Regular Session - March 14, 2024
1287
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
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6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 March 14, 2024
11 11:33 a.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
15
16
17
18 SENATOR SHELLEY B. MAYER, Acting President
19 ALEJANDRA N. PAULINO, ESQ., Secretary
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25
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1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The Senate
3 will come to order.
4 I ask everyone to please rise and
5 recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
6 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
7 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: In the
9 absence of clergy, let us bow our heads in a
10 moment of silent reflection or prayer.
11 (Whereupon, the assemblage respected
12 a moment of silence.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Reading of
14 the Journal.
15 THE SECRETARY: In Senate,
16 Wednesday, March 13, 2024, the Senate met
17 pursuant to adjournment. The Journal of Tuesday,
18 March 12, 2024, was read and approved. On
19 motion, the Senate adjourned.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Without
21 objection, the Journal stands approved as read.
22 Presentation of petitions.
23 Messages from the Assembly.
24 Messages from the Governor.
25 Reports of standing committees.
1289
1 Reports of select committees.
2 Communications and reports from
3 state officers.
4 Motions and resolutions.
5 Senator Gianaris.
6 SENATOR GIANARIS: Good morning,
7 Madam President.
8 On page 34 I offer the following
9 amendments to Calendar 460, Senate Print 5424,
10 and ask that said bill retain its place on
11 Third Reading Calendar.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
13 amendments are received, and the bill will retain
14 its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
15 Senator Gianaris.
16 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
17 there's a privileged resolution at the desk,
18 Senate Resolution 1952, by Leader
19 Stewart-Cousins. Please take that up and read
20 its title only.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
22 Secretary will read.
23 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
24 1952, by Senator Stewart-Cousins, Resolution in
25 response to the 2024-2025 Executive Budget
1290
1 submission.
2 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
3 as everybody knows, this is the one-house budget
4 resolution we'll be taking up today.
5 Let me remind my colleagues that
6 there's a total of two hours we have allocated
7 for debate on this resolution. That is by
8 agreement with the Minority.
9 As usual, our Finance chair,
10 Senator Krueger, will be answering questions for
11 the Majority.
12 We are ready to proceed with the
13 debate.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
15 O'Mara, why do you rise?
16 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you,
17 Madam President. I have a few questions of
18 Senator Krueger on the one-house budget
19 resolution that we're here about today.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
21 Krueger, do you yield?
22 SENATOR KRUEGER: Of course I do,
23 Madam Chair.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
25 Senator yields.
1291
1 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you,
2 Senator.
3 On this one-house budget, how much
4 greater is the spending in this budget over what
5 the Governor had proposed in her Executive
6 Budget?
7 SENATOR KRUEGER: It's 8.7 billion,
8 Madam President.
9 SENATOR O'MARA: And if the Senator
10 will continue to yield.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
12 continue to yield?
13 SENATOR KRUEGER: I do.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
15 Senator yields.
16 SENATOR O'MARA: So for a total
17 spending of what amount this year?
18 SENATOR KRUEGER: 137 billion,
19 920 million.
20 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
21 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
22 yield.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
24 continue to yield?
25 SENATOR KRUEGER: Of course.
1292
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
2 Senator yields.
3 SENATOR O'MARA: We had a revenue
4 consensus meeting just I guess two weeks ago now,
5 I think --
6 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes.
7 SENATOR O'MARA: -- where there was
8 a consensus that was reached between the
9 Executive and both houses of the Legislature that
10 there was an anticipated 1.3 billion more
11 revenues expected than what had been expected at
12 the time the Governor came out with her budget
13 proposal.
14 So how are you making up the gap of
15 1.3 billion to the -- how many billion did you
16 say you were increasing the budget? Because that
17 was a different number than I have.
18 SENATOR KRUEGER: So we're going up
19 8.7 billion.
20 And you're correct, there's the
21 1.35 billion that we came to revenue agreement
22 greater than her original Executive Budget. So
23 that explains part of it.
24 We also found that there were
25 additional monies that we could redirect. And we
1293
1 also increased new revenue. So we have something
2 called the MCO tax; that's all federal dollars
3 that will bring in $4 billion more per year in
4 federal reimbursement in Medicaid, we believe for
5 a three-year period. So actually up to
6 12 billion over the three years.
7 We have done some personal income
8 tax changes to the highest-income payers of
9 personal income tax in New York State. And we
10 have also done an increase for corporate taxes
11 for companies with net profits of over $5 million
12 a year.
13 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
14 Madam President, if Senator Krueger will continue
15 to yield.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
17 continue to yield?
18 SENATOR KRUEGER: Of course I will.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
20 Senator yields.
21 SENATOR O'MARA: So we're -- the
22 new taxes, the personal income tax and the
23 corporate franchise tax, is totaling how much in
24 new taxes to be generated?
25 SENATOR KRUEGER: About 3 billion
1294
1 between the two of them.
2 SENATOR O'MARA: The increase is
3 you're adding a half a percent -- through you,
4 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
5 yield.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
7 yield, Senator Krueger?
8 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, I do,
9 Madam President.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
11 Senator yields.
12 SENATOR O'MARA: You're -- the
13 proposal is to increase the income taxes on the
14 highest earners in the state by increasing the
15 rate a half a percent?
16 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, that's
17 correct. And these are people with income, for
18 PIT purposes, of over $5 million a year is the
19 first level gets it. And if they are over
20 $25 million a year, then there is a higher rate
21 for them.
22 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
23 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
24 yield.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
1295
1 continue to yield?
2 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, I do.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
4 Senator yields.
5 SENATOR O'MARA: So if we lose one
6 of those top-bracket taxpayers because of the
7 increase in taxes, based on all the taxes that
8 they pay in New York State, that one individual,
9 how many middle-class-family taxpayers -- say,
10 the median of the state -- how many of those
11 people does it take to make up the loss of the
12 revenues from that one individual leaving the
13 state?
14 SENATOR KRUEGER: Through you,
15 Madam President. We actually don't believe
16 people will leave the state on this amount of
17 change in their PIT based on their income levels.
18 And the research on people leaving
19 the state is that it is not the wealthiest people
20 who choose to leave the state based on their tax
21 burdens, it is actually other people who have
22 been leaving the state. And we've actually been
23 increasing the number of millionaires.
24 And in this case, it's the 1 percent
25 of the 1 percent that are being hit, and they're
1296
1 not actually making the decisions to leave the
2 state based on their taxes.
3 Just as an example, if you are
4 $25 million, the increase in your taxes will be
5 $100,000. If you live here and your taxes go up
6 $100,000 on 25 million, with all due respect, it
7 would cost you more than 100,000 for the moving
8 company probably.
9 So we're not concerned that these
10 people who are making unbelievable amounts of
11 money in the State of New York because of the
12 State of New York -- because we have the
13 infrastructure they need for their businesses, we
14 have the educated workforce they need for their
15 businesses. We have communities they want to
16 live in. We have clean air and water here.
17 And that they are not going to leave
18 because there is a de minimis increase in their
19 taxes, even though all of us might think a
20 100,000 increase is a lot of money. But most of
21 us here -- I suspect all of us here -- don't have
22 $25 million in income a year for PIT purposes.
23 Let's remember, if you have this much money in
24 income for PIT purposes, your actual earnings and
25 wealth, that you are radically above that.
1297
1 Because we have so many mechanisms
2 for sheltering revenue from taxes, that these are
3 people who have far, far greater wealth than the
4 calculation of what they might actually fall into
5 as a category just for PIT taxes.
6 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you.
