State Senator Patty Ritchie, who represents the 48th District, says she is pleased with Gov. Cuomo's proposed budget plan released earlier today.

Ritchie praised the governor for creating a conservative budget that reduces spending and taxes and reduces bureaucracy.

She said Cuomo has also been listening to prison, farming and school officials and has addressed their concerns, while he has proposed taking over burdensome Medicaid payments for counties.

Her comments follow:

"Governor Cuomo has presented a budget plan that continues the progress we began last year, by cutting taxes and spending, and emphasizing steps that will lead to more jobs and a stronger economy.

"For the second year in a row, the Governor’s budget contains no new taxes, reduces spending and seeks to further streamline state government by eliminating needless bureaucracy, inefficiency and waste.

"I was pleased that his budget protects the jobs at local prisons in my district, and by the Governor’s attempt to address the inequity in existing school aid formulas that hurt our rural, local schools. The budget also maintains funding that I fought hard to restore last year for agricultural research, marketing and education programs that are essential to farmers’ success and growth.

"The Governor’s Medicaid takeover proposal is a welcome opening step to providing more relief for local taxpayers, and helping to ensure the success of our new tax cap to help reduce the cost of government. I have already forwarded cost-saving recommendations to the state’s new Mandate Relief Commission, and will continue to work alongside members of that panel to find new ways to bring savings to local governments and taxpayers through additional—and long overdue—mandate relief.

"I look forward to learning more details about this budget, and will be reaching out to community leaders and constituents from my district over the next few weeks to find ways to improve it, further cut costs and provide urgently needed tax relief that will help strengthen our economy."