Yonkers Insider: New York State Senator Shelley Mayer: My Stance on the Housing Compact.

 

The Governor’s proposed Housing Compact is the budget issue I have been hearing most about from constituents and municipal leaders. While I commend Governor Hochul’s commitment to addressing the housing crisis in New York in her proposed budget, I believe the proposals are deeply flawed and unacceptable in their current form. More importantly, they do not focus enough on “affordability” and are far too blunt to be effective.  Although the Governor’s proposals seek to walk a fine line between state enforcement and local control over housing policy, they represent a “top-down” approach which has left out the voices of local municipal officials and our communities. In addition, each of our communities is very different and has taken different steps to address the problem of affordable housing. Each community must develop an approach to increasing the supply of much needed affordable housing that works for it. In addition, we need a much more substantial state investment in infrastructure, services, and land costs in order to make additional affordable housing practical. Over the next few weeks, I will continue to listen to the feedback from those concerned with this proposal and try to identify a path forward to achieve these important goals while respecting local control and the unique circumstances of each of our communities.

Introducing & Passing Legislation:  I am proud that my bill, S.4878, requiring employers to provide a written notice of the right to file for unemployment benefits to any employee who has lost their job or whose hours have been reduced, passed the Senate last week. Many New Yorkers who are laid off or face reduced hours come into financial hardship and do not know they are eligible for unemployment assistance, particularly in cases of partial unemployment. By requiring employers to inform employees of their potential eligibility, this bill will help ensure workers can access available resources if and when they lose their job.