7 Through you, Madam President, if the
8 Senator will continue to yield.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
10 continue to yield?
11 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, I will.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
13 Senator yields.
14 SENATOR O'MARA: A hundred thousand
15 increase to that individual, what -- $100,000
16 more than what does that individual pay annually?
17 SENATOR KRUEGER: That individual
18 now, at $25 million, is paying for PIT in
19 New York City -- New York State, excuse me --
20 $2.478 million. And it would move them, again,
21 from a 10.8 percent rate to an 11.3 percent rate.
22 So their taxes would be going up again
23 approximately $100,000 on their current tax bill.
24 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
25 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
1298
1 yield.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
3 continue to yield?
4 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, I will.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
6 Senator yields.
7 SENATOR O'MARA: Again,
8 Senator Krueger, on the revenue consensus meeting
9 we had -- and you were there, and we had three
10 expert economists testifying, each of which was
11 invited by either the Democrat Majority in the
12 Assembly, the Democrat Majority in the Senate, or
13 the Democrat Governor invited those economists to
14 come testify, correct?
15 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes. Usually the
16 Republicans may also invite. I just am not sure
17 why you didn't this year.
18 SENATOR O'MARA: I don't know the
19 answer to that either.
20 SENATOR KRUEGER: Okay.
21 SENATOR O'MARA: But based on my
22 next question, I don't think we needed them.
23 Through you, Madam President, if the
24 Senator will continue to yield.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
1299
1 continue to yield?
2 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
4 Senator yields.
5 SENATOR O'MARA: You recall me
6 asking at the end of that meeting, to the
7 economists, of what their thoughts were on why we
8 have such an exodus of people from New York State
9 leaving? Open-ended question, why we're losing
10 manufacturing businesses in the state, why we're
11 losing financial industry jobs in this state.
12 Every one of the economists chosen
13 by the Democrats to testify at that revenue
14 consensus meeting immediately said "High taxes is
15 why people are leaving. In fact, one of them was
16 testifying remotely from -- I forget where they
17 said, South Carolina or North Carolina, and he
18 said, "All my friends down here that came from
19 New York say we got out of there because of the
20 high taxes."
21 So how does exacerbating the
22 high-tax issue in this one-house budget proposal
23 by raising billions of dollars of more taxes, how
24 is that going to help our exodus of population in
25 New York or the fostering of businesses and
1300
1 creation of jobs in New York? How does raising
2 these taxes help that?
3 SENATOR KRUEGER: So in fact we are
4 not increasing the taxes on 99.5 percent of
5 New Yorkers. And we are in fact continuing and
6 extending a middle-class tax break that was going
7 to sunset at the end of this year, and we're
8 extending that?
9 Yes, a reduction in taxes for
10 middle-class New Yorkers that was scheduled to
11 end in '23, we are extending for three more
12 years. So we're actually doubling down on our
13 commitment for lower taxes for the middle class.
14 And those in fact are the people that the
15 demographic data show are making decisions about
16 staying or going.
17 Although, interestingly, demographic
18 data also shows that many of them are moving to
19 Connecticut and New Jersey where the taxes
20 actually aren't lower for them, but the housing
21 costs are lower. So I'd love to get to a
22 discussion about what we can do to lower housing
23 costs in New York, because I actually think
24 that's a much bigger issue, affordability of
25 housing.
1301
1 But in fact, again, the data shows
2 that the ultrawealthy are not leaving because of
3 tax purposes. They do like warmer weather as
4 they get older, both not as wealthy New Yorkers
5 and wealthy New Yorkers. But we also find that
6 they are continuing to have businesses and do
7 businesses here in New York, even when they
8 choose to be what's often referenced as
9 snowbirds, with homes in multiple places.
10 So depending on who you talk to,
11 what time of year, you're going to find lots of
12 New Yorkers, especially who can afford to, who
13 have second homes in warmer areas of the country.
14 As has been the case probably for most of my
15 life, at least. I'm not sure about everybody's
16 life.
17 And the tax increases on
18 corporations -- again, not the small businesses,
19 not the medium businesses, not our neighborhood
20 stores, but, rather, companies with net incomes
21 of greater than $5 million. And interestingly,
22 because of the pandemic, when we saw so many
23 people shift to online economic activity, those
24 companies have seen massive growth in their
25 profits. And this difference in their corporate
1302
1 tax obligation to New York will have absolutely
2 no impact on whether they continue in business or
3 whether they continue to sell to us here in
4 New York. Many of those corporations are not
5 based in New York.
6 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you.
7 Madam President, if the Senator will
8 continue to yield.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
10 continue to yield?
11 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, I will.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
13 Senator yields.
14 SENATOR O'MARA: While I certainly
15 disagree with that outlook on the impacts of
16 increasing taxes in the manner that's being
17 proposed here, we'll move on to some other
18 issues.
19 And general spending overall since
20 there's been one-party control in Albany, since
21 the fiscal year '19 budget, the All Funds budget
22 has increased over $75 billion -- a 44 percent
23 increase in that few years. Yes, we've had
24 inflation, but that far outpaces inflation. And
25 the state operating funds in that same period has
1303
1 gone up almost $38 billion, a 38 percent increase
2 in that five-year period. Not a trend that is
3 making New York State more affordable.
4 Why is it -- and how can you justify
5 massively outpacing inflation with these
6 increases in the budgets since there's been
7 one-party control here in Albany?
8 SENATOR KRUEGER: While inflation
9 is one measurement of costs -- which is not even
10 across the board -- I think when we're looking at
11 spending in the State Budget, the real question
12 is, are we spending beyond what we can afford?
13 And so in our Senate one-house
14 budget of $137.9 billion, that would show
15 35 percent growth over five years. And if you
16 look at five-year tax receipts to the State of
17 New York, that's actually grown 40 percent. So
18 our rate of spending is still below the growth
19 rate of our revenue.
20 And we've also, at the same time,
21 been able to increase our reserves in New York
22 State, which we I think all agree, both sides of
23 the aisle, is critically important. So that the
24 Senate one-house would leave the State of
25 New York with reserves of $19.8 billion,
1304
1 14 percent of our state fiscal plan.
2 And we have an explanation for how
3 we're going to pay for the increases we have
4 suggested in the budget on a recurring spending
5 basis. Including, by the way -- because no one
6 asked yet -- for the corporate tax revenue we're
7 going to hopefully collect, 50 percent of that is
8 going to be used to help pay down the
9 Unemployment Insurance Trust that we've all been
10 hearing on both sides of the aisle is a great
11 frustration to smaller and medium-sized
12 businesses who had to pay out unemployment during
13 the pandemic and now, as we all are, are left
14 with an obligation to pay back the federal trust
15 that we borrowed from.
16 And we don't have the money, but if
17 we support our corporate tax proposal, half of
18 that is going to go to pay down that cost, which
19 is a significant win for our small and
20 medium-sized businesses, as we've all been
21 hearing. So I actually think some of them might
22 really appreciate that also, Madam President.
23 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
24 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
25 yield.
1305
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
2 continue to yield?
3 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, I will.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
5 Senator yields.
6 SENATOR O'MARA: Those businesses
7 and in fact every business -- I'm glad you
8 brought up the UI debt that we owe the federal
9 government that we've done nothing on at the
10 state level to reduce -- or minimally reduce,
11 since that was built up. These businesses,
12 small, medium and large-sized businesses, have
13 been paying a surcharge on that since that debt
14 was incurred.
15 So now we're going to charge them
16 even more to pay this down going forward?
