Senator Breslin Announces Additional Funds For OPWDD

(Albany, NY) Senator Neil D. Breslin (D- Delmar) today announced that Governor Cuomo has signed into law a bill which will provide additional funds to the Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). These funds will ensure that OPWDD is able to provide adequate funds for nonprofit services which rely on state aid.

 “Due to budget cuts incurred earlier this year, a large portion of community-based services OPWDD assists would have been forced to shut down, disrupting the lives of thousands of New Yorkers with disabilities,” Senator Breslin said. “I was proud to cosponsor this bill and work with my colleagues and the Governor to ensure that all necessary funds be provided to OPWDD so that these essential services would be funded and restored.”

 The OPWDD funds not-for-profit providers of community-based services allowing people with disabilities to remain within their communities instead of transferring to centralized, state-run facilities that are usually farther from their communities. Senate Bill S.4777D, cosponsored by Senator Breslin, restores up to $90 million to maintain OPWDD’s ability to aid nonprofit organizations throughout the state.

 “Restoring the OPWDD budget was vital to ensuring quality of life for New Yorkers with developmental disabilities,” Senator Breslin said. “I commend Governor Cuomo for signing this common sense legislation into law.”

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