Reduce Property Taxes

Property taxes on Long Island are outrageously high. The 10 highest property taxed counties in the country are in New York. Lee supports reinstating the STAR Property Tax Rebate Program. The Senate Democrats, with Lee's opponent as the deciding vote, eliminated our STAR Property Tax Rebate checks. Young families, seniors and others were relying on these checks to get some much deserved and needed relief from high property taxes.  Lee will work to reinstate the STAR Rebate program immediately upon taking office. The STAR Rebate Program must become permanent.

We need to attract more local businesses to our area, which will ease the tax burden on families. The Empire Zone program should not have been eliminated and replaced by the Excelsior jobs program. New York must not only provide much needed tax relief to businesses, but also should reduce the regulatory red tape hampering free market growth in our state. As we improve the business climate of our state, we will receive some much needed tax relief.

Repeal the MTA Payroll Tax

Lee will propose legislation to ELIMINATE the MTA “Foley” Payroll Tax.  Lee's opponent cast the deciding vote to create the MTA Payroll Tax.  The MTA “Foley” Payroll Tax is killing small businesses, schools, hospitals, non-for-profits, and local governments in Islip, Brookhaven and throughout Long Island.  Entities paying the tax have been forced to lay off employees, cut payroll and watch their profits shrink. We must also reform the MTA’s pattern of wasteful spending and mismanagement instead of supporting bailouts like the Foley Payroll Tax.

Reform Education Funding to Benefit Long Island More

Lee grew up in Brookhaven and graduated from William Floyd High School. His two young daughters, Mikayla and Arianna, will attend public schools in our community. Long Island deserves its fair share of state school aid. Lee's opponent was the deciding vote to slash Long Island’s share of new state school aid by 62% in 2009. Long Island has between 13% and 17% of our state’s public school enrollment and attendance yet we received ONLY 5% of the new state school aid in return last year. Lee wants to reform our state school aid formula so that Long Island school districts get our fair share from Albany. Albany needs to reduce the unfunded mandates on our school districts. Lee has a plan to support the consolidation of the administration of school districts. While he does not support each community losing the unique identity of their area, Lee does support the sharing of back office functions such as administration, busing, payroll, and purchasing.

Create Jobs

Lee Zeldin started his own small business and he knows that taxes do not create jobs—they kill jobs. As our voice in the State Senate, Lee will cut taxes and unnecessary red tape for businesses in Brookhaven and Islip which will create jobs. Tax incentives should be implemented for companies who create sustainable jobs. Senate Democrats replaced the $500 million dollar Empire Zone Program with a $50 million dollar Excelsior Jobs Program.

New York State has the worst business climate in the entire country. We have the highest individual and corporate marginal income tax rates in the entire country. Granting government contracts to NY based companies whenever possible will create more jobs for New Yorkers. Investing in our infrastructure like sewers and downtown revitalization projects will create jobs. Harnessing our own natural resources will make Long Island a national leader in green energy, which will result in more Long Island jobs.

Making New York State a more business friendly state will create jobs.

End the Culture of Corruption and Dysfunction in Albany

The culture of corruption and dysfunction in Albany must end. Albany is in need of a full overhaul.  For too long, New York has been controlled by “3 men in a room.” Too many of our legislators have been involved in scandals and back room deals. The interests of Islip and Brookhaven are being sold out to the New York City based leadership.  Lee will fight to end the dysfunction and special interest influence throughout New York, and limit the role of government in our daily lives.

Lee will work tirelessly to cut government waste, abuse and excessive spending. Since 2000, state spending has increased by nearly 70 percent. State agency consolidation will eliminate any unnecessary and duplicitous services. New York needs to incentivize saving by allowing agencies and other recipients of annual state funding to put money saved into reserve accounts without punishing them by cutting funding not used by the end of the fiscal year.

The budget process has to be reformed to mandate more openness with public hearings. Starting the second week of January, there should be a weekly one hour public leaders meeting to update the state on the budget progress. Lee supports two year budgeting instead of one year budgeting to force legislators to start planning for the future. When budgets are not passed on time by April 1st, the legislative work weeks must extend to 5 days.  When budgets are not passed by May 1st, the legislative work weeks must extend to 6 days.  When budgets are not passed by June 1st, voters should be given the ability to force recall elections of their state legislators.

Term Limits: Terms should be extended from two years to four years to allow legislators to spend more time working on policy and reducing the amount of political pandering and reelection campaigning. State legislators should be term limited to 3 terms of four years. Assembly and Senate leadership should be limited to 6 years in their respective leadership posts.

Lee supports the efforts of NY Uprising to promote non-partisan redistricting. Legislative districts should be created for the purpose of benefiting fair representation of constituents rather than to ensure job security for incumbents.

State Spending Cap Amendment: We must prevent future spending from rising faster than the rate of inflation. Lee does not believe Albany has an under-taxing problem.  Lee believes Albany has an overspending problem.  A state spending cap amendment will force the state to tighten our fiscal belts which will make government more efficient in the way they spend our tax dollars.

Veterans' Initiatives

As a veteran, Lee is focused on creating housing and job opportunities for the men and women who have served our country.  In addition, veterans should have the opportunity to further their education in order to start working in the private sector.

Lee wants to provide free SUNY/CUNY education to military veterans. For every one year on active duty, veterans should receive one free year of education up to a maximum of four years. For every one year in the Reserves or National Guard, veterans should receive one free semester of education up to a maximum of four years.

Lee has proposed the PFC Joseph Dwyer Program to assist New York military veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

New York State should pass legislation banning protests at military funerals.

Five percent of all new public employee hires in New York State should be military veterans. Businesses should be provided with an income tax credit for placing military veterans on their payrolls.

Gang Violence in Brentwood/Central Islip…Quality of Life Issues from Brentwood to Mastic

State, county and town governments should work together and with the community and schools to develop new youth programs that will engage our younger generation in supervised and safe activities. Prisoners originally from outside Brentwood-CI should not be placed into the Brentwood-CI community for work release programs.

There is an oversaturation of sober homes, sex offenders, and absentee landlords here, as well as Shirley-Mastic, and that is unacceptable, unfair and greatly contributing to the lower quality of life in these communities. We need to bring all of our organizational/civic leaders together to develop a comprehensive solution to the gang and youth problems in our neighborhoods. 

Local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as other agencies, must work together more frequently to share intelligence and crack down on gang violence, drugs, and even graffiti.  There is no cost too great to reduce violent crimes in any U.S. community. There may be no community in New York more in need of the restoration of school aid cuts than Brentwood-Central Islip. We need to keep these kids in school and off these violent streets. These problems burden homeowners; decrease property values; destroy quality of life and most importantly, decrease the chances of our youth to be successful in their future.