Senator John W. Mannion Strengthens Bail Laws, Secures First-ever Fully Funded Foundation Aid for Schools, Saves the Free School Meals Program, Provides Pre-k Expansion, Third Consecutive Cost-of-Living Adjustment for DSPs, and Child Tax Credit Expansion

ALBANY, NY – Senator John W. Mannion (D-Geddes) today announced the passage of the 2023-2024 New York State Budget and highlighted new state investments that will bolster public safety, the economy, and provide help to families in Central New York. 
Senator Mannion secured in the state budget strengthened bail laws that give greater discretion to judges to remand or set bail, the first-ever fully funded Foundation Aid for schools, a continuation of the free school meals program, a further expansion of universal prekindergarten, the third consecutive cost-of-living-adjustment for DSPs and other care industry professionals, a major expansion of the state’s child tax credit, and millions of dollars to support the arts in Upstate New York. 

“I left a very rewarding career in teaching and ran for office because my hometown and all of Central New York’s families, businesses, and schools need to get a fair share from Albany, and this budget delivers. I’ve strengthened public safety by giving judges the ability to remand and impose bail, fully funded our schools for the first time ever, and saved the free school meals program - which may be the most consequential aspect of the entire spending plan. I’m proud to support an expansion of affordable child care, better wages for DSPs and others in the care industry, as well as securing  important funding for local initiatives like MACNY’s workforce training program that is preparing us for the high tech jobs that are coming to Central New York.”

Additional budget priorities for Senator Mannion in the final agreement include $300M for infrastructure related to semiconductor manufacturing, $1.75M for MACNY workforce training programs, $300K for the Town of Oswego’s emergency services, and $150K for Special Olympics New York.

Local Funding Priorities

• $1 million for Help Me Grow New York, including Early Childhood Alliance Onondaga and Early Childhood Alliance of Oswego County
• $1.75 million for Manufacturer’s Association of Central New York for apprenticeships 
• $2.75 million for Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance
• $50,000 for Central New York Lyme and Tick-Borne Alliance, Inc
• $300,000 for Town of Oswego Fire Department and emergency services
• $1 million for Syracuse University’s Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering (CASE), a Center for Advanced Technology (CAT)
• $1 million for Syracuse University’s Center of Excellence (CoE) in Environmental Energy Systems 
• $500,000 for Area Health Education Centers, Central New York AHEC
• $700,000 for Centerstate CEO 
• $4 million for Workforce Development Institute, including the Central New York office
• Provides an additional $2 million in funding for Child Advocacy Centers, for a total of $7.3 million - two are located in Manlius and Fulton
• $200,000 for On-Point for College
• $175,000 for HomeHeadquarters Inc.
• Increased Statewide Mass Transportation Operating Assistance for Upstate Bus Authorities by 14.6% increase from last year for a total of $306.6 million, including for CENTRO
• $325,000 for Clear Path for Veterans
• Preserved access to local Managed Long Term Care plans and Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Programs
• $1 million for CNY Arts

Child Care

• $1.5  million  for child care facilitated enrollment which provides assistance to families with the application process for their counties’ child care subsidy program. The income threshold would be 85% of the state median income, consistent with federal requirements. This is an uncapped enrollment program to assist families into state funded child care programs. Low income families income contribution were reduced from the proposed 10% of income to 1% of income. 
• $500 million for Childcare Workforce Stabilization Grants including
• Direct Childcare Worker Retention Grants and Childcare Recruitment Assistance 
• Creation of a new tax credit for businesses that create or expand available childcare slots for their employees 
• $5 million in additional funding for the Advantage Afterschool Program, for a total of $33 million
• $750,000 for the NYS Alliance of Boys and Girls Club;
• $1 million for the NYS YMCA foundation

Education

• $135 million for free school meals - the State will subsidize school district costs for participating in the federal breakfast and lunch program by paying the difference between federal and state reimbursement - which allows schools with more than 
• $25 million for expansion of universal pre-kindergarten 
• Requires a study to fix the funding methodology for special education schools and programs, known as 853 and 4410 
• $3.5 million for public libraries and restores $20 million of capital funding for libraries 
• $475,000 for Magellan Foundation Inc, professional teacher development
• $6 million for schools for the deaf and blind (4201) schools

Business, Manufacturing and Job Creation

• Waiving Civil Service Exam Fees between July 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025
• Increasing the number of available positions to individuals with disabilities under 55-b and 55-c, similar to my legislation S.2497; this bill is important because it will create more opportunities for New Yorkers with disabilities to work, if they wish to do so
• Extending waiver on income cap for retirees who return to work in a school setting until June 30, 2024
• $3.5 million in Tourism Matching Grants
• $150,000 for Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance 
• Creation of a tandem state grant program to the federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grant program
• Creation of a Youth Jobs Connector Program linking unemployed and underemployed youth to prepare individuals for employment
• Creation of a $20 million Council on the Arts Capital Fund
• $250,000 for the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP)
• $300M for infrastructure related to semiconductor manufacturing
• Graduated Minimum Wage Increase
  • For Upstate New York:
    • January 1, 2024: $15.00/hour
    • January 1, 2025: $15.50/hour
    • January 1, 2026: $16.00/hour
    • January 1, 2027: minimum wage will be the average inflation of the three preceding years based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for the Northeast Region and limits pauses on increases for two consecutive years 

