Newsday from New York, New York • 19

STATE CITY NY Homeless Aid Is Mostly Unspent gram, which received $1.07 million last year to holt-e th homeless, to the Office of Mental Health, which received $3.6 million to care for mentally ill homeless. Other state agencies providing services include the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, the Department of Social Services, the Division for Youth, the Housing Trust Fund Corporation and the Division of Substance Abuse Services. "The concern that we have is that this could become one of the fastest growing items in the budget, Kremer said. is homeless mentally ill, homeless unemployed, and homeless elderly. Whats developing is that a whole category of social problems are being put under the umbrella of the By Jennifer Preston Newaday Albany Bureau Albany Two yean after the Legislature approved $31.6 million to build housing for the homeless, only $10.5 million of that money has been spent, a state report says.

The report, prepared for the Legislature by the agency that received those funds, the Homeless Housing Assistance Program, Bays the money that hasn't beat spent yet has been committed to projects under construction. Yesterday, key legislators said they want to know how the money is being spent before approving a request for an additional $20 million. "We want to make sure the dollars are reaching the community, and that the money being spent efficiently," said Assembly Ways and Means Chairman Arthur J. Kremer (D-Long Beach). Kremer, head of a new task force that is reviewing Gov.

Mario Cuomos request for an estimated $139 million in programs for the homeless, said there is Swing concern in the Legislature no one is coordinating such programs or providing legislators with details about how money is being spent. shouldn't have to do a random sampling of various agencies, Kremer said, calling on Cuomo administration officials to designate a coordinator for the programs. "The name of the game around nere is justification. Social Services Commissioner Caesar Perales said Kremer could direct inquiries to him because most of the dollars going to the homeless "are in my department. The programs are now administered Kremer said he was particularly concerned about where funds allocated for the Homeless Housing Assistance Program are going.

According to the report on that program, $12.3 million was awarded for 39 projects in 1983 and $19.3 million for 41 projects in 1984. Only $10.5 million of that $31.6 million has been spent, but the remaining funds have been committed to projects under construction, the report says. Last November, $17.5 million was awarded for 44 projects. Nancy Travers, the programs director, said it has created 1,300 beds for the homeless, and that projects to provide another 1,165 beds are under construction. She said the state does not pay the contractor until the work is completed.

"What we are doing is providing hard capital dollars, and you have to go through the capital development process, which takes time, Travers said. at least nine state agencies, ranging from the Military and Naval Affairs-Army National Guard Pro- Project director Michelle Ellison, right, reviews re novation plans for the homeless with site monitor Ray Regan at 634 Manida Street In the Bronx. Senate Balks at Approving Tram Protection Death Penalty Bill Gets OK in Assembly lY, TUESDAY, MARCH 4. 1966 by Sen. Olga Mendez (D-Bronx) that would have provided state insurance for the tram.

At that time Anderson said the Republicans would present their own insurance measure. Yesterday the Senate leadership did not indicate whether the bill would be taken up eventually. The tram, dosed since Feb. 14, reopened yesterday after a legal agreement between the tram's contractor, the Roosevelt Island Operating and state officials- The agreement allowed the state to indemnify the contractor through the state-owned operating cooperation. Meanwhile, Sen.

Roy Goodman (R-Manhattan) and an aide to Gov. Mario Cuomo traded charges of "incompetence over the handling of the tram. Goodman said the handling of the closing of the tramway was "a startling piece of legal incompetence on the part of the governor's legal staff Gubernatorial spokesman Gary Fryer said, "I agree there was incompetence involved here If Senator Goodman is concerned about the incompetence be need only look around his conference" of Republican senators. The 40 municipalities and two upstate school districts indemnified yesterday are either without liability insurance or are deemed to have inadequate coverage, said John counsel to Anderson. The bill protect the municipalities as an emergency measure until June 1.

By Martin Weston Newaday Albany Bureau Albany The Senate yesterday failed to act on a bill that would provide insurance protection for the Roosevelt Island tram, citing potential constitutional problems with having the state protect a private operator. The unexpected decision to set aside the bill, which drew complaints from Democrats, came as the Republican-controlled Senate approved a separate bill that would provide temporary insurance protection for 42 public entities in the state, including Suffolk County. The tram bill was proposed as a way to legislate the insurance coverage already arranged separately for the tramway through the state-sponsored agency that oversees the Roosevelt Island complex. Sen. Joseph Galiber (D-Bronx) said it was hypocritical for the Republicans to solicit support for targeted insurance aid yesterday when they had opposed such aid for the tram only last week.

But Charles Dumas, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Warren Anderson (R-Binghamton), said the Republicans laid aside the tram bill becsv of remaining questions about indemnifying a private contractor, questions that are not present in indemnifying a public entity, Last week' Senate Republicans soundly mA a measure sponsored By John McDonald Newaday Albany Bureau Albany The Assembly yesterday gave final passage to a death penalty bill that appears destined to become the 10th consecutive capital-punishment bill to die by gubernatorial veto. About the only thing different this year was that debate on the bill was the shortest on record, a little more than an hour. Several legislators noted that they were naing the same arguments they used in the previous nine debates on the issue. Gov. Mario Cuomo has pledged to veto the legislation, which passed the Senate Feb.

10. Its margin of passage 89-53 in the Assembly and 38-17 in the Senate makes it is unlikely that his veto can be overridden because an override requires a two-thirds majority in each house, 100 votes in the Assem- bly and 41 votes in the Senate. The bill would allow the death penalty in cases of first-degree murder such as the murder of a police officer or a contract slaying. The likelihood of a veto prompted Assemb. Armand D1 Amato (R-Baldwin) to challenge Assemb.

Vincent Graber (D-West Seneca), the chief sponsor of the bill, to sponsor a constitutional amendment on the death penalty. During the debate, Amato said: "nie governor has been quoted saying that the macho legislators who support a death penalty should go with a constitutional imwiHnumt which would pass with a simple majority by two consecutively elected Legislatures and then need to be passed in a statewide referendum. That tactic, Amato said, would circumvent the need for a two-thirds majority vote, which in 10 years has never been accomplished. in j. 4 1 i i'1' vr i 24 hi Vl v-i a i.