Steve Hawley

A bill sponsored by a New York City Democrat that could cost the state's farmers $200 million a year, or drive many farmers out of business, and many farm workers out of state, as well as increase the cost of New York-produced food, today passed the state Assembly 85 to 57.

The Farmworkers Omnibus Labor Standards Bill, AB 1867, or as its opponents call it, "The Farm Death Bill," will require farmers to pay time-and-a-half for over time, allow farm workers to join labor unions, require a day off during harvest season, will require farmers to pay into the unemployment system, among other provisions.

The bill is sponsored by Catherine Nolan, who represents Queens.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley voted against the bill.

I spoke with Hawley about the bill Friday in his Main Street insurance office, and Steve noted that a farm worker who might, under current law, work 60 hours a week at $16 or $17 an hour and would therefore earn $1,000 is likely to see his earnings cut in half by the bill, because a farmer would find it more economical to hire a second worker rather than pay time-and-a-half to the original worker.

In a press release this evening, Hawley noted that the bill passed rather ironically the day before is slated to honor the state's dairy farmers with its annual "Dairy Day."

"Dairy farmers and agribusinesses come from all over the state to be lauded by legislators as the ‘pride of New York,’" Hawley said. "How hypocritical for lawmakers to, on the eve of this day, pass the bill that will kill these businesses.  Once our farms close up shop, they will be closed forever.”

Hawley's full press release after the jump:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C - Batavia) today voted against the Farmworkers Omnibus Labor Standards Bill, dubbed the "Farm Death Bill."  By imposing unnecessary and expensive mandates on farmers, the cost of the bill, ranging in the thousands, depending on farm size, has the potential to put farms and agribusinesses across the state out of business.

"My family has a long tradition of farming.  Our Western New York community's backbone is in agriculture - both socially and financially.  This bill will be the final nail in the coffin for New York State agriculture and more people will suffer the consequences of our farms closing than just the farmers or farm workers.  The price of food will skyrocket and further hurt hard-working middle-America families that are just squeezing by right now. This bill is a disaster for the state economy," said Hawley, who is a former crop and hog farmer and Genesee County Farm Bureau President.

Hawley debated the bill on the floor, citing the fact that from April 2008 to April 2009, milk prices received by farmers dropped from $18.20 per 100 weight to $11.80; corn from $5.86 to $3.98; and wheat from $9.20 to $4.24. These price drops signify that farmers in New York State are already struggling to make ends meet.  This is compounded by production costs, which for milk are currently around $14 per 100 weight, meaning that farmers are already losing money on their products.  Additionally, New York State has lost over 2,000 farms over the last decade.  Hawley argued that the new provisions that the bill mandates will push struggling farms over the edge and force more farms, especially smaller operations, to permanently close.

During the debate, Hawley also commented on the comparison of New York State's agriculture to that of California.  He stated, "In California, they have farms that operate year-round.  Their agricultural industry is 12 months a year and operates on a much larger scale.  Here, in New York, many farms only operate 1 to 2 months per year and during these months everything from planting to harvesting happens."

Hawley, who also serves as a member of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, was among the first legislators to oppose the Farm Death Bill, or Assembly Bill 1867.  With the entire bipartisan Assembly Agriculture Committee, he sent a formal letter of opposition to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver outlining the devastating effects of the bill.  Hawley has worked with New York Farm Bureau President Dean Norton, a former dairy farmer in Batavia, local farmers and a bipartisan delegation of state legislators, to openly and publicly oppose the bill as well as to wage a public campaign urging New Yorkers to contact the sponsors of the bill in opposition.

Despite this, the Assembly passed the legislation by a vote of 85 to 57. Hawley stated, "Tomorrow, the State Legislature is celebrating their annual 'Dairy Day,' a day when dairy farmers and agribusinesses come from all over the state to be lauded by legislators as the 'pride of New York.' How hypocritical for lawmakers to, on the eve of this day, pass the bill that will kill these businesses.  Once our farms close up shop, they will be closed forever."

Steve Hawley hosted a number of constituents in Albany last week for "Gun Day," a day in which 2nd Amendment supporters traveled to Albany to oppose new restrictions on gun ownership. Hawley's office sent along the picture to the right. Click on the picture for a larger version.

