Column: State Senator Tom O'Mara

"Taxpayers have had it with tax-and-spend government"

ALBANY, May 10, 2026 -- It's fitting that a new statewide poll came out early last week that found nearly 70% of New Yorkers believing affordability in this state is moving in the wrong direction.

Tellingly, it's a strongly bipartisan belief. The fact that this state's cost of living is too high is a concern cutting across party lines. That's no small feat in today's hyper-partisan environment.

The message is clear, at least one thing most New Yorkers agree on: Across the board, they are sick and tired of all talk, no action on affordability and they're demanding common sense, fairness, and responsibility from state government.

That's not what they're getting. In fact, last week's new poll on affordability stood in stark contrast to anything else happening inside the Capitol at the highest levels of New York government.

For example, I joined several colleagues on the Senate Energy Committee to utilize a process authorized in the Senate's rules known as filing a "motion for consideration." It allowed us to bring up six pieces of energy affordability and ratepayer relief legislation for consideration and debate by the committee. If approved, the measures would have been able to be debated, voted on, and possibly approved by the full Senate.

Instead, they were rejected by the committee's Senate Democrat majority members and, as a result, the legislation will continue to languish, without action, for another session.

Among the measures Democrats rejected was a piece of legislation (S6412A) I sponsor, known as the "Ratepayer Disclosure and Transparency Act," that would, for the first time, give ratepayers a transparent view of how monthly, state-imposed surcharges on their utility bills are being used to fund various clean energy programs, including initiatives mandated under the "Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act" (CLCPA) of 2019.

New York State is spending billions of dollars, delivered into state and utility coffers from various state-imposed monthly surcharges on ratepayers. Albany Democrats have pushed forward with a misguided climate agenda without providing any meaningful cost-benefit analysis and by keeping ratepayers in the dark about how their money is being used.

Ratepayers need relief now, but they also deserve to know everything about the burden they are shouldering. The "Ratepayer Disclosure and Transparency Act" would give ratepayers a clear view. It would require utility companies to provide a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with state-mandated programs by adding a line-item expense report to ratepayers' utility bills to ensure greater transparency and to ensure that ratepayers can see exactly how their payments go towards funding the Albany Democrat climate agenda.

The Senate Republican Conference has repeatedly offered alternative plans and proposals that we believe are more focused on affordability, feasibility, and reliability, and which, if enacted, would better protect ratepayers from the ever-rising costs they're struggling under now. New York's ratepayers need relief and transparency now and Albany Democrats keep saying "No!"

And let's not forget the state budget, well over a month late now. Albany Democrats left town last week following the approval of a tenth "budget extender" to keep state government running while negotiations between Governor Hochul and the Democrat leaders of the Senate and Assembly remain stalled.

Oh sure, Governor Hochul held a solo press conference on Thursday morning proclaiming a "general agreement" on a new budget that, she says, will total $268 billion which, I noted, would mark a massive $15 billion increase in state spending above the current budget.

The problem was that shortly after the governor's announcement, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie shot it down. There is no agreement, Speaker Heastie quickly told reporters. During my questioning on the Senate floor over the budget extender, Senate Democrats essentially agreed and offered no details on any agreement.

On we go. As I've said repeatedly over the past several weeks that the budget's been late, New Yorkers deserve to know. As of this writing, they still don't know.

What's telling, however, is this: Governor Hochul pegs the upcoming budget at $268 billion. We know that's the least it will be because you can bet that what's going on at the moment behind closed doors is the big-spending Legislature trying to get spending to go even higher.

Wherever it winds up, what's clear is that Albany Democrats are not talking about cutting taxes, addressing unfunded mandates on localities and school districts, combatting fraud and waste in New York's Medicaid system, eliminating misguided clean energy mandates and timelines, or other key actions that would truly begin to lower the cost of living in this state and make it more affordable for all New Yorkers.

No, they're trying to figure out how to spend more. They're talking about more giveaways and handouts at a time when state and local taxpayers are shouting that they can't afford it anymore -- that they've had it up to here with tax-and-spend government.

Photo in text: State Senator Tom O'Mara

Legislature Chairman

Carl Blowers, 535-6174 or 237-5469

Legislature Members:

Gary Gray, 292-9922

Robert Halpin

Jeffrey Fazzary

Gail M. Walker

Phil Barnes, Watkins Glen, 481-0482

Mark Rondinaro, 398-0648

Laurence Jaynes

County Clerk: Theresa Philbin, 535-8133

Sheriff: Kevin Rumsey, 535-8222

Undersheriff: Andrew Zeigler, 535-8222

County Treasurer: Holley Sokolowski, 535-8181

District Attorney: Jeremy Hourilhan, 535-8383

State, Federal Officials for Schuyler County

Sen. Charles E. Schumer

United States Senate
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3201
DC Phone: 202-224-6542
DC Fax: 202-228-3027
Email Address: http://schumer.senate.gov/webform.html

Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand

United States Senate
478 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
DC Phone: 202-224-4451
Website: http://gillibrand.senate.gov/

State Senator Tom O'Mara -- Chemung, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, and Yates, and eastern Allegany County (towns of Alfred, Almond, Amity, Andover, Birdsall, Burns, Grove, Independence, Scio, Ward, Wellsville, and Willing).

Room 706, Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
Phone: (518) 455-2091
Fax: (518) 426-6976
www.omara.nysenate.gov

Assemblyman Phil Palmesano-- All of Schuyler and Yates, majority of Steuben, and portions of Chemung and Seneca counties.

Room 448, Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12248
Phone: (518) 455-5791
Fax: (518) 455-4644
Website: https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Philip-A-Palmesano/