17 SENATOR KRUEGER: So I don't have
18 all of the numbers for you right now, but we
19 actually believe, if we put this money into the
20 UIB, this will actually mitigate and resolve that
21 problem for many businesses.
22 (Off the record.)
23 SENATOR KRUEGER: So if we put in
24 money in -- excuse me. My colleague and friend
25 is correct that there is a surcharge that they
1306
1 pay every day. We still owe the federal
2 government this money. That's the law. Not our
3 law, the federal law.
4 So the quicker we get money in --
5 and we will be able to use this tax revenue for
6 that -- for that purpose, that will decrease the
7 number of days anybody will face that surcharge.
8 So we believe that this model
9 actually decreases the total cost these
10 businesses will have to be paying because it will
11 reduce the time frame of completing our
12 obligations to the federal government.
13 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
14 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
15 yield.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
17 continue to yield?
18 SENATOR KRUEGER: Absolutely.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
20 Senator yields.
21 SENATOR O'MARA: Okay, then on this
22 model, then, we charge businesses more to help
23 pay down that debt that we haven't paid down,
24 that most every other state in the country used
25 their federal COVID aid to pay that down that
1307
1 they incurred. So we're going to charge
2 businesses more to pay that down. And it's about
3 $7 billion that's owed right now.
4 Under this proposal, how many years
5 is it going to take to pay that down?
6 SENATOR KRUEGER: So we know it
7 would be a much shorter time period. We can't
8 right now run the numbers for you of how long it
9 would take. But we know for a fact it will
10 reduce the number of years it will take to repay
11 the federal government, hence reducing the number
12 of years that the businesses will have to owe
13 this surcharge.
14 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
15 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
16 yield.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
18 continue to yield?
19 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, I will.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
21 Senator yields.
22 SENATOR O'MARA: The interest on
23 that surcharge, the interest on the debt on the
24 UI is about $250 million a year, is my
25 understanding.
1308
1 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, my staff is
2 agreeing.
3 SENATOR O'MARA: There's a balance
4 due of about 7 billion, roughly?
5 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes.
6 SENATOR O'MARA: And the surcharges
7 being paid in past years is just going to cover
8 that $250 million of interest due every year, is
9 that correct?
10 SENATOR KRUEGER: It covers the
11 interest and pays down some of the principal.
12 And we can probably get you tables that lay that
13 out, but I don't have that formula in front of
14 me.
15 SENATOR O'MARA: That would be
16 helpful for the final budget debate here. Thank
17 you.
18 SENATOR KRUEGER: Okay, yes. Yes.
19 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
20 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
21 yield.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
23 yield?
24 SENATOR KRUEGER: I do.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
1309
1 Senator yields.
2 SENATOR O'MARA: You mentioned that
3 we have about $19.8 billion in reserve funding in
4 New York, which is great. And I concur that
5 that's important to have. But if we -- how much
6 are we using of the reserves towards the funding
7 of this budget, to balance the budget?
8 SENATOR KRUEGER: The current year
9 surplus we're estimating to be using, based on
10 our obligations into the reserve, is about
11 300 million. Not significant on the total.
12 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
13 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
14 yield.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
16 continue to yield?
17 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, I do.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
19 Senator yields.
20 SENATOR O'MARA: I would again
21 concur that that's a reasonable amount based on
22 the amount of reserves that we have built up.
23 But I would think using another
24 250 million of that on that surcharge, and paying
25 down on the UI debt, would also be a warranted
1310
1 use of that and take that expense off of our
2 businesses and employees.
3 SENATOR KRUEGER: That can pretty
4 much just be a difference of opinion. We think
5 that taking 50 percent of this new revenue from
6 the highest-profit corporations will actually
7 significantly reduce the interest costs into the
8 fund and bite into the principal more.
9 But if you're saying wouldn't it be
10 nice to do another 250 million towards this, I'm
11 not going to tell you no. That's, you know,
12 something that could be considered but was not
13 for this one-house.
14 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
15 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
16 yield.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
18 continue to yield?
19 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
21 Senator yields.
22 SENATOR O'MARA: How much funding
23 is in this one-house budget for the illegal
24 immigrant crisis in New York City?
25 SENATOR KRUEGER: We did not change
1311
1 the Governor's proposal, which was $2.4 billion.
2 SENATOR O'MARA: So we're --
3 through you, Madam President, if the Senator will
4 continue to yield.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
6 continue to yield?
7 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
9 Senator yields.
10 SENATOR O'MARA: So we're raising
11 taxes on New Yorkers and New York businesses at
12 the same time we're sending $2.4 billion to
13 New York City for the migrant crisis. That
14 doesn't make sense to me, that we're doing this
15 funding and we're doing absolutely nothing to
16 limit the inflow of these illegal immigrants into
17 our state. And our sanctuary policies continue
18 to foster that and in fact encourage that.
19 The -- in addition to that
20 2.4 billion, I believe there's also a cost for
21 Medicaid, which has been expanded to include at
22 least a portion of this illegal immigrant
23 population that's come in.
24 SENATOR KRUEGER: I believe --
25 excuse me, Madam President, through you. I
1312
1 believe my colleague is referencing the
2 Essential Plan, which is separate from Medicaid.
3 And I know my colleague Gustavo Rivera would like
4 to answer that. But I just want to respond to
5 the earlier part before I hand it to him for the
6 health insurance part.
7 Yes, we have migrants coming to
8 New York. Technically, it's New York State.
9 They just happen to mostly be choosing to land in
10 New York City because we've been the center of
11 immigration in this whole country since before we
12 even had the Revolutionary War. That's where
13 people came through.
14 So New York State has an actual
15 obligation to ensure that we are taking care of
16 the migrants coming here. And yes, it costs the
17 state some money. But you know what we learned
18 from migration in this country over hundreds of
19 years? Very quickly, especially if you do it
20 right, migrants get absorbed into our communities
21 and into our economy and quickly end up being
22 taxpayers, generating more revenue for our state
23 than the costs that they may be using in their
24 early months and years here.
25 And I just find it fascinating that
1313
1 we forget that part, because I read about this
2 going on in other states in the nation. There
3 are cities and states who are paying for migrants
4 to come there because they recognize what a real
5 value to their employers and to their communities
6 and their tax base to bring new people in.
7 And there's a history in New York
8 State -- including in all of upstate New York,
9 not just in New York City -- of having taken that
10 position with various communities at various
11 times and with great successes.
12 So we hear from our workforce that
13 more workers are needed. We hear from employers
14 that more workers are needed. We hear from the
15 farm economy that more workers are needed. And
16 there is true opportunity here, not just, quote,
17 unquote, a downside of costs in the early
18 process.
19 And of course the bigger issues are
20 federal, not State of New York or City of
21 New York. But I would love now to turn it over
22 to Senator Gustavo Rivera to talk about the
23 Essential Plan form and what that means. Thank
24 you.
25 If that's okay.
1314
1 SENATOR O'MARA: Yes.
2 SENATOR RIVERA: Through you,
3 Madam President. So I figure that you are
4 referring to -- I figure that the Senator is
5 referring to a program we included in our
6 one-house which we have passed as a stand-alone
7 bill in this house, and that is referred to as
8 Coverage for All.
9 So that -- just so that everyone is
10 on the same page, we are talking about -- the
11 most recent numbers, Madam President, say that in
12 2023 the State of New York spent about
13 $850 million in Emergency Medicaid because, let's
14 not forget, undocumented people are still people,
15 so they will get sick and they will wind up in
16 our emergency rooms.
