of respondents said the state should not be in the business of picking winners and losers. Instead, they supported broad-based tax relief for businesses or not incentivizing private corporations at all. Only 13 percent of respondents believed that incentives were extremely important to help businesses.

Great challenges face government leaders as Legislative Session resumes. I hope the Governor and Senate and Assembly leaders will take real steps to assist hardworking families and struggling small businesses.

Best,

MIKE RANZENHOFER

State Senator – 61st District

New York State Senator Mike Ranzenhofer (SD-61) endorsed Chris Jacobs for Congress (NY-27) today.

“I have had the honor of serving with Chris Jacobs as a State Senator for four years now, and I can say with all sincerity he has always put the needs of Western New York at the forefront of his agenda," Senator Ranzenhofer said. "Chris has served our state and our region with integrity and dedication, and he cares deeply about the men, women, and families of Western New York.

"I can think of no one more qualified or more prepared to fight for us as our next Congressman, especially at a time when we are in dire need of conservative leadership in Washington. I am proud to endorse Chris Jacobs for New York’s 27th Congressional District.”

“I am deeply grateful to be endorsed by Senator Ranzenhofer," Jacobs said. "It has been a pleasure serving in the Senate and representing Erie County with him; he has always been a strong, dedicated advocate for our region, and for our conservative values.

"I have been honored to serve Western New York in the Senate and I look forward to fighting for our region in Congress in June and ensuring that we restore strong conservative leadership to this seat. Senator Ranzenhofer’s support makes me confident we can develop a strong coalition of local leaders to ensure a bright and prosperous future for Western New York.”

Jacobs is also the only candidate to receive the endorsement of United States President Donald Trump, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), Congresswomen Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Former Congressman Jack Quinn (R- NY), NYS Senator Patrick Gallivan, NYS Assemblyman Angelo Morinello, NYS Assemblyman Mike Norris, and Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard.

Because of the COVID-19 crisis, Assemblyman Steve Hawley recently partnered with Sen. Robert G. Ortt and Sen. Michael H. Razenholfer to request a postponement of hearing dates for the development of new energy initiatives as part of the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act.

The goal is to ensure that the district, which is incredibly involved in siting policy at the local level, is allowed to participate in the public forums mandated by the act.

“This pause in daily life has not been without its struggles, and the people of Western New York have been performing admirably during this time,” Hawley said. “It’s why I want to ensure their right to assembly, especially during matters that concern them.”

Senator Michael Ranzenhofer issued the following statement this morning:

“The Governor has indicated that he intends to make changes to correct the flawed criminal justice reform as part of the NYS budget. I strongly believe that the law needs to be repealed and a fresh start is needed, with input from law enforcement, district attorneys and local government.

"I am very much opposed to something this important being tucked into the $178 billion budget. The NYS budget is already made more complicated this year by the $6.1 billion deficit. Bail reform has been a highly contested and debated topic and it should be considered on its own merit.”

As you may know, the federal government recently announced that it will no longer process new NEXUS applications from New York State. While this is extremely disappointing, it is not a surprise. Many senators, including myself, raised concerns with provisions of New York State’s Green Light Law, which ban the federal government from accessing DMV records.   

Despite warnings from the federal government when Green Light was being advanced, the Democrat majorities in the Senate and Assembly passed the bill. Meanwhile, the Governor dismissed warnings as nothing more than divisive, fearmongering. While the Governor continues to claim bias and point to a limited number of states that issue licenses to illegal immigrants, he fails to mention that these states do not prohibit law enforcement from accessing DMV data. Even California has agreements in place to share data with federal law enforcement. 

The federal government has sole authority and enforcement power over immigration and border security policies. If New York State decides to withhold information that federal agencies deem necessary for entry into the United States, the federal government has every right to deny travel privileges. In the end, NEXUS is a federal program and the federal government can decide who is eligible and what guidelines must be meant. If New York State chooses to pass policies that go against such guidelines, the state must accept the consequences.  

It is important to note that if you currently have NEXUS, you may not be effected immediately. However, you will not be able to renew when your current card expires. 

I am hopeful that New York State will take appropriate steps to ensure that residents again have access to NEXUS.

As your State Senator, I value your concerns and opinions. Many new issues are being discussed and there is sure to be extensive debate throughout the 2020 session.

From a $6.1 billion deficit to criminal justice reforms and vaccination requirements, your opinions on issues facing New York State are very important to me. That is why I have launched a 2020 Legislative Questionnaire.

It is only 14 questions and takes just a couple of minutes to complete. Click here to complete the questionnaire.

I will be listening to residents– all across the 61st Senate District– as this year’s legislative session progresses. 

Thank you in advance for taking the time to participate. I look forward to hearing your feedback.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to you or your family.

