Yonkers Insider: Albany Beat: *Statement* State Senator Shelley B. Mayer Statement on the Passage of the FY 2024-2025 New York State Budget.

 

State Senator Shelley B. Mayer Statement on the Passage of the FY 2024-2025 New York State Budget.

“Today, the New York State Senate finished voting on a budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25, which moves the state forward and reflects many of our commitments to New Yorkers.  “I am proud to announce that my colleagues and I successfully fought against the devastating cuts the Governor proposed to more than half of the school districts in the state. Under the FY 2024-2025 budget, every district will receive at least as much money as they did last year. We also fought for –– and won –– a higher inflationary factor than the Governor proposed, which will result in more school aid flowing to many districts.  “The enacted budget increases school aid by more than half a billion dollars over the Governor’s proposal. This win is a testament to the parents, teachers, school board members, superintendents, and advocates across the state who made their voices heard over the last four months. This budget reflects a necessary investment in the work our schools are doing to support students post-COVID, both for learning loss and mental health needs. “I am also pleased that we came to a compromise with the Governor to move forward on a study of the Foundation Aid Formula –– including at least three public hearings. This study will put us on a path to a revised formula that ensures every school receives the support it needs from the state. “This budget also includes groundbreaking new protections for rental tenants and needed investments to encourage the development of new affordable housing. I represent many low- and middle-income tenants who, although working full time, are struggling to live in Westchester. For many of these tenants, large rent increases make it impossible to stay in their apartments and their communities. I hope to see municipalities I represent opt-in to the protections in this bill and will continue to fight on behalf of the tenants in my district and around the state.  “It has been clear that New York must take actionable measures to address the ongoing threat of retail theft. I am proud that this budget includes practical measures that give police and prosecutors additional tools to keep New Yorkers safe, including my proposal to allow prosecutors to aggregate individual instances of retail theft where those crimes are part of a single criminal intent into a single. The budget also includes language to protect our retail workers by creating a new crime of assault against a retail worker. Together, these measures represent a thoughtful and responsible approach to deterring retail theft and protecting retail workers.  “I am pleased we also took action against the deeply concerning rise in hate crimes throughout New York State, by expanding the list of offenses categorized as hate crimes, including gang assault, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, falsely reporting an incident, and more.  “I am also pleased that the bill I sponsored to require that all SUNY construction fund projects over $10M use project labor agreements was included, as were important reforms to Tier VI to change the final average salary calculation. For our police, fire, teachers, municipal service workers, and other critical public employees, these changes represent a true victory. “I do want to mention my deep disappointment with the decision to transition to a single fiscal intermediary for the CDPAP program. I remain committed to working with seniors and people with disabilities who rely on CDPAP and home care workers to protect their rights and ensure continued access to services.   “This is by no means a perfect budget, but for me, it represents our commitment to the big tent of New York State — to our kids from the cities to the farms, from downstate to upstate, and to expanding for them the many opportunities that our democracy offers. I hear the critics in the Senate chamber and beyond. But I choose to celebrate what we did do, not what we could not do. What we fought for and won; what we proposed and had to compromise on. That’s what the voters of New York expect of us, and that is what we delivered in this budget. “I want to thank Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins for having the determination and skill at getting this done in this difficult budget year and the Governor for working together with us to achieve a better result for all New Yorkers.”