17 So there's actually a federal
18 program, Madam President, that actually would
19 give us somewhere in the neighborhood of
20 $430 million that then we could use, with the
21 federal government's permission, to extend the
22 Essential Plan to a whole host of undocumented
23 folks who will then no longer need emergency
24 Medicaid because they would have the Essential
25 Plan.
1315
1 So in all -- for all intents and
2 purposes, through you, Madam President, we are
3 doing this as a way both to save the state money
4 as well as to secure better health conditions for
5 these individuals and the communities that they
6 live in.
7 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you,
8 Senator.
9 Madam President, if -- I'm not sure
10 if this next one will be for either of these.
11 But last year at the budget time we were kind of
12 caught off-guard at the last minute about the
13 Governor's reduction in the enhanced FMAP
14 payments to counties that is totaling about
15 $626 million to county governments across the
16 state. Twenty-five percent was phased in last
17 year, another 25 percent to be phased in this
18 year unless we do something about it.
19 And last year everybody kind of
20 threw up their hands and said, Jeez, that's a
21 surprise.
22 What's in this one-house budget or
23 the Governor's budget -- I haven't seen
24 anything -- that deals with this reduction of
25 eFMAP payments to the counties that was promised
1316
1 when that enhanced FMAP payments were put in by
2 the federal government?
3 SENATOR KRUEGER: Senator Rivera
4 may have a second answer, but I want to start us
5 off with the fact that we actually did increase
6 funding for Medicaid by $1.9 billion in our
7 one-house. Much of that can be used for the
8 distressed hospitals to address this issue in
9 counties that may find that the formula with the
10 FMAP changes that you pointed out went in last
11 year have left them with a problem. So --
12 SENATOR O'MARA: Which doesn't --
13 how does that help our counties?
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
15 O'Mara, are you asking Senator Krueger to
16 continue to yield?
17 SENATOR KRUEGER: Just finishing,
18 we also increased Medicaid rates by 1.6 billion,
19 which we recognize will help healthcare
20 institutions and providers throughout the
21 State of New York.
22 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
23 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
24 yield. And --
25 SENATOR KRUEGER: Me or -- sorry.
1317
1 SENATOR O'MARA: Probably you,
2 Senator Krueger. But --
3 SENATOR RIVERA: If I may --
4 SENATOR O'MARA: Gustavo is eager
5 to get in here.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
7 Rivera.
8 SENATOR RIVERA: On the extension
9 of the Essential Plan that we were just talking
10 about, that actually would save counties money as
11 well, because of the chunk that would be
12 covered -- that is covered by counties now would
13 be covered by this federal money that we'd be
14 getting.
15 Thank you, Madam President.
16 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
17 Madam President, then. How much of this total
18 626 million is going to then be helping the
19 counties out? Counties administer the Medicaid
20 program across the state, and they're taking this
21 hit on money that was directed by the federal
22 government, enhanced FMAP payments, to go to the
23 counties. Yet we're now intercepting that.
24 So how much are they going to
25 benefit from what you just described? Which I
1318
1 don't think is much of a benefit.
2 SENATOR RIVERA: Through you,
3 Madam President. I have to ask the Senator for
4 clarification. I'm not exactly sure what the
5 question is regarding. I would -- if the Senator
6 could rephrase it or say it again, just to make
7 sure that I get --
8 SENATOR O'MARA: Sure. You just
9 made a comment that the change in -- which
10 program, I'm not sure which program you're
11 talking about. But it's going to -- that's going
12 to benefit the counties. How so? And to what
13 extent, compared to this $626 million cut that
14 they're looking at?
15 SENATOR RIVERA: Through you,
16 Madam President. The one that I'm referring to
17 is not in reference to that particular cut.
18 What I'm saying is as far as
19 Emergency Medicaid, the cost that is currently --
20 the chunk of it that is currently picked up by
21 counties would be included. So therefore the
22 counties would not be responsible for it if we
23 were to get this money from the federal
24 government that we are referring to as Coverage
25 for All.
1319
1 And through you, Madam President,
2 it's around 220 million. So again, that will be
3 a hit of $220 million less to counties across the
4 state.
5 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you.
6 I think I've exhausted my time at
7 this point, unless there's time at the end; I'll
8 pass it off to some of my other colleagues here.
9 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you. Thank
10 you.
11 SENATOR O'MARA: I guess they want
12 me to continue.
13 (Laughter.)
14 SENATOR O'MARA: So I will.
15 The -- through you, Madam President,
16 if the Senator would continue to yield.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
18 continue to yield?
19 SENATOR KRUEGER: I'm enjoying
20 this. Absolutely.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
22 Senator yields.
23 SENATOR O'MARA: I'm sure you --
24 I'm sure you are.
25 Just -- I think just one last
1320
1 question from me here, then. There's an
2 expenditure in here of $10 million for the
3 Reparations Commission. What is that money going
4 to be used for? Are there --
5 SENATOR KRUEGER: Staffing and
6 moving forward the commission's obligation under
7 the law we already passed to make recommendations
8 to New York State on addressing the concerns of
9 reparations.
10 So we believe that is over an
11 18-month period of time. That is what the law
12 lays out. And so it's $10 million, but we
13 believe it would be spent over the course of two
14 fiscal years. And there's a commitment to hire
15 specific staff to come up with specific
16 recommendations. And after that it just gets
17 handed to us as a report, and the Legislature and
18 the Governor and I believe the people of New York
19 will all have an opportunity to review that and
20 the recommendations, and then we decide what
21 happens next.
22 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
23 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
24 yield.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
1321
1 continue to yield?
2 SENATOR KRUEGER: Absolutely.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
4 Senator yields.
5 SENATOR O'MARA: Ten million seems
6 like an awful lot for staff for an 18-month
7 commission. The commissioners that have been
8 appointed there, they're not paid, to my
9 understanding. Yet 10 million towards the
10 Reparations Commission, yet an extremely
11 important issue regarding our education funding
12 and Foundation Aid, you're proposing setting up a
13 Foundation Aid commission to study changes in the
14 Foundation Aid, which is the largest portion of
15 our State Budget, but we're only allocating a
16 $1 million request for that. How do you balance
17 those two out?
18 SENATOR KRUEGER: Because when we
19 asked the question what -- how do we come up with
20 a better answer on Foundation Aid, the good news
21 is we have models that have been used in other
22 states in the country, and we have looked at the
23 costs they needed to spend to come up with a new
24 analysis, and it has not been -- it has been
25 consistent with the number we recommended.
1322
1 You also don't have to go back
2 400 years of history to do historic research,
3 demographic research, economic research, actually
4 family histories of who, what, where, why over a
5 400-year period. So it's a less work-consuming
6 project to deal with the Foundation Aid formula,
7 which I believe was last changed in 2007? I'm
8 looking at the chair of the Education Committee,
9 who happens to be on the podium, so can't
10 necessarily answer. 2007 was the last time we
11 changed this? So it's a little different than
12 revisiting questions from 400 years ago.
13 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you. Thank
14 you, Senator.
15 Thank you, Madam President.
16 If I could just speak on the
17 resolution for a moment.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
19 O'Mara on the resolution.
20 SENATOR O'MARA: You know, this is
21 another very concerning budget, as we've had over
22 the past six years now, one-party control in
23 New York, increasing spending by over
24 $74 billion. That's -- $74 billion is larger
25 than the entire budgets of 37 states in this
1323
1 country. Certainly there's a lot smaller states
2 than New York, without a doubt. But there's two
3 larger states than New York: Florida and Texas.
4 And combined, New York State budgets spend more
5 than them together.
