N.Y. Gov. Hochul announces $237B budget, which aims to spur housing, combat crime, address migrant crisis
Originally published in
Staten Island Advance
on
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York’s elected officials have reached a “conceptual agreement” on next year’s state budget, with both legislative houses expected to soon pass bills to formalize the agreement.
On Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a tentative agreement on New York’s Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) state budget, which was originally due Apr. 1, but delayed numerous times as legislators hashed out the details.
COMBATTING CRIME
In regard to combatting crime, the budget includes $347 million to fight gun violence, $40.2 million to combat the rising rate of retail crime, $35.7 million to provide new tools and funding for prosecutors to hold domestic abusers accountable and $35 million to tackle hate crimes.
It also increases penalties for assaulting a retail worker, which stems from legislation sponsored by State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn), and expands the number of offenses that can be prosecuted as hate crimes.