Four prominent area elected officials -- all Republicans -- gathered on the steps of the old Genesee County courthouse today to call attention to legislation that shows every sign of being enacted that will curb the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer led the press conference, which included Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Sheriff Gary Maha and County Clerk Don Read.

The four men underscored three key points: The legislation will do nothing to curb crime, it is out of step with the interests of upstate New York, and it will burden county governments with yet one more unfunded mandate.

While there are more than a dozen new gun restrictions being pushed by legislative Democrats, the key piece of legislation under fire by Ranzenhofer today would require the renewal of gun carry permits every five years.

Both Ranzenhofer and Hawley noted that such legislation will do nothing to deter criminals, who don't bother with gun permits anyway.

"Basically what you have legislators from New York City who feel it might be appropriate in their community trying  to impose their New York City will on Genesee County," Ranzenhofer said.

Here are five related documents (PDF):

• Ranzenhofer Press Release
• Hawley Press Release
• Don Read Press Release
• Gun Permit Legislation
• Roll Call of Assembly Vote on Legislation

I had a couple of video problems -- sound, misbehaving tripod, chiefly -- with covering the press conference today, but the worse problem is that I had to change tapes (it seem that long ago that I started a new tape) during the PC, and that tape somehow did not make it home with me tonight for editing.  Below is what little video I have available now, where in Ranzenhofer, at the very end, sums up some of the key points of opposition to the legislation.

UPDATE 5/4/09:  I got ahold of the other tape and pulled off what was recoverable, which was statements by Hawley, Maha and Read

Assemblyman Steve Hawley says he will vote against a bill aimed at legalizing marijuana for medical uses.

"I voted against it last year and unless something miraculous happens I'll be representing my constituents and their wishes and will be voting against it," said Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C Batavia).

Bill A07542 was submitted by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, chairman of the Health Committee.

It would allow New Yorkers with serious medical conditions to grow up to 12 marijuana plants or possess up to 2.5 ounces of the weed. The bill includes legal protection for a patient's primary caregiver and physician. A similar proposal was previously passed by the Assembly only to die in the Senate.

Even though the bill hasn't cleared the Assembly yet, we have a call into Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer as well to check his position on the topic.  We will update this post with his response, should we get one.

Hawley said last year's bill had a number of problems. He thought it lacked sufficient controls and made marijuana too easy to get.

Thirteen states allow medicinal use of marijuana. According to a 1999 report by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, "nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety. . .all can be mitigated by marijuana."

The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, has been approved for medical use by the Federal Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Agency since 1986 in synthetic pill form (Marinol). But consuming it in natural form -- which many physicians say is more effective -- continues to be illegal.

The New England Journal of Medicine says inhaling THC is more effective than taking the synthetic pill because "smoking marijuana produces a rapid increase in the blood level of the active ingredients and is thus more likely to be therapeutic." It also enables tighter control of the amount ingested.

Proponents claim marijuana can be an effective treatment where other medications have failed -- for at least some patients who suffer from HIV/AIDS, cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and other life-threatening or debilitating conditions.

Gottfried and other supporters of medicinal marijuana use maintain that this usage doesn't undermine the message that using illegal drugs is wrong. They note that many controlled substances that are legal for medical use (such as morphine, Valium and steroids) are otherwise illegal.

But opponents of medicinal cannabis say making it lawful indeed sends a mixed message about drug use, at best. They say the legislation exploits public sympathy in order to legitimize drug use and provides loopholes to drug dealers.

Republicans are lining up in opposition to a provision in a bill that would reform IDA regulations, calling it the "IDA Death Bill."

The provision would require businesses moving into an IDA project to pay union-scale wages, known as the prevailing wage.

We received a press release this morning from Assemblyman Steve Hawley expressing his displeasure with the bill.

"If this bill is enacted, Albany might as well hang a sign on
the Thruway to tell everyone entering our state that New York is closed for
business," Hawley said.

Other coverage: 

• Buffalo News
• Democrat & Chronicle

Hawley's press release following the jump:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) joined with state
legislators from both houses, including Western New York State Senator
Michael Ranzenhofer and Erie County Executive Chris Collins, to express
their strong opposition to the proposed Industrial Development Authority
(IDA) reform bill (A.3659), commonly dubbed the "IDA Death Bill," at a press
conference held this week in Albany.

