Mixed reviews for new state budget

Reaction by Catholic officials to this year's executive New York State budget focused almost exclusively on health care and education.

The $120.6 billion budget proposal, Eliot Spitzer's first as the new governor, brought qualified kudos from the New York State Catholic Conference and the Albany diocesan Catholic Schools Office for acknowledging the contributions of independent and religious schools.

But some of the new Governor's ideas on health care drew sharp criticism.

Catholic schools

The Governor's budget would allow parents of students in nonpublic schools a tax deduction of up to $1,000.

"This is an important development, and we're grateful for it," stated Dennis Poust, director of communications for the Catholic Conference, which lobbies for the state's bishops on public policy issues. However, he termed the impact on families "modest."

Sister Mary Jane Herb, IHM, diocesan superintendent of schools, told The Evangelist that education tax credits would be a better choice.

"The $1,000 deduction is equivalent to $60-80 savings," she said. "This also assumes that all families paying tuition are paying taxes, and this is not the case with the poor. Education tax credits, on the other hand, not only would benefit all families, but would give parents greater assistance."

Proposals

Other budget proposals on education caused more concern:

* the possibility of adding scores of charter schools across New York State;

* the lack of reimbursement for nonpublic schools who provide government-mandated services to children; and

* the lack of any mention by the Governor of computer hardware aid for nonpublic schools.

Charter schools

Regarding charter schools, Mr. Poust stated that it would cost the state much less to give tax credits for students to attend nonpublic schools than to build entirely new charter schools in needy neighborhoods.

He noted that Gov. Spitzer's own illustrations accompanying his budget address showed that the state spends more per capita on education than almost any state in the country, yet ranks 48th in graduation rates. Therefore, more state-funded charter schools are not the answer.

"We [Catholic schools] have a track record; they don't," Mr. Poust added, urging: "Allow a real choice for parents."

Health

In the area of health care, praise for the Governor's plan to provide health insurance to 400,000 uninsured children was overshadowed by protests over his projected $2.8 billion in healthcare cuts.

More than $1 billion would be slashed from Medicaid, "primarily by freezing reimbursement rates on hospitals and nursing homes. These institutions operate on a razor-thin margin to begin with," Mr. Poust stated.

Closings

Recalling recent recommendations for the closings or mergers of many healthcare institutions across the state, he said that the combination would put New York's ability to provide quality health care in jeopardy.

Though Gov. Spitzer stated that he wanted health care to become more patient-focused, Mr. Poust countered that "when there's no hospital or nursing home, the patient isn't getting served. We fear patients may not be better served by this plan."

A statement from Catholic Conference executive director Richard Barnes noted "while the Catholic Conference is encouraged by provisions to expand home and community-based services to emphasize primary and preventative care, we must oppose systematic cuts to hospitals and nursing homes in the absence of a robust home- and community-based service sector to replace lost services."

Stem cells

Catholic officials also slammed the Governor's proposal to spend $1.5 billion on embryonic stem-cell research, particularly in light of recent discoveries that stem cells can be found in amniotic fluid, a product of pregnancy whose use does not entail destroying an embryo.

"The Governor is proposing a tremendous burden on taxpayers when he's saying the state is spending too much money," Mr. Poust remarked, decrying "research that has not helped a single person, that is immoral, that involves the creation of human embryos for their parts. Human beings should not be used as a means to an end."

A statewide emergency contraception education program earned $2.6 million in the executive budget -- and derision from Mr. Poust, who termed it "advertising for a pharmaceutical company. I'm sure people know the 'morning-after [abortion] pill' is available without taxpayers having to pay for it."

Applause

On the positive side, the Catholic Conference applauded Gov. Spitzer for maintaining funding levels for alternative-to-abortion programs, including Community Maternity Services, a diocesan Catholic Charities agency.

Mr. Poust also cheered the Governor's plan to simplify the enrollment and recertification processes for 900,000 Medicaid-eligible adults, something long advocated by Catholic lobbyists.

New direction

All the officials called the budget proposal "bold" and said they hope to work with Gov. Spitzer and state lawmakers in taking New York State in a new direction.

The Governor "is seeking fundamental changes in the way the state spends its money, and that's a good thing," Mr. Poust remarked.

But he also noted that "although there's a new sheriff in town, the rules don't change," saying that Catholic lobbyists will once again address joint legislative hearings on all issues of concern, asking them especially to stand up for families trying to escape failed public schools, and for hospital and nursing home patients desperately in need of services.

(Gov. Spitzer plans to create a statewide office to respond to global warming and cut greenhouse gas emissions. He also proposed expanding the state's bottle bill to include non-carbonated beverages. He also mentioned the possibility of closing some of New York's prisons in his budget address. Many Catholic organizations have advocated alternatives for incarceration for non-violent offenders, including drug treatment programs. Finally, "we are saying 'no' to people that had gotten too used to the answer 'yes,'" declared Gov. Spitzer in his budget address. He stated that "we will not fall into the trap of throwing dollars at programs and projects simply because they sound exciting.")

(2/15/07) [[In-content Ad]]