toll hike mess highlights why bill is needed

1. FOR RELEASE: Immediately, November 13, 2012
CONTACT: Bernadette VanDeinse | (518) 455-5313
JORDAN: TOLL HIKE MESS HIGHLIGHTS WHY BILL IS NEEDED
Statement from Assemblyman Tony Jordan (R,I,C-Jackson)
“The Thruway Authority is an unaccountable government agency with little regard for
taxpayers. Its meetings, which many suspected were scheduled to approve the proposed 45
percent toll increase on trucks, have been scheduled, cancelled, rescheduled and cancelled yet
again without a public agenda. Even Comptroller DiNapoli agrees that the toll hike would hurt
businesses, kill jobs and further stretch family budgets due to increased costs on consumer
goods. This is not how government should work.
“It’s clear to me that the legislation that I have introduced is needed for these situations.
My bill would ensure that policy decisions made by a state regulatory agency that would have
fiscal impacts larger than $5 million statewide are only put in place after legislative approval.
This reform would stop unilateral actions like egregious toll hikes by public authorities and
restore accountability.”
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