Op-Ed: My priorities for a new session

Happy 2024, everyone! January marks the beginning of a new legislative session, and I am excited to be back representing you in Albany once again. Thanks to a combination of partnerships, legislative actions and state investment, we have made some great progress on a lot of very important issues in the last year.

As chair of the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business, much of my focus lies on steps we can take to support small businesses and help create quality, high-paying jobs for all New Yorkers. With the minimum wage increasing to $15 per hour this month, workers are realizing the benefits of past efforts. Today, reforming and improving the state’s Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise program is a top priority. A recent report declared that the state has nearly 10,000 certified MWBEs. When our local small businesses thrive, everyone benefits. Finding new ways to support MWBE growth will help us continue to spur innovation statewide.

School funding is a priority every year, and in 2023, we allocated a record amount of funding to New York’s schools. But there’s an easy change we can make to ensure that schools are getting the money they need. Industrial development agencies across the state often award tax breaks to entice companies to move into or expand within their communities. Here in Western New York, we’ve seen these incentives given to everyone from Amazon to Moe’s Southwest Grill. As a result of these corporate handouts, our schools miss out on nearly $2 billion in tax revenue each year, and taxpayers are left making up the difference to stave off cuts to school staffing and programs. This year, I’ll be working on passing a bill that would prohibit IDAs from waiving taxes meant for a school district and keep our schools well funded.

There is no doubt that we need to tackle housing affordability and a wide range of housing issues in 2024. Here in Western New York, high interest rates and skyrocketing prices have made it harder and harder for aspiring homeowners to purchase a home. We need a plan that addresses our region’s specific needs, and I am working hard on solutions to the various problems that are combining to make homeownership increasingly unaffordable. One way we can do that is by ensuring that houses are properly insulated. The vast majority of Western New York’s housing stock was built prior to the 1980s, before homes began being insulated to the current standards. During Buffalo’s cold winters, that leads to high utility bills and unnecessarily high emissions. In the coming days, I’ll be outlining my plans for helping people cut their heating bills and other ways we can address the high costs of homeownership in Western New York.

As I begin another year in the State Senate, I remain committed to finding creative ways to foster economic growth and improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers. I will continue to introduce and support legislative solutions that empower individuals, strengthen our schools and build a better future for New Yorkers everywhere.