"If this bill is enacted, Albany might as well hang a sign on
the Thruway to tell everyone entering our state that New York is closed for
business.  This bill, if enacted, would drastically reduce Western New York's
ability to attract business and create jobs, especially in rural
communities," said the Assemblyman, referring to the provision of the
legislation which requires all IDA projects to be "shovel-ready," meaning
the locality will have to have road, sewer and utility services already
installed.  As Hawley further explained, "This is a prospective cost that
smaller cities, rural towns and suburban communities simply can not afford.
This bill would leave rural upstate, or 37 percent of the state's
population, out of the equation."

Hawley and his colleagues, who also included Assemblywoman Jane
Corwin (R,C,I-Williamsville) and Assemblymen Thomas O'Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats)
and Marc Molinaro (R,C,I-Red Hook), outlined their opposition to the bill's
provisions to instate a prevailing wage for construction costs as well as a
living wage for all employees of the completed facilities; both measures
which businesses would not agree to due to the excessively high costs, an
increase estimated to be at 25 to 30 percent.  The current IDA benefit given
to companies is around 15 percent.  Hawley explained, "The problem here is
that this bill calls for employers to pay a higher wage to the employee,
which doesn't sound bad, except that coupled with the many other intrusive
provisions in this bill and the fact that this makes it more expensive,
employers simply will choose to do business with another state.  So we must
consider what is better: the current, livable wage or no wage at all?"

Another point of contention with the bill outlined by the
officials was the fact that up until now, New York State's opportunities for
businesses, offered through IDAs and the Empire Zone Program, have been
comparable to neighboring states, such as Pennsylvania.  However, parts of
the enacted 2009-10 State Budget have lessened incentives through the Empire
Zone Program, while neighboring states have increased their business
incentives and job creation benefits.  Hawley stated, "on top of decreasing
Empire Zone incentives, the state has increased the cost of health care,
energy and insurance costs for businesses.  This IDA bill will be the final
nail in the coffin for businesses in New York State, and I strongly
encourage members of the business community and concerned residents to
contact the leadership in Albany to say 'no' to the IDA Death Bill."

We just received the following statement from Assemblyman Steve Hawley. 

I did not know until I read it here that the proposed budget shifts money from local governments to the state, which as Hawley points out, is going to only mean increased local taxes (or severe cuts in services).

I've tried to keep my comments on the budget as non-partisan as possible.  The shipwreck of a budget could have just as easily been produced by a GOP-controlled Albany -- maybe not the same, but I have no confidence the Republicans could do any better. That said, I think it needs to be said: Local Democrats tend to be pretty active commenters on The Batavian. It's noteworthy, then, that in two days of raising the budget issue on The Batavian, none of the usual Democratic stalwarts have stepped forward to defend Paterson, Smith and Silver.  Maybe my noting this will bring forth some sort of intelligent defense. I would love to hear it. But I suspect strongly that any common-sense Democrat also recognizes this budget proposal is exceptionally indefensible.

Hawley's statement follows the jump:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) today expressed his displeasure with the 2009-10 State Budget and the secret negotiations used to hammer out a deal.

"The budget was agreed upon in secret closed-door meetings that involved the state's three legislative leaders, Governor Paterson (D - Harlem), Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D - Queens) and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D - Manhattan/Chinatown) - all downstate New York City Democrats - with no input from other elected representatives.

"The state budget, details of which were hashed out at the last minute under a cloud of secrecy, lacked the transparency and openness that New Yorkers deserve. Albany's dysfunction once again reared its ugly head at a time when the state is in the midst of a recession and is struggling to survive with a $17 billion budget deficit.

"The $132 billion spending plan calls for a ten percent increase, or $10.5 billion in spending, over last year and includes $7 billion in new taxes and fees. In addition, the budget eliminates the critical STAR Rebate program that provides middle-income homeowners with $1.7 billion in relief from skyrocketing property taxes. More taxes and no property tax relief is the last thing that New Yorkers need right now. Raising taxes through "hidden" fees will force more New Yorkers to flee the state in search of less expensive areas and will further erode the state's tax base.  The governor is retaining $1 billion from the federal stimulus program (newly printed money) and I challenge him to use it all to reinstate the STAR Rebate program.

