Senator May Announces Final 2021-2022 Budget Highlights

Syracuse, NY - Senator Rachel May (D-Onondaga, Madison, Oneida) is pleased to announce that the New York State Budget for 2021-2022 has passed. This budget is a huge win for New Yorkers, especially for Upstate with significant investments in schools, small businesses, homeowners, and farmers.

Budget Highlights:

• Foundation Aid phased in over 3 years, a record $1.4 billion increase this year, and each district gets 60% of what is owed.
• Expanding universal pre-K statewide with additional fiscal support for low and average income districts. 
• Approximately $2 billion investment in supporting child care providers and families in need of child care.
• Increases Tuition Assistance Program from $5,165 to $5,665. This is the largest increase to TAP since 2000, and the first time TAP has been increased since 2014.
• Support for community colleges with an increase to reimbursement per FTE, to maintain 98% of their prior year base aid, and to supplement their child care centers.
• Requires nursing homes to spend 70% of their revenue on direct resident care and 40% on direct facing resident staffing costs and imposes a five percent profit cap.
• Creates permanent expansion to telehealth services.
• Makes changes to the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program to ensure better geographic diversity and culturally competent care, including for those that don’t speak English as their primary language and New Americans, and for those that serve disability communities.
• An additional $8 million over the Governor’s proposed funding for Community Services for the Elderly to clear wait lists for county-run services.
• Invests a State-funded $1 billion to create a COVID-19 Small Business Pandemic Recovery program for small businesses, micro-businesses and for-profit arts institutions that have lost revenue or suffered harm as a result of the pandemic (REV Part VV) 
  • $800 million for small business grants and $200 million in small business tax credits 
  • Eligible businesses who are not eligible for grant assistance or are unable to receive substantial assistance from federal programs may apply for grants to cover rent or mortgage costs, payroll, PPE purchases, and other documented COVID-19 related costs incurred between March 2020 and April 2021. 
  • Socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, including MWBEs, Service Veteran Disabled Owned Enterprises, and veteran-owned businesses and businesses located in economically distressed areas will be prioritized for grants under the program. 
  • Intended to complement other state and federal assistance programs. 
  • DOB projects that small businesses in the State would be able to access a total of $5.228 billion in federal assistance in addition to State programs.
• Enacts the Pandemic Recovery and Restart Program that creates a $35 million dollar Restaurant Return-to-Work Tax Credit (REV Part PP). 
• $40 million for non-profit arts institutions.
• $2.4 billion in rent relief for tenants, accessed through a landlord application process. A personal income tax credit to reduce the net cost of property taxes for overburdened working and middle-class homeowners. This provision, in place for tax years 2021-23, will reduce taxes by approximately $440 million annually.
• $2 million for reimbursement to Local Boards of Elections for expansion of early voting initiatives.
• $350 million in transportation infrastructure investments:
  • $100 million increase for CHIPS 
  • $100 million in new funding for Extreme Winter Recovery funding 
    • $35 million increase from last year 
  • $50 million increase for PAVE-NY
  • A new $100 million highway and bridge project fund for localities called the City Touring Routes program
  • Rejection of Governor’s proposed cuts in State Transit Operating Aid
• $385 million for additional eligible capital projects to support local infrastructure and regional construction priorities.
• $851 million for other critical infrastructure projects across New York State 
• Broadband Study and Mapping (ELFA Part MM) 
  • The Enacted Budget directs the Public Service Commission to publish a detailed map of broadband access in the State and conduct a comprehensive study on the availability, reliability and cost of broadband. 
• $10 million for training programs in Wind power and green energy.
• $500 million for water infrastructure.
• Restores Governor’s proposed cuts to AIM funding.
• A fund for economic relief for workers excluded from pandemic relief and unemployment programs to help pay for essential needs and to help stimulate our economies.
• Provides for a $3 billion bond act, to be voted on in 2022. The “Restore Mother Nature” Environmental Bond Act is for environmental improvements that preserve, enhance, and restore New York's natural resources and reduce the impact of climate change. 
• $25 million for the Nourish NY program (this is a total commitment of $50 million through 2021). 
• Restores $8.4 million in support for statewide agricultural programs. 
• Extends eligibility for the Farm Employee Tax Credit from 2022 to 2025. 
• Farmland protection working group for green energy siting (PPGG part CCC).
• Investment in municipal purchases and support for electric vehicles (PPGG part CCC).
• Prevailing wage on green energy projects.
• Fully restores the Executive’s $7.1 million cut to public libraries and increases library construction aid by $20 million over Executive levels, for a total of $34 million.
   

Central New York Impact:

• Maintains Madison County’s share of revenue for being a casino hosting county.
• $10 million of capital funding for renovations of Syracuse Educational Opportunity Center.
• Amnesty of penalties for building aid for Liverpool School District.
• $3 million in overall funding for the New York Enhanced Services to Refugees Program, which will result in funding to refugee resettlement agencies to help them deal with budget cuts left from the Trump administration.
• $100,000 for Friends of the Central Library. 
• 11 communities will now get Universal Pre-K, for a total of over 450 slots
  • Canastota
  • Cazenovia
  • Chittenango
  • Clinton
  • New Hartford
  • Fabius-Pompey
  • Fayetteville-Manlius
  • Jamesville-Dewitt
  • Liverpool
  • North Syracuse
  • Tully
• Funding for Syracuse Build, On Point for College, Madison County Cornell Cooperative Extension, OGs Against Violence, Freedom Commons, Syracuse University’s InclusiveU program, CNY Arts, and Interfaith Works.

 
“Every budget tells a story about priorities,” said Senator Rachel May. “This budget tells a story of renewal and optimism, and it begins to fulfill important promises that were the reason I ran for office three years ago. The biggest story is about our children. It’s about finally phasing in full funding for Foundation Aid over the next 3 years. It’s about supporting child care and creating new Universal Pre-K programs in over 200 communities. 

“We also address some of the biggest problems that emerged in the pandemic, such as the need for affordable broadband, helping tenants and their landlords with rent relief, and requiring nursing homes to prioritize adequate staffing and resident care. And we look to the future to fund major environmental initiatives, from protecting water resources to combating climate change, with a $3 billion bond act the voters will have a chance to approve next year. 

 “Finally, our budget tells a story of a more fair economy, in which we ask the very wealthy, many of whom have seen their wealth grow enormously during the pandemic, to contribute more, while providing some relief for middle class property tax payers, more scholarship aid for college students, and support for workers and families that have suffered deep deprivations over the past year. I am proud to have worked with my colleagues to make this hopeful vision for New York State a reality.” 

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