6 There's a larger state, California,
7 twice as many people as New York, yet these
8 budgets that are being passed in recent years are
9 outspending California per capita at a rate of
10 one and a half times.
11 This is not sustainable. It's
12 certainly not helping the affordability issues
13 that we have in this state, which has caused an
14 exodus of tax-paying New Yorkers to other states.
15 Comptroller DiNapoli, along with the
16 Business Council president, Heather Briccetti,
17 did an op-ed this Monday -- I'm sure we've all
18 seen it -- about the real loss in population, and
19 that the population loss is directly affecting
20 the tax base. That's tax revenues that that side
21 of the room loves to throw around. And we're
22 impeding that by these policies and people
23 leaving New York.
24 New York has lagged every other
25 state coming out of COVID and getting jobs back.
1324
1 We've had a decrease in manufacturing jobs in
2 this state since before COVID, and we're
3 continuing to lose manufacturing jobs. We read
4 about it almost weekly, of New York companies in
5 manufacturing when they're making the decision to
6 streamline or downsize or whatever, and they're
7 multistate operations, they're choosing to
8 shutter up in New York and do their operations in
9 another state.
10 Corning Incorporated, in the
11 district I represent -- I believe it's the only
12 Fortune 500 company with its headquarters in
13 upstate New York -- they just shut down --
14 they've laid off hundreds of people in the last
15 two years. Fewer and fewer people working in
16 their world headquarters based in upstate
17 New York. They just shut down a manufacturing
18 line with over a hundred jobs, moving that to
19 another state.
20 They just announced investment in a
21 new plant in solar -- solar energy manufacturing
22 for panels, a $900 million investment in the
23 state of Michigan. About a thousand jobs, I
24 think, there that aren't coming to New York.
25 Corning Incorporated, for the last couple of
1325
1 years now, has more employees in the state of
2 North Carolina than they do in New York State.
3 And it's a growing trend. And we're seeing it
4 from other businesses around the state.
5 Probably equally concerning to the
6 budgets in this state that we're concerned about
7 in this room is the loss of financial industry
8 jobs. The income and revenue generated from the
9 financial industry is over 25 percent of state
10 revenues. We've been losing those jobs to other
11 states in recent years, and now the state of
12 Texas has more financial industry jobs than we do
13 in New York State.
14 I'd like somebody to explain how
15 we're going to get those jobs back at some point.
16 This is a trend that is crushing New York State,
17 and it's going to crush the budgets of this state
18 and it's going to crush the programs that the
19 majorities in this house love to spend on.
20 It's shortsighted, it's not
21 responsible. And it doesn't bode well for the
22 future of New York State. We need to change this
23 trend. We need to be encouraging job growth. We
24 need a strong manufacturing sector. And we need
25 to save the financial industry in New York State.
1326
1 It's a recipe for disaster that we're headed on
2 right now.
3 Thank you.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you.
5 Senator Helming, why do you rise?
6 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you,
7 Madam President. If the sponsor will yield for a
8 few questions.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
10 Krueger, do you yield?
11 SENATOR KRUEGER: Certainly.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
13 Senator yields.
14 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you,
15 Senator Krueger.
16 If we could start with Department of
17 Public Service Article VII, Part O, the RAPID
18 Act.
19 SENATOR KRUEGER: The which act,
20 I'm sorry?
21 SENATOR HELMING: So the RAPID Act
22 expedites permits for major renewable energy
23 projects, the mega-solar, the mega-wind farms.
24 In the Governor's budget she
25 included the RAPID Act. I did see that the
1327
1 one-house also includes the RAPID Act with a
2 change and modification, which I agree with: It
3 exempts or carves out prime agricultural lands.
4 But my question is in the Governor's
5 budget, she included the ability to use eminent
6 domain, the forceful taking of private property.
7 Does the Senate one-house budget include the use
8 of force of eminent domain?
9 SENATOR KRUEGER: Madam President,
10 through you, I know that our chair of EnCon is
11 looking forward to answering the question. Is
12 that okay with you, Senator Helming?
13 SENATOR HELMING: Yes, absolutely.
14 SENATOR KRUEGER: I'm going to
15 defer to our EnCon chair, Peter Harckham.
16 Thank you.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
18 Harckham.
19 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Thank you very
20 much, Madam President. Through you.
21 The Senate language neither concurs
22 nor agrees with the Governor on that point. We
23 will negotiate that point.
24 What we have done, as you have
25 referred to, is protect prime farmland and make
1328
1 some other modifications that we're suggesting.
2 But we have neither agreed nor concurred with the
3 Governor on that point.
4 SENATOR HELMING: Madam President,
5 if the sponsor will continue to yield.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
7 Harckham, I think, will you continue to yield?
8 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Absolutely.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
10 Senator yields.
11 SENATOR HELMING: Senator Harckham,
12 does the one-house reject the Governor's proposal
13 on eminent domain?
14 SENATOR HARCKHAM: It neither
15 rejects nor concurs. That will be negotiated as
16 part of the ultimate budget negotiations. At
17 this point we are suggesting new language, but
18 there will be a three-way negotiation on that
19 point.
20 SENATOR HELMING: Madam President,
21 if Senator Harckham will continue to yield.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
23 continue to yield?
24 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Absolutely.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
1329
1 Senator yields.
2 SENATOR HELMING: In New York State
3 we pride ourselves on making sure that there's
4 funding for conservation easements, for the
5 protection of development rights, and doing so
6 much to make sure that there's adequate green
7 space, et cetera.
8 In the Governor's proposal on the
9 RAPID Act it would allow for these mega, mega,
10 mega solar and wind projects to be built on
11 conserved lands, lands that not only has the
12 state heavily invested taxpayer dollars in, but
13 private investors have participated in too.
14 Does the Senate one-house reject
15 building on conservation lands?
16 SENATOR HARCKHAM: The powers of
17 ORES have not been expanded. The office was
18 shifted, but there are no new powers in terms of
19 shifting to conserved open space.
20 What I will say is that in the
21 Environmental Protection Fund we have added a lot
22 more money for farmland protection, which we know
23 is an issue near and dear to many of our upstate
24 colleagues as well.
25 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you,
1330
1 Madam President.
2 On the bill real quickly. Do you --
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
4 Harckham on the -- excuse me.
5 Senator Helming on the resolution.
6 SENATOR HELMING: Close. Two H's.
7 The use of eminent domain for
8 building large-scale solar and wind projects,
9 other energy projects, the use of conserved
10 lands, is something that I wholeheartedly
11 disagree with and I believe that the public is
12 overwhelmingly going to disagree with once they
13 realize that this is in the budget. Hopefully it
14 will be out before the final budget. Taking away
15 private property for the state's benefit is just
16 something that I will never, ever support.
17 But shifting gears, if
18 Senator Krueger would yield for a few questions.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
20 Krueger, do you yield?
21 SENATOR KRUEGER: Absolutely.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
23 Senator yields.
24 SENATOR HELMING: Senator Krueger,
25 I think this is a subject that you're the right
1331
1 person to ask. I know we've had many
2 conversations about cannabis. I've been very
3 critical of the Office of Cannabis Management and
4 the way they've just blundered everything, how
5 they've slow-rolled-out the permits and are
6 nowhere close to being where they need to be.
7 So my opinion is this has led to, by
8 not issuing the number of permits they should
9 have, it's led to the proliferation of illegal
10 pot shops. And now I understand, through the
11 budget, that there is going to be a shift, if you
12 will, in who can enforce the closure of these
13 shops. It's going to go to local municipalities
14 and local law enforcement.
