Report: Paterson Doled $16.7M In Grants Last Week

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- A published report says New York Gov. David Paterson doled out $16.7 million in grants last week for a youth chess program and to promote a New Jersey-New York Super Bowl, among other things.

The spending reported by the Times Union of Albany on Monday was released as Paterson criticized lawmakers for failing to cut expenses to close a $315 million deficit.

Paterson's budget office says the money was set aside in the 2008-09 budgets and allocated for specific purposes, so it couldn't be used to avoid layoffs or anything else without action by the Legislature.

The office says the grants date to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer's spending plan. Paterson has not used about $60 million of pork-barrel spending available to him as governor.

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