WXXI: Paterson, Leaders, Cuomo Reach Agreements (2008-06-23)

Governor David Paterson and legislative leaders announced agreement on nine more issues, both major and minor as the legislative session draws to a close, including reform of the Brownfields economic development program.

Paterson says he and the legislature have agreed to reduce the amount of clean-up subsidies awarded as part of the state's Brownfields program. The program had originally been intended to clean up abandoned toxic industrial sites. A change made three years ago has meant that wealthy real estate developers could receive millions of dollars in tax breaks, simply for building a large scale project on the site of an old gas station. Governor Paterson says the state can't afford the estimated $3 billion additional dollars that the program would have cost.

"We don't have those kind of resources right now," Paterson said.

The governor also won agreement on a gun control measure that will now allow the records of people involuntarily committed into mental hospitals to be included in background checks before firearms can be purchased.

Other agreements include a plan to greatly expand gambling in the Catskills, by increasing slot-like machines at the Concord hotel, and moving the Monticello racetrack to the new site. The governor and leaders have also worked to close a loophole in the state's criminal justice laws that could lead to some convicted felons being released from prison. That's because a court ruled that they were not properly told of the parole they'd face from the sentencing judge.

The governor and leaders also agreed to tighten up the worker's compensations laws, and make available more records of negligent doctors.

Meanwhile, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo also announced agreement with legislative leaders to crack down on abuses in the state pension system.

An investigation begun by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office found that a number of lawyers around the state who were doing contract work for school districts, also had been listed as school employees. That made them eligible for millions of dollars in lucrative pensions, normally reserved for teachers and school administrators. Several high profile settlements followed.

Now, Attorney General Cuomo says, both houses of the legislature have agreed to pass a bill that would outlaw the practice altogether.

"It stops the pension fraud schemes," said Cuomo.

Cuomo says those schemes will now be classified as a felony crime, instead of misdemeanor, and be easier to prosecute.

As the session draws to a close, Paterson and legislative leaders says they will try to achieve more agreements, including how to reform another of the state's economic development programs, Industrial Development Agencies. But Governor Paterson says his proposed property tax cap is not very likely to be part of any package passed over the next couple of days.