“I am proud to have fought against this unnecessary cash grab, and New Yorkers should be proud their voices and objections to this theft disguised as a necessity were heard. 

“This victory against tyranny and manipulation shows the governor and his Downstate puppets that if it’s your money they want, they better have good reason for it. The wallets of hard-working taxpayers have been bled dry for long enough.

“Gov. Cuomo’s decision to scrap his latest tax grab is a resounding triumph for taxpayers. The decision to instigate a $25 fee for new license plates, that cost no more than a few dollars to make, was an unfair and greedy money grab to fund the state’s lavish spending.

“The tax burden the people of New York are subject to already is preposterous. A state with $175 billion in tax revenue can easily afford to replace these plates without taking the hard-earned money from your pockets.

“I will continue to fight to keep your hard-earned money where it belongs. I devote myself to protecting the middle class against any unfair cash grabs, taxes or fees.”

UPDATE -- Late this afternoon, Senator Michael Ranzenhofer issued a statement about the issue:

The governor's license plate replacement plan hit a roadblock; facing a backlash, Cuomo put the brakes on his license plate replacement plan.

After weeks of defending his proposal to require the replacement of license plates over 10 years old, the Governor has decided not to move forward with the plan. The Governor and DMV had proposed requiring the replacement of all license plates over 10 years old.

As part of his mandatory replacement program, residents would be required to pay $25 for the new license plate and an additional $20 if they wished to keep their same plate number.

I voted against the legislation to allow for this charge when it passed in 2009 and I oppose the Governor’s most recent plan. In fact, I cosponsor legislation to prohibit charging additional fees for license plate replacements.

Perhaps most frustrating was the implication by the Governor that these charges were required when the law clearly gives authority to the Executive to charge less or waive the fee completely as has been done the last 10 years.

Facing tremendous backlash from myself and other representatives and overwhelming public opposition, the Governor announced that he would no longer require replacement. However, it remains unclear if he still plans to keep the proposed fee structure in place.  I assure you that I will continue to monitor this situation closely.

As I have stated many times before, New York State is simply too expensive and nickel-and-dime fees such as the Governor’s License Plate Tax only make matters worse. We should be advancing proposals that make New York more affordable – not increasing costs to support unsustainable spending.

See The Batavian's previous post about the license plate replacement fees here.

For the proposal as announced last month by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, click here.

A recent report confirmed what far too many Western New York families already know; New York State is one of the most expensive states for childcare in the nation. According to the report, childcare costs the average family in New York State over $14,000 annually for a single child.  

Unfortunately, childcare is only one example of New York’s affordability crisis. In addition to childcare, NY is one of the most expensive states to retire in and has some of the highest property taxes, income tax rates, and energy costs.

Equally troubling is that despite paying tremendous costs, our services and infrastructure regularly scores in the middle or bottom of the pack nationally.

Regrettably, the 2019 legislative session only made matters worse.

New and higher taxes, cuts to cost-saving programs and new mandates that will increase food and energy prices will not help Western New York families. If you own a home, have a child, are retired, use electricity, or eat, it will now be more expensive to live in New York.

Making New York State more affordable is one of my top priorities and now more than ever we need to embrace my Affordability Agenda.

The Affordability Agenda lowers taxes for the middle class, cuts energy taxes, and provides for real mandate and regulatory reforms to ensure that these measures are sustainable.

In addition, I am sponsoring legislation to make child care more affordable (S4458) and to cap property taxes for seniors (S4579). Seniors should not be forced out of the homes they own due to annual property tax increases. It is critical to accomplish this by reforming our government, not simply shifting the tax burden.

I will continue to do all I can to support policies that help hard working Western New Yorkers. We will never reach our full economic potential if we continue to have some of the highest taxes and most burdensome regulations in the nation.

State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer has issued the following statement:

“This session was full of missed opportunities and misplaced priorities. From the convening of the session in January, through yesterday, we saw bill after bill filled with items that voters did not want and that hurt Western New York.

“The budget, filled with billions of dollars in new taxes for this year alone, is set to increase taxes by $4.5 billion next year. To make matters worse, Democrats gave less funding to our Western New York roads and bridges. Our schools also saw less aid proportionally.

“We saw, just this week alone, numerous times when Downstate members negatively spoke about Upstate residents. Despite the calls to be one unified state and the promise that Upstate would not be overlooked, this session had a disproportionately negative affect on Upstate’s economy and way of life.

"Late term abortion, driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, billions in new taxes and mandates on farmers are just some of the examples. Instead of passing the 'Victims’ Justice Agenda', the Majority was focused on delivering for criminals, with the 'Criminals’ Bill of Rights'. All of this while our taxpayers were left behind.”