Creates a tax surcharge to fund an omnibus education financing plan in New York city

BILL NUMBER:S3208A

Title of bill

An act to amend the tax law and the education law, in relation to education tax surcharge

Purpose or general idea of bill

To provide immediate, adequate support for public education in the city of New York by raising an additional 1.9 billion dollars in revenue.

Summary of specific provisions

§ Legislative Intent

§ 2 This legislation adds a new Section 1304-e to the tax law to empower the city of New York to adopt a local law establishing an income tax surcharge for the purpose of providing increased funding for public education.

§ 3 This legislation also amends the education law by adding a new section 2589 to provide additional apportionments of public money for general operating aid to cities that have adopted an emergency in education tax surcharge. This additional state aid will be calculated as a percentage of the revenue raised by the NYC surcharge tax.

§ 4 This legislation further amends section 2576 of the education law by adding a new subdivision 5-c to ensure a city receiving increased operating aid maintains its fair share of funding for education.

§ 5 Effective date.

Justification

Currently, public schools in the city of New York are facing a crisis due in part to inadequate funding. Ultimately, the resources necessary for our children to obtain an adequate education are not available. As a result, the city is unable to attract and retain qualified teachers because it cannot afford to pay teachers a competitive wage.

At the same time, too many school facilities are overcrowded or in disrepair. Lawsuits have been brought against the state of New York for inadequately funding New York City schools. In addition, criticism has been leveled against the city of New York for not contributing its fair share of financing for public education.

This legislation helps to minimize the impact of inadequate funding for education on students currently enrolled in New York City public schools. Our children's education cannot wait until the financial crisis is over or until state finance issues are resolved.

Prior legislative history

03/04/03 - A.6371 referred to Assembly Ways and Means 01/07/04 - A.6371 referred to Assembly Ways and Means 01/03/07 - A.6272 referred to Assembly Ways and Means 01/09/08 - A.6272 referred to Assembly Ways and Means 01/27/09 - A.3622 referred to Assembly Ways and Means 01/6/10 - A.3622 referred to Assembly Ways and Means

Fiscal implications for state and local governments

This legislation will raise nearly 2 billion dollars per year for educational purposes in the city of New York.

Effective date

Immediately.