State Senator John Liu on passage of the FY24 State budget
May 4, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Contact: Soojin Choi |347-556-6335| press@johnliusenate.com
STATE SENATOR JOHN LIU ON PASSAGE OF THE FY24 STATE BUDGET
Albany, NY – State Senator John Liu stated the following about the passage of the FY 2024 state budget, noting several hard-fought victories that will strengthen core government responsibilities and improve access for New Yorkers.
“After several years of austerity budgeting that saw painful cutbacks due to pandemic-related hardships, the state put forward a balanced budget that strengthens many core functions of our government and improves access for New Yorkers.
“On the education front, for the first time this budget will fully fund Foundation Aid, making good on a decades-old court decision that found the state was underpaying New York City public schools and denying school kids a sound, basic education. Regarding higher education, we put a hard stop to any tuition hikes for SUNY and CUNY, further ensuring these public institutions of higher learning remain affordable and accessible to all New Yorkers.
“With leadership from our colleagues Assembly Member Grace Lee and Senator Iwen Chu, this year’s budget includes a record $30 million to support the Asian American community-based organizations so that our community can rebuild from the pandemic-fueled anti-Asian hatred while bolstering education, community outreach, language access, and other programs and services that support AAPI communities.
“In light of the rising costs of living, this budget raises the minimum wage and indexes it to inflation, which will allow workers to keep up with rising costs of inflation. For the first time, the budget also expands upon the Child Tax Credit covering children under the age of 4-years-old so that all working families can have access to this critical financial assistance.
“Finally, in order to get more New Yorkers back into the public transit system, the budget includes an exciting pilot program to create one free bus line in every borough. Free buses will greatly speed up commutes by allowing multiple entry points and reducing loading times. Importantly, it also improves access, reduces congestion, and encourages more commuters to take public transportation.
“In all, this year’s budget improves upon many of the public goods and services our government is duty-bound to uphold. As with every budget, there is always more to do and further improvements to be made, and I look forward to continuing our work this legislative session on behalf of all New Yorkers.”
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