ENP STAFF REPORTS
news@eastniagarapost.com

---

ALBANY -- State Sen. Rob Ortt, R–North Tonawanda, issued a statement regarding the New York State 2016-2017 Budget agreement, saying he believe it will "help Western New York."

Ortt's statement follows below in its entirety:

While there were certain elements of this budget that I did not support, I ultimately voted for a budget that I believe will help Western New York. We were able to reject the Governor’s proposed $15 an hour minimum wage increase, because it would have been devastating to our small businesses, family farms, and non-profits. We delivered a record $25 billion in education funding and eliminated the anti-Upstate Gap Elimination Adjustment – two major victories that will help our children, schools, and local taxpayers. We also delivered an unprecedented $4.2 billion middle class tax cut to help families keep more of their hard earned money than ever before. Finally, we ensured Upstate infrastructure received the same treatment – and funding – as downstate. We secured $27 billion for roads and bridges, because these investments are long overdue, create jobs, improve safety, and enhance the quality of life. Keeping within the two percent spending cap, I believe we passed a fiscally-responsible budget that will help our local schools, families, businesses, and seniors.

---

Check out East Niagara Post videos on YouTube, Vine and Periscope.