Op-Ed: My priorities for this year’s state budget

As February comes to a close, the state legislature shifts its focus to New York’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget is not only a financial road map for our state, but also a statement of priorities. This year, as we continue to work to lower costs for families and improve public safety, our state budget will play a significant role.

My first priority is always on how to best serve the communities I represent. Our state budget provides funding for statewide matters and a wide range of local priorities, including fire and police services, road repair and infrastructure upgrades, support for senior services and much more. Everyday priorities for our local villages, towns and cities are reliant on our state budget and programs that receive state funding.

This year I am once again advocating for a wide range of funding for important Western New York priorities. This includes increased support for our schools, libraries, and arts and cultural institutions. These places continue to deal with the fallout from the pandemic, and increased funding will go a long way to help them fulfill their individual missions.

On another priority, Western New York has seen a population resurgence due to an influx of refugees from around the world. This has been made possible by the New York State Enhanced Services to Refugees Program. The refugee community has been a significant driver of economic growth in our region, and I am pushing for extra NYSESRP funding to ensure local refugee resettlement agencies have the resources they need to help incoming refugees integrate into our community and our economy.

Last month, I wrote about my new role as chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business. Part of that role is advocating for funding that will spur economic development and support small businesses throughout the state. To that end, I am advocating for funding for child care that improves employee retention, statewide workforce development programs that have proven effective and a high-tech matching grants program, which encourages innovation by New York companies.

I am also working to include legislation that would prevent IDAs from taking tax dollars away from local schools to subsidize projects that do not lift the regional economy. IDA reform is a smart way to improve the effectiveness of our economic development strategy and eliminate wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars.

I also want to protect renters who are exposed to lead-based paint. Ingestion of lead paint from poorly maintained residential housing units is the primary cause of lead poisoning in children. However, if a child in New York state is poisoned by lead paint, the injury is not covered by homeowners’ insurance. I have a bill that would require insurance companies to include coverage for injuries caused by exposure to lead paint and help break the cycle of lead poisoning that has been especially detrimental to the health of kids, and I have advocated for its inclusion as well.

Part of the difficulty of creating a budget comes from balancing the needs of every community throughout the state. My budget proposals seek to uplift underserved communities; improve parks, schools and cultural institutions across our region; and reform some major issues that affect New Yorkers everywhere.