Senator Bill Weber's statement on Voting No on the FY 2024-2025 Health and Mental Hygiene Bill

It sickens me to tell you the governor, the senate majority, and the assembly have decided to balance their budget on the backs of our most vulnerable.

We have 2.4 Billion dollars in this budget to support NYC and NYS sanctuary policies that Rockland residents surely don’t want, but not enough money for the very much needed 3.2% cost of living increase for our Direct Service Providers and a $4,000 wage enhancement for our direct care workers?

We surely don’t have enough money in this budget to help shore up our great safety net hospitals, like Nyack Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital. 

And to add insult to injury, we will now essentially eliminate all of the great individual fiscal intermediaries (FI’s) and replace them with a a single, statewide fiscal intermediary.

The current FI system can be fixed to ensure the disabled and the elderly continue to receive the care they need while necessary and needed changes are made to improve the existing system.

In good conscience, I cannot support this Health and Mental Hygiene budget bill.