15 Is there any funding in the Senate
16 one-house budget for local municipalities or
17 local law enforcement specifically to help with
18 this?
19 SENATOR KRUEGER: (Pause.) I
20 wanted to make sure we all got it.
21 So the good news is we do believe
22 that when you look at the Governor's full
23 proposal and a few things that we added to her
24 proposal in our one-house, we are absolutely
25 making it far more possible to do giant sweeps
1332
1 throughout the state and close down these illicit
2 stores in a relatively short period of time, as
3 you and I have talked about and as you and I
4 completely agree we need to do.
5 It doesn't create new money from the
6 State Budget for local authorities, but it allows
7 local communities to pass their own laws that
8 include additional fines, additional money that
9 can be collected themselves if they choose to,
10 depending on what model they choose to go.
11 They will have the power to padlock
12 the stores after an initial review shows that
13 they have illegal products there. They will be
14 able to, in fact, then take people to court on
15 various categories, not just illegal cannabis.
16 Because they may have illegal cannabis, but
17 they're also selling other products --
18 potentially those products become illegal also
19 when they've ordered the store closed.
20 So in my discussions with OCM,
21 they're fairly confident that if the locality
22 wishes to take a more active role and do more
23 things, that they can in fact pass those laws and
24 they can in fact collect more revenues for
25 themselves.
1333
1 SENATOR HELMING: Through you,
2 Madam President, if the sponsor will continue to
3 yield.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
5 continue to yield?
6 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, I do.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The Senator
8 yields.
9 SENATOR HELMING: It sounds like
10 another unfunded state mandate.
11 But shifting gears now and going to
12 housing, the one-house budget proposes
13 $40 million for the construction of
14 one-to-two-family small in-full homes. And there
15 are targeted areas where this money is going to
16 be used, apparently. These are the large cities
17 outside of New York City -- Albany, Binghamton,
18 Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester.
19 My question is -- and I had the same
20 question when we had the HONDA program and so
21 many others -- why is it limited? I have small
22 cities in my district, like the City of Geneva --
23 I know there are many others around the state --
24 who would benefit from infill projects. Is there
25 any chance in the final budget we could expand?
1334
1 SENATOR KRUEGER: And you were
2 seeing my colleague Senator Kavanagh who wants to
3 answer questions for you. So if it's okay with
4 you, I will now sit and we will all look at
5 Senator Kavanagh.
6 Thank you.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
8 Kavanagh.
9 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Thank you,
10 Madam President.
11 Yeah, so the program we are
12 proposing is a brand-new program that would -- is
13 intended specifically to deal with the fact that
14 there are several large -- several significant
15 cities upstate that have been identified as
16 having a great deal of vacant land that often is
17 owned by the municipality and would be
18 appropriate for this kind of development,
19 proposing $40 million -- again, it's a brand-new
20 initiative that's first in this bill -- you know,
21 in the Senate resolution.
22 And it would, as you note, address
23 five cities. I think it would certainly be an
24 appropriate conversation during the negotiations
25 to figure out whether there are other localities
1335
1 where that kind of program would also be
2 effective.
3 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you.
4 Madam President, if the sponsor will
5 continue to yield.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
7 continue to yield?
8 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes,
9 Madam President.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
11 Senator yields.
12 SENATOR HELMING: Senator Kavanagh,
13 we've had conversations about rent stabilization
14 in the past. And when we look at rent-stabilized
15 housing units that are being renovated through
16 the grant program that is proposed in ELFA Part
17 AAA, has there been any thought to who will
18 occupy these units?
19 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
20 Madam President. The program that we are
21 proposing, there are a couple of different
22 aspects of this resolution that are intended to
23 address the fact that there's housing in the
24 state that needs maintenance and renovation in
25 addition to our efforts to construct new housing.
1336
1 This particular proposal that my
2 colleague raises is intended to address the fact
3 that there are some significantly dilapidated
4 units within the rent stabilized stock. And of
5 course that is in New York City as well as
6 Westchester, Rockland and Nassau County.
7 And this program is proposed to
8 renovate those units so that they can continue to
9 be available as housing stock and they would
10 continue to be occupied as rent-stabilized
11 apartments and typically at pretty modest rents.
12 So basically the affordability, to
13 the extent those are restricted to certain folks,
14 they would be -- rent stabilization doesn't have
15 rules about who can occupy, but it does have
16 rules about what the rent is appropriate to be
17 charged. And those laws would all still apply to
18 these units after the renovations.
19 SENATOR HELMING: Through you,
20 Madam President, if the sponsor will continue to
21 yield.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
23 continue to yield?
24 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes,
25 Madam President.
1337
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
2 sponsor yields.
3 SENATOR HELMING: So is it fair to
4 say that these rental units, once they're
5 renovated, brought back online, could possibly be
6 and will likely be occupied by people who earn
7 substantial amounts of money -- more than, say,
8 the average New Yorker?
9 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
10 Madam President, most residents of
11 rent-stabilized housing across the system -- and
12 of course there are more than a million
13 rent-stabilized apartments. This is housing for
14 about 2.5 million people. Most of those are
15 people of quite modest means. But the rent
16 stabilization program does not and has never
17 had -- you know, in its many, many years has
18 never had a bar against renting to people at
19 higher incomes.
20 There have been some provisions in
21 the past where people could deregulate the units
22 entirely if they happen to be occupied by
23 households above certain incomes. But again,
24 rent-stabilized units have never been
25 income-restricted. So we're not changing that in
1338
1 this particular resolution today.
2 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you.
3 Through you, Madam President, if the
4 sponsor will continue to yield.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
6 continue to yield?
7 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes,
8 Madam President.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
10 Senator yields.
11 SENATOR HELMING: Senator Kavanagh,
12 does the Majority support means-testing to ensure
13 that those rent-stabilized apartments go to the
14 people who need them the most?
15 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
16 Madam President, that's not before this house
17 today.
18 I certainly would not support the
19 massive displacement that would come if we were
20 to impose that policy on thousands, perhaps
21 millions of New Yorkers, but depending on what
22 terms we might impose.
23 But that is not -- you know, that's
24 not before -- you know, there's nothing in this
25 budget resolution that addresses that issue one
1339
1 way or the other.
2 SENATOR HELMING: Through you,
3 Madam President, if the sponsor will continue to
4 yield.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
6 continue to yield?
7 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes,
8 Madam President.
9 SENATOR HELMING: To be clear,
10 Senator Kavanagh, we're talking about the
11 proposal that's in the one-house budget, and it
12 talks about increasing the number of units that
13 are brought back online.
14 So my question had nothing to do, in
15 no way was connected with displacing people who
16 currently occupied -- it's about these new houses
17 that are coming online. We know we have an
18 issue. What are we doing to ensure that those
19 rent-stabilized apartments will be occupied with
20 people who need them the most, the people --
21 there should be some means-testing.
22 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
23 Madam President, we've had this debate in this
24 chamber on the floor, and many folks on the other
25 side of the aisle have frequently attempted to
1340
1 repeal the tenant protections that are the
2 rent-stabilization laws entirely. And there are
3 actually bills that have been introduced in the
4 committee that I chair and my colleague is the
5 ranker of that would eliminate many of the tenant
6 protections we've put in place that are intended
7 to ensure that rent-stabilized housing is
8 available for people and affordable.
9 So, you know, if -- if this -- if
10 somebody wanted to impose some additional
11 constraints on this particular funding stream to
12 maximize the likelihood that it's available as
13 affordable housing, I suppose we can consider
14 that. But that would be contrary to -- you know,
15 the dynamic here for many years has been the
16 Majority in this house protecting these laws,
17 ensuring that rent-stabilized units are available
18 to people who need them, and folks on the other
19 side of the aisle trying to gut those protections
20 entirely.