"The budget will also include a 50% reduction in VLT funding that will leave municipalities that depend on this money left holding the bag. The City of Batavia will see a cut of $314,849, the Town of Batavia $114,563, and Genesee County $143,137.  This lack of funding will force municipalities to pass along the added burden to taxpayers.

"The budget spends too much, taxes too much and does nothing to solve the state's fiscal problems. New Yorkers are struggling everyday to pay their bills and put food on the table and placing additional tax burdens on their backs will only further the struggle. New Yorkers deserve better, and for this reason I have voted no on the entire 2009-10 state budget."

Students with an interest in the outdoors and the environment can win a week at an environmental education camp if they can compose the best essay in an environmental writing contest sponsored by Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

The contest is open to students 12 to 17 years old.

The winner will be able to choose a week at one of four camps run by Department of Environmental Conservation.

Essays must be between 300 and 500 words long and submitted to Hawley's office by May 1.

Download a contest poster here (PDF).

Full press release after the jump.

Press Release:

As part of his ongoing constituent outreach program, Assemblyman Steve
Hawley (R, I, C - Batavia) is holding an essay contest to honor Earth Day
and to promote environmental stewardship.  The winner of the contest will
receive one free week at one of the Department of Environmental Conservation's
Summer Environmental Education Camps.

"As a child, I learned the importance of protecting our environment because
I was fortunate to grow up in Western New York where there are so many
beautiful places to enjoy the outdoors.  To continue that tradition, I am
proud to offer one student a free week at one of our state's fine
environmental education camps, where they can not only learn about
protecting our environment, but can develop a passion for the outdoors,"
said Hawley.

Students between the ages of 12 and 17 are eligible to enter the essay
contest.  Essays should be between 300 and 500 words and explain why the
environment is important to the student.  Last year's winner, Albion High
School student Rebecca Weller, used her essay to describe her passion for
spending time outdoors with her family and her efforts to protect the
environment, such as her innovative t-shirts promoting green living tips,
facts on global warming and Earth Day, in order to ensure the natural
environment is sustained for generations to come.

Assemblyman Hawley encourages educators to include the essay program as part
of their curriculum in order to highlight Earth Day on April 22.  Essays are
due to the Assemblyman's office by May 1, 2009.  The winner may choose from
the following four DEC summer camps:

a.. Camp Colby (near the Village of Saranac Lake in Franklin County)
b.. Camp DeBruce (in the southern Catskills near the Village of Livingston
Manor in Sullivan County)
c.. Camp Rushford (in the Genesee River Valley in Allegany County)
d.. Camp Pack Forest (north of Warrensburg in the southern Adirondacks)

For more information, visit the DEC Web site at www.dec.state.ny.us
(keyword: summer camps), call Assemblyman Hawley's district office at (585)
589-5780, or e-mail him at hawleys@assembly.state.ny.us.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley issued the following statement today on the lack of cooperation and transparency in New York's budget process:

Last week, we started the annual Assembly Minority “Budget Countdown Clock” and, one week later, I remain discouraged that despite a lot of talk about inclusion and bipartisanship, this year’s budget negotiations have continued to resort to three New York City men in a room – from Harlem, Manhattan and Queens – and worse.  In the past, the only opportunity to publicly vet the budget was during Joint Budget Conference Committees; yet, with one week remaining until this year’s budget deadline, they have not even been announced.

Without this opportunity to discuss the budget in a fair and open manner, the people of New York are left in the dark.  For all those individuals and groups that have made the trek to Albany, who have taken the time to write a letter or e-mail, or who have called expressing their concerns, this is a slap in the face to them and to our democratic process.

My door is always open.  As a public servant, I do not believe in working behind closed doors.  I have had the pleasure to meet with many groups, not only from Western New York, but from across the entire state and to hear their concerns regarding this proposed budget and the closed-door process.  I can tell you that people are upset, from Long Island to Buffalo.  This is not the type of change they hoped for.

I believe very strongly that positive change can happen by taking that first step and while I encourage the legislative leaders to take that step into the daylight, I will also continue to serve the people of New York State with openness, transparency and accessibility.  I will continue to do everything within my power to make sure your voices are heard in the State Capitol during this budget’s final negotiations and throughout this legislative session.

