Spitzer Faults Legislature in Budget Process
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ALBANY, N.Y. – The state attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, a Democratic candidate for governor, took the Legislature to task yesterday for not asking tough questions about budgets and larding them up with pork-barrel spending that is not itemized.
Mr. Spitzer’s criticism came as he reiterated his opposition to a proposed state constitutional amendment that he and Governor Pataki, a Republican, have said would unwisely shift budget power away from governors to the Legislature. The proposed amendment goes to voters in November.
Meeting with reporters in his state Capitol office, Mr. Spitzer said the amendment, if approved, would almost certainly ensure a return to late budgets that spend too much.
“The history of the budget process in the state suggests there is greater fiscal prudency, fiscal discipline and greater accountability when you have an executive who is solely responsible for leading the budget process,” Mr. Spitzer said.
The state budget was adopted this year in time for the April 1 start of the fiscal year, the first time that’s happened in two decades.
The attorney general said if he were elected governor he would press for legislative budget hearings during which lawmakers could ask tough questions of administration officials.
Reminded the Legislature already holds public budget hearings during which lawmakers question the heads of various state agencies, Mr. Spitzer said, “It’s not happening in a meaningful way.”
Of the lawmakers’ current questions, Mr. Spitzer said, “They are not asked properly.”
In response, a spokesman for state senate republican majority leader, Joseph Bruno, Mark Hansen, said: “We don’t have a clue what he’s talking about, because in addition to the many public leaders’ meeting, there were 12 joint budget hearings in addition to countless hearings held by members in their districts on the budget.”
Mr. Spitzer did say that part of the problem facing lawmakers was that they didn’t get enough details from the Pataki administration to be able to ask the right budget questions. He said that would change if he were governor because “transparency will be the touchstone.”
