Senator Lavalle Launches Grass-Roots Petition Drive to Restore Star Rebate Checks

(Long Island, N.Y.) Senator LaValle and members of the Senate Republican Conference today launched a statewide, grass-roots petition drive to restore the STAR property tax relief rebate checks to middle-class families. The response will be used to put pressure on Democrat lawmakers to restore the rebate checks eliminated in the recently-enacted state budget. Restoring the STAR rebate checks would provide an additional $368.64 million in tax relief for homeowners on Long Island.

The 2009-10 state budget was put together behind closed doors and in complete secrecy by three New York City Democrats. The three men took away STAR rebate checks worth hundreds of dollars to homeowners throughout the state. The checks were generally mailed out each fall and helped residents pay bills or ease the costs of rising school property taxes.

Senator LaValle said, “The state of our economy has made it even more difficult for families to make ends meet. The last thing we should be doing is eliminating property tax relief.”

Providing property tax relief has always been the number one priority of the Senate Republican Conference. The petition drive being launched is an opportunity for the public to tell the naysayers in Albany that the STAR rebate checks are important to their families. The drive encourages residents to complete an on-line petition that can be accessed by visiting “Iwantmystarcheck.com.”

Senate Republicans initiated the STAR rebate check program in 2006. Last year, they successfully beat back efforts by Governor Paterson and former Governor Spitzer to eliminate the STAR rebate checks. This year, Senate Republicans again fought Democrat efforts to eliminate STAR rebate checks during the budget deliberations and proposed an amendment that would have restored the checks. However, the amendment was defeated when every Democrat in the chamber voted against it.

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