Three North Country politicians weighed in on the close of the legislative session including Sen. Patty Ritchie (R-Heuvelton) who says the legislative session invests in schools, strengthens the future of agriculture, protecting and creating jobs, and delivers on the promise of relief for hardworking taxpayers.

Ken Blankenbush R,C,I-Black River) and Assemblyman Marc W. Butler (R,C-Newport) also voiced the opinions on the close of the legislative session

“This year has been difficult, with many transitions and changes, but I have always kept my focus on the people’s priorities – which are keeping our upstate communities affordable for families and providing better employment and business opportunities for New Yorkers,” Blankenbush said.

Blankenbush represents the 117th Assembly District. It covers most of western St. Lawrence County.

“While I’m pleased to see the property tax cap extended and the creation of an additional $1.3 billion property tax rebate check program, we still have not addressed the unfunded mandate relief promised by the governor and legislative leaders to our communities and school districts. There is more work to be done to improve education for children and restore public trust with strong ethics reforms. We didn’t get everything we wanted, but I am undeterred and will push for these things next session,” Blankenbish said.

Marc Butler, whose 118th Assembly District includes St. Lawrence County towns from Norfolk and Madrid south to Colton, Clifton and Fine said “after a rocky start due to scandals, the end of the legislative session arrived, and it seems as though legislators just began the difficult discussions. I’ve been fighting for the ideals of freedom, integrity and prosperity for New Yorkers and their government,” Butler said

“I will continue my efforts into next year to restore Second Amendment rights by working to repeal the SAFE Act, restore public trust by enacting strong ethics reforms, and revive the economy for our families. I am pleased that we’ve extended the property tax cap that has saved New York homeowners nearly $8 billion. Additionally, the creation of a $1.3 billion property tax rebate check program to supplement STAR rebates will be a welcomed bit of relief to property owners," Butler said.

Next legislative session, I will continue to fight for education that is child-centered and create a better business climate so jobs can thrive here. I am proud to stand up for New York’s families. Nonetheless, the same old problems plagued this final piece of legislation – we received the bill late in the evening of the last day of session accompanied by a governor’s message of necessity that discourages our participation in the process, and that’s just wrong,” Butler said.

Ritchie released the following statement:

“For the fifth time in as many years, we passed a balanced budget that was on time and strengthens New York’s economy by holding the line on spending and taxes. We extended the successful property tax cap, and approved a new round of property tax rebates to bring significant tax relief that middle class taxpayers desperately need.

As the Chair of the Senate’s Agriculture Committee, I was proud to lead the way to providing record state funding to strengthen and preserve family farming. We expanded the Young Farmer program I created in 2014 to address the challenge of replacing aging and retiring farmers, and encourage a new generation of agriculture professionals, and introduced the “Grown in New York” initiative to help strengthen farmers’ bottom lines by connecting local farms and consumers.

We provided record funding for public schools, including a $25 million increase in state school aid to districts I represent in Jefferson, Oswego and St. Lawrence Counties. Over five years, per-pupil school aid in my Senate District increased more than 20 percent. We virtually eliminated the aid-cutting Gap Elimination Adjustment, responded to concerns of teachers and parents about excessive testing and repealed a gag order that prevented teachers and administrators from discussing the tests. We recruited the learning experts at the State Education Department to design a better system to evaluate and recognize teacher excellence. We increased funding for public libraries and increased tuition assistance to help middle class families pay for college.

For the fourth time, I hosted the annual Fort Drum Day at the Capitol to raise awareness and support for the post—Upstate New York’s largest employer—and secured $3 million in special State Budget funding to help secure Fort Drum and other military posts in our state from federal military cuts. We expanded buffer areas outside the post to bolster the Army’s training mission, and I directed new health care investments to benefit troops and their families, as well as the entire community, including funding for area hospitals and for local PTSD programs in Watertown and at River Hospital in Alexandria Bay that serve veterans and troops returning from war zones.

We passed sweeping legislation to protect the rights of women to be treated fairly in the workplace, including a landmark Equal Pay bill, and protections against pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment, and to crack down on a growing problem of international human trafficking, where women and children are treated and sold like property.

By these actions, and many others, we once again demonstrated that by working together in a bipartisan way we can achieve real results that have a direct and positive impact on our economy, community and, by expanding opportunity for individuals and families, create a better future for all New Yorkers.”