New York is nearing the final days for state budget discussions. State senators see work that needs to be done, but they’re also highlighting key wins from the One-House Budget Resolution.
Prison reform is one point of emphasis where more focus is needed, said Republican State Senator Pat Gallivan, whose district includes Wyoming County and parts of Erie, Livingston and Monroe Counties. While he says inmate rights are important, Gallivan voices a desire for improved postal screenings that would keep both inmates and staff safe.
“The problems of contraband coming into facilities, and that's not even addressed in the budget. The use of body scanners, the use of better screening of mail services, the incoming mail and things of that nature," he said. "That's not addressed at all, those larger public safety concerns.”
Pothole remediation and road paving were among Democratic State Senator April Baskin’s focuses during her first state budget process. It’s important to secure separate funding for both options specifically, especially seeing the roads around Western New York, said Baskin, whose district includes most of Buffalo.
“In Buffalo, the issue is potholes specifically, so we need a pothole fund. That way, you can't dip into it to fix a bridge or a sewer system or anything like that," she said. "Those things should be prioritized, but they have to come out of different pots. And a lot of times, you know, you'll see in government budgets, these budget lines, and they're just an umbrella of, a plethora of issues.”
Stay tuned to WBFO News for coverage later this week about Buffalo’s pothole issues and how the city historically has tried to tackle them.
