New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday that he's prepared for a possible government
shutdown if the state legislature fails to approve his budget proposals by the April 1 deadline.
Cuomo's $132.5 billion spending plan calls for steep cuts in state spending on education and Medicaid, as
well for prison closures upstate. His budget closes a $10 billion gap without raising taxes.
Governors around the United States must close recession-spawned deficits and Cuomo's anti-tax stand
contrasts with strategies of other governors of cash-poor states to raise taxes.
…
The state Senate and Assembly have proposed modest increases in school aid and have rejected some of the
governor's health care proposals. One divisive issue is Cuomo's plan to cap damages for pain and suffering
caused by medical malpractice at $250,000.
A consumer group, the Center for Justice and Democracy, which opposes the malpractice cap has
recommended an alternative: limiting hospital executives' salaries to a maximum of $250,000 a year to save
$213 million a year.
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