In an article by Tom Rivers on legislators calling for caps on spending, we find this interesting passage about Assemblyman Steve Hawley's musing on secession:

Hawley last month sent a letter to seven universities in the state, asking them to consider the potential political and financial pitfalls of separating upstate from New York City, and creating two different states. The divergent interests of rural upstate and the city of 8 million people makes it difficult to govern the state, and create laws and regulations that work for both regions, Hawley said.

He isn’t necessarily pushing for an upstate-New York City separation, he just wants some facts on the long-simmering issue. He knows many upstaters would like to divorce NYC.

“Can there be a new New York and a New York? I don’t know,” Hawley said. “But it would be foolish to introduce some legislation without knowing the impact.”

He sent letters to universities across the state, from the University at Buffalo to Columbia University in New York City, seeking their help with the study.

Now, secession in New York is an old idea, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea.  If Hawley's requests for information and studies are answered, the information would certainly be useful. It could be the nail that closes the coffin on talk of breaking apart the state or it could nail a revolutionary manifesto to the door of every town hall in Upstate and Western New York.

Bill Kauffman is expected to have a book out in the spring on secessionist movements in the United States.  Here's an article along those lines from a few months back. Kauffman writes:

Some of the contemporary secessionists are puckish and playful; others are dead serious. Some seek to separate from the main body of a state and add a fifty-first star to the American flag while others wish to leave the United States altogether. Some proposals are so sensible (the division of California into two or three states) that in a just world they would be inevitable; others are so radical (the independent republic of Vermont) as to seem risibly implausible—until you meet the activists and theoreticians preparing these new declarations of independence.

My sense is, that while many in the state outside of The City, are dissatisfied with the direction of government and have a long list of complaints -- from unequal services to high taxes to overregulation -- there's no sense that splitting the state will mend any of the people's grievances.   On the other hand, it contradicts the flow of history to assume that today's boundaries and political alignments will remain indefinitely as insoluble marks on maps .  Somehow, someway, things will change someday.  The question is, will we be  masters of our destiny or victims of historical fate?

The longer we wait to repair the mounting problems confronting New York, the less control we will have over the final outcome.

One of our readers recently pointed us to a study by the Tax Foundation that lists 1,817 counties across the U.S. according to the amount of property tax as a percentage of home value. Genesee County ranks 8th. In other words, 1,811 other counties in this nation pay less of a percentage of teir home value in property taxes.

Now, we've always known that we the people of western New York get shafted as far as taxes go. But it's another thing to see it quantified so starkly. Not only is Genesee County the eighth most taxed county in the country. Counties in New York make up 19 of the top 20 in the list!

Now, folks here may rank only 193rd on that list as far as amount of taxes paid (a median $2,565), but with a median home value of $95,500, that means the taxes paid total up about 2.7 percent of the home value. Wayne County is the same. Orleans County is first on the list with 3 percent. So on and so forth for our region. Just take a look.

We asked our state representatives, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, and newly-elected Senator Mike Ranzehofer, to weigh in on this. Hawley's office got back to us last week by issuing a press release on the topic. We'll include that release, entitled: "Hawley to Legislature: Stop Property Tax Rise Now," here in full.

First, however, let's here from Ranzenhofer, who spoke with us by phone today. Ranzenhofer agreed that the result of the study was not all that much of a surprise.

"Those of us who live here, work here, are well ware of the crushing taxes across the board," he said. "The only thing that's going to revitalize the area is not the suggestion of the governor to increase taxes on everything. We need to cut taxes and cut spending to encourage job growth."

We asked Ranzenhofer what he could do in the Senate to help relieve the tax burden here in Genesee County.

"One thing is my action on the state budget," he said. "It's a little disappointing that there hasn't been more done in Albany to deal with the budget and the budget deficit. We need to very strongly oppose increases in taxes, and even take it one step further and really need (to institute) across-the-board reduction in taxes. That doesn't mean shifting the burden to counties, families and business. It means streamlining every agency and department in state government."

Ranzenhofer spoke of instituting a tax cap and really following through on the threat of a hiring freeze at the state level. "We need to create a new tiered pension system," he added. "These are all things I've talked about. I hope to introduce legislation along those lines this year."

