CURRAN SCOLDS GOV. FOR BACKING OUT ON VETERANS BUYBACK BILL IN PROPOSED STATE BUDGET

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

FOR

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

Renews call for veterans’ buyback to include ALL veterans

Assemblyman Brian Curran (Lynbrook-21st AD) announced that he will team up with his colleagues – Assemblyman Michael Montesano (R,C,I-Glen Head), Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square), and Assemblyman Joseph S. Saladino, VFW Posts, and commanders and veterans in the 21st Assembly District at a press conference calling out Gov. Andrew Cuomo for excluding veterans’ buyback provisions in his Executive Budget. Curran renewed his call for all veterans be included in the program and said the press conference will take place on Friday, February 19, at 2 p.m. at the Village of Lynbrook’s Doughboy Monument.

“The message I got from the governor’s office last year was that this would be resolved in the 2016 state budget, but it is mysteriously missing from his proposal,” said Curran. “There is no question that this is still a very urgent matter for me and many of our servicemen and women and veterans. With all of this proposed state spending, I question the governor’s judgment and priorities by leaving out our veterans. Instead, he is eager to spend money elsewhere – like providing free college tuition for convicts. All of our veterans deserve this, and to not include this buyback provision in any form is a slap in the face to our servicemen and women. There is no question that this should be negotiated into the final budget or the governor certainly has a lot of explaining to do.”

“It is truly disappointing that the governor has gone back on his promise to provide deserved benefits to our state’s veterans,” said Montesano. “A provision that was once said to be in this year’s budget is now nowhere to be found. These brave men and women across New York State have made tremendous sacrifices for us all, and it is not right to let politics stand between them and the passage of this extremely important legislation.”

“It is truly disheartening to see the governor has failed to make the needs of our state’s veterans a priority once again,” said Ra. “These brave men and women chose to sacrifice so much for us, and we should be supporting them upon their return, not playing political games with measures that could help them.”

“We stand with our veterans and recognize that this buyback is the right thing to do for them. Servicemen and women deserve this assistance as they have given so much for our freedoms. My colleagues and I recognize this and we will continue to fight for all veterans in our communities,” said Assemblyman Joseph Saladino.

WHO: Assemblyman Brian Curran (Lynbrook – 21st A.D.)

Assemblyman Michael Montesano (R,C,I-Glen Head)

Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square)

Assemblyman Joseph S. Saladino

WHAT: Press Conference on Veterans’ Buyback Exclusion in State Budget

-MORE-

-Curran Veterans’ Buyback press conference page 2-

WHEN: Friday, February 19, 2016

2 p.m.

WHERE: Lynbrook Village’s Doughboy Monument

(Next to 1 Saperstein PLZ, Lynbrook NY 11563, cross side street, Ross Plaza)

CONTACT: Assemblyman Curran’s district office, 516-561-8216

At the end of last year, Curran was told by the governor’s office that the governor was eager to move the program forward by working with him, bill sponsors and legislative leaders after the governor received public backlash from veterans across New York State for vetoing the bi-partisan legislation again. Curran, a long-time veterans advocate and member of the Assembly Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said that based on those conversations with the governor’s office, it was implied the veterans buyback bill would be included in this year’s budget.

***PUBLIC, MEDIA ARE WELCOMED & ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND***

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