ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced his vetoes for the state budget passed late last month, with nearly $640,000 in member items – sometimes called ‘pork spending’ – being eliminated from the state spending plan. The governor also vetoed an effort to move nearly $1.3 million — slated for “special act” schools serving disabled and troubled youths — to fund education “bullet aid” for local districts.
While the enacted budget contains up to $38 million to fund member item requests approved in previous years, Cuomo administration officials insisted the budget contained no new member item funding. Wednesday’s vetoes were for new requests put in the budget by lawmakers after Cuomo issued his initial spending plan.
Since being elected as governor, Cuomo has made it a point to eliminate pork from the state budget. The governor also kept a watchful eye on member item spending during his time as state attorney general.
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