Higher Education

• Continuing to close the TAP gap at SUNY schools by FY 2025
• $1 million for mental health services 
• $2 million to support students with disabilities at colleges and universities
• $1 million for the Nursing Faculty Scholarship and Loan Forgiveness Program
• Authorizing TAP for non-degree credentialing programs

Disabilities

• $150,000 for Special Olympics’ Unified Champions School Program
• $150,000 for Best Buddies
• $300,000 Brain Injury Association for a continuum of care program
• Creation of a independent disabilities ombudsman program, similar to my legislation S.3108; this bill is important because people with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve an independent avenue for addressing their concerns, and this program will provide individual assistance to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities 
• $6.8 million for the Disability Assistance Program, including a $1.5 million increase over the executive proposal
• $750,000 for dental schools to provide training to work with individuals with disabilities 

Health

Increased Medicaid Rate Reimbursements including: 
7.5% increase in hospital inpatient rates, a 5% increase over the Executive proposal 
6.5% increase in hospital outpatient rates, a 3.5% increase over the Executive proposal 
6.5% increase in nursing home rates, a 1.5% increase over the Executive proposal
6.5% increase in assisted living programs rates, a 1.5% increase over the Executive proposal
$500 million for distressed and safety net hospitals
Requiring temporary healthcare staffing companies to register with the state and report on employment data 

Mental Health
$15 million to support 150 additional inpatient beds
$25 million to support 60 step down units
$10 million to support transitional housing 
$28 million to support Critical Time Intervention Teams
Expands insurance coverage for outpatient care and mobile crisis intervention services, critical time intervention services, assertive community treatment services, and school based mental health clinics

Criminal Justice/Legal Services
Changes to bail reform to remove “least restrictive” means standard, requiring that conditions set by the court reflect individualized findings, clarifying mandatory arrest in domestic violence cases, and greater discretion for repeat violent felony offenders 
Increase in Assigned Counsel 18-B rates to $158/hour
$3.5 million for upstate legal services
$10 million for Extreme Risk Protection Order assistance
Exempting from the sensitive places definition use of firearms for historic reenactments and military ceremonies, as found in my legislation, S.3195; this will ensure that military ceremonies, such as the twenty-one gun salute during holidays or burials, can continue
Authorizes the Office of Cannabis Management and Department of Taxation and Finance to address unlicensed cannabis stores

Local Government
Creation of a $25 million capital fund for volunteer fire departments
Authorizing localities and Office of Fire Control and Prevention to provide training stipends to volunteers
Expanded the CHIPS program by $60 million for maintenance of roads for a total of $598 million
Increased by $40 million for State Touring Routes for a total of $140 million
$7 million for refugee resettlement programs, a $5 million increase from the Executive’s proposal
$15 million in new capital funding for local boards of elections

Environmental
Expands eligibility criteria for the Energy Affordability Program and provides $205.8 million in funding for utility assistance
$500 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act 
$495.5 million for the Water Pollution Control Revolving fund, a $52 million dollar increase from last year
$400 million for the Environmental Protection Fund
Expands authority of municipalities to replace lead water pipes and increase access to state funding sources include the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding 
$1.961 million for Farm Viability Institute 
Extending the Youth Deer Hunting program until December 31, 2025 as found in my legislation S.5420; this legislation will allow more youth hunters to learn the basics of being a safe and responsible hunter, as well as bolster family participation outdoors

Housing
$40 million for the Homeowner Protection Program
$25 million for a First-Time Homeowners Program
$10 million for Land Banks
$391 million for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)
$3 million for the Access to Home Program, an addition of $2 million from last year

Senator Mannion is not supportive of everything in the budget. He adamantly opposes the expansion of charter schools and believes the timeline to transition to electrification is too accelerated and is deeply concerned that, while well intended, current energy policy will significantly shift costs to consumers, New York based manufacturers and small businesses.  

Senator Mannion said, “I believe in our public schools because as a teacher and parent, I know the value of these bedrock community institutions and how they give young people the best chance to succeed in their education and in life. I do not support expanding charter schools because they drain resources from public school kids while playing by a completely different set of rules that lack transparency and accountability.” 

Senator Mannion continued, “I fully support the goal of transitioning from fossil fuels but we must not sacrifice affordability and reliability for speed. I believe the aggressive timeline for the state’s climate goals is overly ambitious and does not match the realities in many parts of New York State. People need access to propane and natural gas to keep warm through Central New York winters, and banning gas stoves and gas heating, even if only in new buildings, will drive up costs during a housing crisis. We have much more work to do on energy policy, including expanding green hydrogen, hydropower, and utilizing clean and safe nuclear power.”

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