February 13, 2012 · www.gothamgazette.com

Gotham Gazette
Loading
Recent Posts
NYC Blogs
Click here for a list of NYC blogs
Newsfeeds
Search This Blog

Assembly Looks to Consolidate
March 25th, 2010

The Assembly has released a plan that would merge some state agencies and allow others to share resources. The move is expected to save the state millions of dollars. The Assembly plan includes some consolidation proposals included in Gov. David Paterson’s budget proposal but rejects others. The Assembly passed its own budget proposal by a vote of 91-51. All Republicans voted against the proposal.

Here is the breakdown according to a release from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s office:

The proposal, which would take effect on January 1, 2011, would:

  • Establish a new Department of Financial Services by merging the Department of Banking and the Department of Insurance;
  • Authorize the use of shared administrative services between the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and the Office of Children and Family Services;
  • Authorize the use of shared administrative services between the Office of Mental Health, the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services;
  • Merge the Higher Education Services Corporation into the State Education Department;
  • Merge the State University Construction Fund into the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York;
  • Consolidate the Governor’s Office of Regulatory Reform into the Department of State;
  • Merge the Administration of the Environmental Facilities Corporation programs into the Department of Environmental Conservation;
  • Authorize the use of shared administrative services between the Racing and Wagering Board and the Division of Lottery; and
  • Create a task force to evaluate the consolidation of the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), the Job Development Authority, the Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority into one authority.

The Assembly has also accepted the following Executive proposals, which would:

  • Consolidate the Emergency Service and Homeland Security entities into a Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services;
  • Merge the Office of Real Property Services and the Department of Tax and Finance;
  • Authorize the use of shared administrative services for the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General and the Office of the Welfare Inspector General;
  • Merge the State Fair and the Industrial Exhibit Authority;
  • Transfer the Nutritional Outreach Program and the AIDS Homeless Housing Program from the Department of Health to the Office for Temporary Disability Assistance; and
  • Consolidate the Operation of the Division of Housing and Community Renewal and the Housing Finance Authority.

Other actions taken by the Assembly in response to the Executive’s proposal would:

  • Reject merging the Crime Victims Board (CVB), the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) and the Department of Parole and Correctional Alternatives into a single entity;
  • Reject the Executive proposal to merge the Department of Economic Development and the ESDC into the new Job Development Corporation; and
  • Amend the proposed merger of the Public Employees Relations Board and the State Employee Relations Board to make the merger take effect on April 1, 2011.
By David King on March 25, 2010, 2:19 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany | 1 Comment »

| More

RSS Feed RSS Feed


One Response to “Assembly Looks to Consolidate”

  1. Jean King Says:
    March 26th, 2010 at 11:51 am

    Most of these merger proposals sound reasonable. But I’m wondering to what extent the state has succeeded in its stated plans to ensure all agencies’ computer systems are compatible, or at least permit efficient interchange of information. If the merged agencies’ computer applications can’t work together, the mergers will result in either the expenditures of large sums to make them compatible or a failure to realize much benefit from the move.

Leave a Reply


RSS Feed