21 So it would be -- it would be
22 welcome if we could have a debate about how to
23 maximize the likelihood that people have access
24 to affordable housing. This particular program
25 is about units that are in existing housing, they
1341
1 are often already available at very low rents --
2 and we need that, we need units at very low
3 rents -- but they are unavailable at the moment
4 because of significant physical problems of the
5 units.
6 What we're proposing is that it
7 would be worth spending public dollars to get
8 those units up to code, up to standards. This is
9 something that landlords, small landlords in
10 particular in my district, have expressed a
11 desire to see, and they were trying to address
12 that issue here.
13 I have not had -- I certainly
14 haven't had property owners tell me that I should
15 prevent them from renting those units to people
16 of more significant incomes. But, you know, if
17 that were something that were of interest, I
18 suppose we could entertain it.
19 But again, we have millions -- we
20 have a million apartments. This program is
21 probably about 400 or so of them. So, you know,
22 I think the goal here is to integrate this
23 program into a much larger set of laws that are
24 really the bedrock of protecting housing, making
25 it affordable for people in New York.
1342
1 SENATOR HELMING: Madam Sponsor,
2 I'm going to switch gears. So if Senator Krueger
3 would yield to a few questions.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
5 Krueger, do you yield?
6 SENATOR KRUEGER: I do. We'll see
7 if anyone else jumps up to want to answer. But
8 let's give it a try.
9 SENATOR HELMING: I'm biting my
10 tongue because there is so much I want to say in
11 response to Senator Kavanagh, but I know it would
12 be out of line. We could have those discussions
13 offline.
14 But shifting gears, as I said, the
15 one-house budget includes $15 million for a
16 farmworker housing revolving loan program.
17 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes.
18 SENATOR HELMING: Which I think is
19 great, because we need to provide farmers with
20 assistance to build this much-needed housing.
21 But what I'm hearing from farmers
22 across the state is that they're looking for the
23 expansion of the investment tax credit to include
24 the construction or renovation of farmworker
25 housing. I know this has been a discussion
1343
1 they've had with so many of us in this chamber.
2 Is that expansion of the investment
3 tax credit in the one-house budget?
4 SENATOR KRUEGER: I'm just
5 looking -- I'm looking at my Agriculture chair
6 just to see whether she thought it was an
7 appropriate question for her.
8 SENATOR HINCHEY: I'm happy to take
9 that.
10 No, that is not in here. But as
11 chair of the committee, we've heard from a lot of
12 farmers that this housing proposal for farmworker
13 housing is actually incredibly needed and
14 necessary, which is why we put it forward through
15 this budget.
16 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you,
17 Madam President. If the sponsor will continue to
18 yield.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
20 Hinchey, do you continue to yield?
21 SENATOR HINCHEY: I do.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Yes, the
23 Senator yields.
24 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you very
25 much, Senator Hinchey.
1344
1 I -- I appreciate what is in the
2 budget. And again, I've heard from probably a
3 lot of the same people you have that they support
4 it.
5 But my question is, does the
6 one-house budget include expansion of the
7 investment tax credit for the construction of new
8 farm housing and the renovation of existing? And
9 it's really that renovation of existing that is
10 so important.
11 SENATOR HINCHEY: Our budget does
12 not include that, no.
13 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you.
14 Madam President, if Senator Krueger
15 would yield for a question.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
17 Krueger, do you yield?
18 SENATOR KRUEGER: Indeed.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
20 Senator yields.
21 SENATOR HELMING: Senator Krueger,
22 there is I believe $25 million proposed in the
23 one-house budget for volunteer firefighter grants
24 for capital projects, I believe, et cetera.
25 And one of the snags that we've run
1345
1 into is that we have some volunteer firefighting
2 departments that may have one or two paid people
3 on staff, and so they're prevented from applying
4 for the grants. I think the threshold is
5 80 percent have to be volunteer. If you're
6 slightly above that, you can't apply.
7 Is there anything in -- and I've
8 sent letters to the Majority asking for changes
9 to this program. Is there any discussion going
10 on there? Is there any chance that in our final
11 budget we will open up the grant application
12 process to those departments that may just have
13 one or two paid firefighters?
14 SENATOR KRUEGER: (Pause.) Thank
15 you. Thank you for that question.
16 We added 25 million additional to
17 what the Governor had been offering. And we are
18 more than happy to open up the discussion with
19 the Governor about why you are correct and we
20 should allow that.
21 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you,
22 Senator Krueger.
23 Thank you, Madam President.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you.
25 Senator Martins, why do you rise?
1346
1 SENATOR MARTINS: Madam President,
2 if the sponsor would yield for a couple of
3 questions.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
5 Krueger, do you yield?
6 SENATOR KRUEGER: Absolutely.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
8 Senator yields.
9 SENATOR MARTINS: Thank you.
10 Senator, we're voting on a
11 resolution, on a one-house budget resolution that
12 increases the State Budget to $246 billion. Can
13 you tell us why it doesn't include a repeal of
14 Tier 6?
15 SENATOR KRUEGER: (Pause.) Thank
16 you. So the good news is, we do reform Tier 6 in
17 a variety of ways, and we back that with state
18 dollars.
19 So the first change is we make the
20 final year's calculation from five back to three,
21 which makes it equivalent to the Tier 4 formula
22 for retirement.
23 And we also -- and we continue --
24 the previous tiers had exclusion of overtime in
25 the calculation of the pension, which is also to
1347
1 the advantage of the workers and is viewed, is my
2 understanding, as a significant improvement by
3 those in the labor union world who have been
4 lobbying us for changes.
5 SENATOR MARTINS: Thank you.
6 Madam President, if the sponsor
7 would continue to yield.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
9 continue to yield?
10 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, indeed.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
12 Senator yields.
13 SENATOR MARTINS: Thank you.
14 I'm well aware of the effort to
15 reduce vesting from five years to three years,
16 and frankly I support it. But, you know, in
17 talking to our public employees, the various
18 collective bargaining units that are out there,
19 including our teachers, the one thing that they
20 have asked for unanimously is the repeal
21 altogether of Tier 6. And it's I think an item
22 that has been widely discussed, supported, I
23 believe by both sides of the aisle.
24 And I understood that with an
25 increase in a budget of 13 or 14 billion dollars,
1348
1 that there would be room to give relief because
2 the need is real. I understand -- Madam
3 President, through you -- that we're having a
4 hard time recruiting and retaining qualified
5 employees to work not only at the state and local
6 level, and for our schools. So I'd ask again,
7 beyond the limited five year to three year
8 vesting, is there any effort or anything else in
9 this budget that would repeal Tier 6?
10 SENATOR KRUEGER: So apparently my
11 colleague Senator Gianaris would love to give you
12 more answers.
13 SENATOR MARTINS: Thank you.
14 SENATOR KRUEGER: So I'm going to
15 sit now, Madam President.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
17 Gianaris.
18 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you.
19 I want to remind Senator Martins
20 that this is the most significant effort to roll
21 back the mistakes of Tier 6 that he supported
22 when it was established in 2012, when many of
23 us -- those of us who are here long enough to
24 have been here on that vote -- did not.
25 And so I appreciate that now
1349
1 Senator Martins cares about the public workers,
2 but they had the same opposition when he and his
3 colleagues voted to establish Tier 6 in the first
4 place over the obligations of our conference.
