State budget gives new money to old items

A short passage buried deep in the state budget authorizes the transfer of up to $38 million to the State Legislature's "community projects fund" -- traditionally a pork-barrel account for funding pet projects.

Its inclusion raised a Capitol buzz over whether lawmakers had included pork-barrel spending in the budget after swearing off it.

But it's not new money, officials from all sides said.

Instead, they said, it's an authorization to cover projects approved in previous years.

"The funds are to fulfill existing contracts for community projects that were approved in previous state budgets," said Mark Hansen, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre).

It's not unusual for lawmakers to approve a specific project in one year, only to see the project not launched until a year or more later. And some projects are never funded.

Josh Vlasto, spokesman for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, said the community projects fund still has about $100 million but is being drawn down to fund previous obligations. The authorization allows legislators to request up to $38 million "for already existing . . . [projects] that need cash," he said, adding that those items had been approved by previous administrations.

"There is absolutely no new money for new 'member items,' " he said, referring to the term used at the State Capitol to refer to pork projects. "The money cannot be used for new items."

Lawmakers are slated to finish enacting the budget Friday.

With Ted Phillips