Where's The Pork?

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I smell bacon. It is Christmas time again for all of New York state's political cronies.

The Empire Center has released its report on Member Item monies, or pork, in the 2007-08 NYS Enacted Budget. All you lefties who click on the embedded link, be careful, the Empire Center is a conservative think tank and I know some of you have an aversion to such groups.

Staffers here at the WBP are reviewing the 162 pages of member items and we will provide you with a more regionally specific analysis later this evening.

In the meantime, here are some highlights:

Although it has been widely reported that the budget included a total of $170 million in new legislative pork, our analysis of budget bills turned up only $101 million in individual appropriations listed under various subtotals for the "Community Projects 007" account, which traditionally is the funding source for legislative member items. Moreover, while the two houses traditionally divide the member-item grants into equal amounts, our totals (as summarized below) are unevenly distributed between the Senate and Assembly.
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. . . as of ten days after the budget was passed, neither the Senate nor the Assembly had made good on a promise to release an authoritative list of member items. The Legislature also has not identified individual sponsors of member items (although Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno released his personal list). Also still missing from the public record is any information on the purpose of, or justification for, any of the member-item expenditures.

- The Senate majority's 2,427 member items totaled $56.5 million.

- Senate Democrats issued 982 member items totaling $6.5 million.

- Prisoner's Legal Services received the largest member item from Assembly Democrats, with a $2.3 million grant. There were 1,682 member items lined out in the new budget bills from the Assembly Majority totaling $31.4 million.

- Assembly Republicans issued 730 member items totaling $4.2 million. The two largest grants; both totaling $50,000 -- went to the Williamsville Junior Football program and the Town of Greenwood.

- At least 666 grants totaling $6.5 million were awarded to senior-citizen organizations statewide. Veterans groups, including American Legion posts, accounted for at least 151 member items totaling $1.5 million.

- At least 599 grants totaling $6.8 million went to public, private and charter schools, and to public libraries across the state.

More analysis of local impact to come -