We'll keep an eye on you, Mike.

From the office of Steve Hawley:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C - Batavia) highlighted the recent Tax Foundation report, which announced that Orleans, Niagara, Monroe and Genesee counties all top the nation in highest property taxes as a percentage of median home value, when calling upon the State Legislature to immediately address property tax-saving measures.  The top measure hurting property taxpayers, according to Hawley, is the estimated $6 billion in unfunded mandates pushed onto local governments and, consequently, homeowners.

"Unfortunately, all we are seeing from our state's leaders right now is inaction when it comes to solving this crisis.  As always, Albany is continuing to shift the burden, and shift the blame, for property taxpayers' ever-rising tax burden.  In fact, this proposed state budget will shift nearly $4,000 per individual taxpayer.  For our state's economy to recover, Albany needs to begin taking responsibility for its spending.  We cannot afford this year's record-breaking budget proposal and we certainly cannot afford $4,000 in subsequent tax hikes," said Hawley.

According to the Assemblyman, the solution is multi-fold, which is why he has been a vocal advocate for increasing the economic viability of Western New York in order to help lower property tax costs.  The more businesses paying property taxes, the less these taxes will be burdening homeowners. However, Hawley states, "We must do more to attract business to coming to New York and we must strengthen our commitment to keeping businesses here. We cannot expect businesses to bear the brunt of the property tax burden and still offer quality jobs.  But it is vital to our long-term property tax-relieving solution that we address business growth."

Last year, as the nation was on the brink of an economic recession, Hawley was among tax reformers who asked, "Isn't it about time New York State make some tough budget choices as well?"  The federal government stepped in with their federal stimulus checks and buy-out capital for corporations, but it was still clear that states would need to rein in spending and consider stimulus plans of their own.  However, despite this, the New York State Legislature passed the most expensive budget in state history.

This year's Executive Budget proposal breaks the spending record again, paid for by 137 new and increased taxes.  His budget proposal also eliminates the property tax rebate check and decreases STAR exemptions across the board. At the same time, this budget does not address Medicaid fraud and, moreover, by cutting education aid, it will pass along an inevitable burden to local governments.  Not only will this plan cause local property taxes to rise, but it could also cost the state over half a million jobs.  According to former state chief economist Stephen Kagann, every $100 million in new taxes imposed during a recession leads to a loss of 11,400 private sector jobs. With these tax hikes totally $6 billion, this means the approximate loss of 600,000 jobs.

To balance the State Budget and reduce the state's debt, Hawley has long called for cost saving measures, such as agency and department consolidation, such as merging the Office of Real Property Services into the Department of Taxation and Finance, saving New York State taxpayers $18 million annually.  Another $37 million would be saved by merging the Office of Climate Change into the Office of Atmospheric Research at the State University of Albany.

Hawley also has been on the forefront of tackling government waste by calling for state operating cost cuts and continues to propose cost-saving measures such as limiting the amount of vehicles purchased on taxpayer dollars by 50 percent (not including public safety vehicles such as police, fire and emergency services vehicles) to save another estimated $4 million and $25 million, respectively.  Assemblyman Hawley stated, "The bulk of the cost savings would come from finally targeting Medicaid fraud, abuse and waste.  I have long supported a complete state take-over of Medicaid. Not only would this help ensure the program is run more efficiently, but it would eliminate a multi-billion unfunded mandate currently put on our local governments and taxpayers.  Perhaps, most importantly, by forcing the state to take responsibility for the Medicaid program, it will also help make Albany more accountable and cognizant for its spending overall."

The Tax Foundation used information compiled by the United States Census Bureau from 2005 to 2007 in their report which shows that out of all counties in the nation (with 20,000 or more residents) Orleans County residents pay the highest property taxes as a percentage of their home worth at 3.05 percent.  Niagara County came in second at 2.90 percent, followed by Monroe County ranking fifth and Genesee County ranking eighth at 2.84 and 2.69 percent, respectively.  Every county topping the nation's most highly taxed counties came from New York State (rankings 1-20), with the exception of Fort Bend County in Texas, ranking in eleventh place.  The majority of New York State counties on the list came from Western New York, strengthening Hawley's assertion that economic stimulus and a drastic reduction in spending are vital to lowering property taxes.