The legislation designed to protect dedicated transit funding from executive branch raids has cleared the State Assembly after gaining Senate approval earlier this week, Streetsblog reported a few minutes ago. The Transit Lockbox, as it is being called, institutes stringing reporting requirements and legislative approval for any attempt by the Governor to reappropriate transit funds into the state general fund. The text of the bill is available here, and I’ve offered up my support and analysis of the measure right here.
The bill now moves onto Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk for his approval, but that signature is no sure thing. As Jim O’Grady at Transportation Nation reported earlier in the week, Cuomo had not thrown his weight behind the measure. One source said to O’Grady via email, “We’re hearing that Cuomo is blocking the lockbox bill so that he can retain the ability to steal transit funds. (This is the same Cuomo who ran for governor last year on restoring honesty and ethics to government.)” The Governor has yet to comment.
4 comments
Cumo won’t sign it. He’s pretty much a Republican. He got all the campaign donations since everybody knew the nutjob the Reps put up had no chance. Cumo has made it clear with his “austerity” measures he has no intent to do what he promised to do.
I think if he signs it or not will pretty much determine what many of us here think of him and if we will vote for him again.
Too bad Cuomo’s not as determined to preserve transit funding as he was about pushing gay marriage. Paladino was a nutjob, but at least we knew what we would’ve gotten.
So what’s the plan here? A veto, then an override? A pocket veto? Or sign it and let next year’s budget bill override the lockbox “protections”?