Gov Paterson Vetoes help for HIV New Yorkers
By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL
Gov. David Paterson vetoed legislation late Saturday night that would have capped the percentage of income that people on public assistance who are infected with HIV pay for rent, eliciting a strong rebuke from AIDS advocates.
The governor said the veto allows him to keep his promise not to impose unfunded mandates on cash-strapped municipalities and to keep the state from incurring additional financial burdens without identifying a funding source. The state's budget division estimated the cost of the bill to the city and state at more than $20 million.
Joe Kohen for The Wall Street Journal
Gov. David Paterson at the African-American Day Parade on Sunday.
"This is my most difficult veto," Mr. Paterson said in a veto message sent to the Legislature after 10 p.m. Saturday.
The bill would have ensured that people with symptomatic HIV or AIDS who receive shelter assistance or an emergency-shelter allowance would not be required to pay more than 30% of their household's monthly income toward shelter costs. The bill's cost would be shared by the locality and the state.
"I recognize, sadly, the history of the inadequacy of services government has brought to bear for those with HIV/AIDS. But, unhappily, this is not the only veto decision I have had to make that could adversely affect innocent New Yorkers who are seriously ill or disabled and who look to government for assistance," said Mr. Paterson, who is legally blind. "Yet, I am duty bound."
In an interview, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a Manhattan Democrat and a longtime advocate for people afflicted with AIDS, said Mr. Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who supported the veto, have "made a terrible mistake."
"We are talking about some of New York City's most vulnerable citizens who for many years now have been forced to live on practically nothing," said Ms. Quinn, who met with the governor on Friday in hopes of persuading him to sign the bill. "We cannot ask people with AIDS in the city of New York who we are legally responsible to house in these cases to live on $11 a day."
She added: "I understand not having enough resources. But at the end of the day, you get judged by how you take care of those in your city who are the most vulnerable."
The legislation passed the Senate 42-19 and the Assembly 84-54. To overrule the governor's veto, the legislature needs a two-thirds majority in each chamber, which it lacks now.
In New York City, more than 100,000 are living with HIV. The city has the highest AIDS-case rate in the country.
This legislation, according to the advocates, would have protected more than 11,000 New Yorkers with HIV/AIDS. Advocates dispute that the bill would cost as much as Mr. Paterson's office estimated, saying keeping these people safely housed will avoid other social service costs.
Mr. Bloomberg, whose administration opposed the bill, said "no matter how well-intentioned" an unfunded mandate is not prudent during these tough fiscal times.
"Gov. Paterson has made a difficult and wise decision that will save the taxpayers of the State and the City millions of dollars, demonstrating the courage to control spending in this difficult fiscal climate," he said. "The state and the city will continue to work together to provide quality services to people with HIV/AIDS."
Sen. Tom Duane, the senate's first openly gay and first openly HIV-positive member, called the veto "unconscionable."
"It's wrong that we would force people to make the choice of buying underwear or buying a new toothbrush," he said in an interview.
"We know he adamantly opposed this legislation," he said of the mayor, who is New York's richest resident, "but we know he doesn't live on $11 a day."
Sean Barry, director of NYC AIDS Housing Network, denounced Mr. Paterson for opting to "stand with Mayor Bloomberg and his failed policies around HIV/AIDS and homelessness in New York City."
"This is a missed opportunity to save New York money and, far worse, it means thousands more people living with HIV/AIDS and their families will be in the shelter system," he said.
Mr. Paterson, though, said the public and many of its elected representatives simply "do not fully grasp the depth and severity of the state's imperiled financial condition." If the Legislature identifies adequate funding through budget cuts or revenue gains, Mr. Paterson promised to sign the legislation before his term ends Dec. 31.
WallSt Journal
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