New York State Capitol
Governor Kathy Hochul and New York legislative leaders have come to a preliminary agreement on the state budget.
Hochul’s original proposed spending plan $233 billion would increase to $237 billion.
However, voting on the plan is not expected until later this week.
Hochul said the budget will include “the most comprehensive housing policy seen in the state in three generations.”
Statewide initiatives include new tax incentives for housing construction, safeguarding against deed theft and $500 million for up to 15,000 new housing units on state-owned properties.
Hochul said protections against price gouging also will be expanded to tenants where they weren’t available before.
To combat the problem of organized retail theft, the budget deal has increased penalties for assaulting retail workers, makes it illegal to foster the sale of stolen goods online and allocates $40 million for retail theft teams in the State Police and local law enforcement.
The state and localities also will have the power to combat illicit cannabis vendors; the deal provides $36 million for law enforcement and district attorneys to prosecute domestic abusers; and it adds 20 offenses that can be prosecuted as hate crimes.
After proposed changes in Hochul’s executive budget to public school funding exposed fault lines between her agenda and the state Legislature, Hochul said the budget agreement commits $36 billion to education, which is the highest in state history.
However, she said changes to the formula for education funding will come in next year’s budget, and the state Education Department will conduct a comprehensive study over the next year on Foundation Aid after Hochul proposed eliminating the “Save Harmless” provision, which ensures schools don’t receive less funding regardless of population loss.
Higher education will also see changes, with the minimum award for tuition assistance raising from $500 to $1,000. Qualifications for the state’s TAP grant will increase from families earning $80,000 or less to $125,000 or less.
Scrutiny of Medicaid spending remains, but Hochul said Monday the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance program will change to one state Fiscal Intermediary, which she said will save the state $500 million a year.
The state will also be the first in the nation to offer paid pre-natal leave to expecting mothers.
The budget will also have $275 million for the Empire AI Consortium, and $125 million in private and university funding to build the state’s footprint in artificial intelligence development.
Hochul’s agreement also leaves several major policy items unfinished, including a proposal to make pensions more attractive to current and future government workers
The budget was due on April 1 and lawmakers have passed numerous extenders since then to keep the government running and paychecks flowing to state employees. The most recent extender runs through Thursday.
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