Budget negotiations in Albany have kicked into high gear with the Senate and Assembly offering their counterproposals to Governor Cuomo's plan.
Republican Senator Tom Libous says he's fighting the more than 120 million dollars being slashed from programs and services that benefit people with disabilities. That includes a 6 percent cut for programs like ACHIEVE and the Handicapped Children's Association as well as staffing cuts to state run facilities such as the Broome Developmental Center.
Senator Libous says that he has come up with a plan of almost 10 different options of where to find the money to keep the funding in place. "Any organization or respite care program or group home that deals with the disabled I'm going to fight very hard to see that these funds get restored. It's very important to me personally, very important to my district, very important to the state."
The senator is also seeking additional aid to help rural, upstate schools. And he wants more money for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program, or CHIPS, which helps local municipalities do minor road repairs.