5 And so what we have done in this
6 proposal is take the first real significant steps
7 to roll back the mistakes that Senator Martins
8 and his colleagues established, and we're very
9 proud of that.
10 Thank you.
11 SENATOR MARTINS: Madam President,
12 on the bill.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
14 Martins on the resolution.
15 SENATOR MARTINS: On the
16 resolution, thank you.
17 Just to clarify, I was here in 2012,
18 Madam President, and I'm certainly grateful to my
19 colleague for bringing that up. I'm well aware
20 of the votes that I've taken. And I'm certainly
21 willing to acknowledge that under the
22 circumstances, understanding where we are now 12
23 years later, the projections that were there in
24 2012 as far as savings to the state and to our
25 local governments I don't believe have been
1350
1 realized.
2 And certainly to the extent that
3 they haven't been realized and to the extent that
4 we recognize they haven't been realized,
5 Madam President, I find it odd and frankly
6 incredibly hypocritical that we are sitting here
7 talking about an issue that is claimed to be
8 opposed and yet we have the opportunity to repeal
9 it wholesale to give relief to our public
10 employees, and yet we do nothing.
11 So I find it incredibly hypocritical
12 that here I stand, someone who did in fact vote
13 for this in 2012, telling you that I would
14 support a repeal, and yet the question -- or the
15 answer that I get back is that I voted for it.
16 So here we are.
17 Madam President, if the sponsor
18 would continue to yield.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
20 Krueger, do you continue to yield?
21 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes indeed.
22 SENATOR MARTINS: I have a question
23 regarding the New York Housing Opportunity
24 Corporation. I'm hoping you can answer some
25 questions for me, perhaps Senator Kavanagh?
1351
1 SENATOR KRUEGER: Do you mind if
2 the Housing chair takes it?
3 When my colleagues jump up, I get
4 what they are hoping to have happen.
5 Thank you, Madam President.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
7 Martins.
8 SENATOR MARTINS: Thank you,
9 Madam President.
10 I want to ask -- you know, I see
11 here that there is a requirement for consultation
12 with local governments with regard to their local
13 zoning authority. But in fact if the corporation
14 does not believe that it is in their best
15 interests or they don't believe that the locality
16 is properly responding to their requests, that
17 they can override the local zoning authority of
18 those communities by a two-thirds vote. Is that
19 right?
20 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
21 Madam President, yes.
22 Just to anyone who might be tuning
23 in late, we're talking about a new proposal in
24 the Senate resolution that would create a new
25 program similar to the Mitchell-Lama program of
1352
1 many years ago, where the state in a very short
2 period of time constructed an enormous amount of
3 housing to meet the needs of that generation.
4 That housing is still available in many of our
5 communities. And yet the rate at which we've
6 produced housing has not kept up, so the Senate
7 is proposing a brand-new initiative to build
8 housing, particularly focusing on building
9 housing on state land.
10 And yes, this as proposed, if the
11 state were building housing on state land after
12 consultation and several other procedural steps
13 that are in the bill, they would be able to
14 proceed with construction notwithstanding local
15 rules that might prevent a private developer on
16 private property from building on that.
17 And by the way, it is not unusual
18 for state agencies not to have to comply with
19 village and town and city and county rules when
20 they are doing the work of the people on behalf
21 of the state on state property.
22 SENATOR MARTINS: Madam President,
23 through you, if the sponsor would continue to
24 yield.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
1353
1 continue to yield?
2 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes,
3 Madam President.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
5 Senator yields.
6 SENATOR MARTINS: So would this
7 effort be subject to SEQR and subject to a SEQR
8 analysis on a project-by-project basis?
9 SENATOR KAVANAGH: (Pause.) The --
10 this -- I just wanted to check with our staff
11 here. But this bill does not alter the
12 requirements of SEQR. So there may be
13 circumstances where a project -- you know, SEQR
14 would apply if SEQR would otherwise apply.
15 There's nothing about these projects or this
16 program that alters the requirement of SEQR.
17 SENATOR MARTINS: Madam President,
18 through you, if the sponsor would continue to
19 yield.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
21 continue to yield?
22 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes,
23 Madam President.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
25 Senator yields.
1354
1 SENATOR MARTINS: Would these
2 projects be administered by the local building
3 department for permitting purposes and oversight
4 of construction?
5 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
6 Madam President, these would be constructed in
7 the normal way that, you know, construction
8 occurs, which -- and when state governments build
9 things, they typically get permits from local
10 building departments and other authorities that
11 approve those things. And this bill doesn't
12 change any of that.
13 SENATOR MARTINS: Thank you,
14 Madam President. Through you, if the sponsor
15 would continue to yield.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
17 continue to yield?
18 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes,
19 Madam President.
20 SENATOR MARTINS: Would these
21 projects be placed on the tax rolls and be
22 subject to local taxation by the local
23 communities and school districts?
24 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
25 Madam President, the bill does permit the
1355
1 granting of payments in lieu of taxes through
2 these projects. So they're not, strictly
3 speaking, property taxes.
4 But again, it is not unusual when
5 state entities -- state entities are not
6 generally subject to local property taxes. But
7 typically it is something -- a payment in lieu of
8 that tax that is intended to basically be the
9 equivalent of the revenue that might be generated
10 by property taxes.
11 SENATOR MARTINS: Madam President,
12 through you, if the sponsor will continue to
13 yield.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
15 continue to yield?
16 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes, Madam
17 President.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
19 Senator yields.
20 SENATOR MARTINS: Would the payment
21 in lieu of taxes be determined by the local
22 community?
23 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
24 Madam President. There are provisions in the
25 bill that require consultation with the local
1356
1 community, as I mentioned. But ultimately it
2 would be this entity that, again, would be
3 overseen by, you know, all of us as a state
4 entity. But that state entity would put these
5 deals together and determine the amount of
6 property taxes that are appropriate. Again,
7 presumably in consultation with the local
8 government, as is not unusual.
9 SENATOR MARTINS: Madam President,
10 through you, if the sponsor will continue to
11 yield.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
13 continue to yield?
14 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes,
15 Madam President.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
17 Senator yields.
18 SENATOR MARTINS: So I understand
19 the effort here is to promote and build
20 affordable housing. So will there be a
21 means-testing with regard to access to housing in
22 these units?
23 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
24 Madam President. Yes, there are various -- there
25 are various different models of housing that
1357
1 might be built with various affordability
2 requirements. But the expectation here is that
3 we -- not just the expectation, the provisions of
4 this are intended to construct housing that is
5 affordable but not necessarily at the very lowest
6 levels of income.
7 There are provisions in here that
8 would provide housing for people in middle-income
9 households as well as lower-income households.
10 SENATOR MARTINS: Madam President,
11 through you, if the sponsor would continue to
12 yield.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
14 continue to yield?
15 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes, Madam
16 President.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
18 Senator yields.
19 SENATOR MARTINS: So is it -- is it
20 fair to say that this housing will be geared
21 towards an area median income and a percentage of
22 area median income? And if so, can you tell me
23 what your expectation is with regard to what that
24 area median income percentage would be?
25 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
1358
1 Madam President, yes, the mechanism that we use
2 to talk about affordability in this bill is, as
3 it is with most housing programs, the area median
4 income.
5 Area median income is a number, a
6 set of numbers that are set, that are defined and
7 calculated by the federal government for
8 basically every part of the United States.
9 There's an area median income for each area,
10 typically, in a metropolitan-area basis, which
11 reflects the -- you know, the income of folks in
12 that market who -- who are looking for housing in
13 that market.
14 The bill sets a maximum of
15 165 percent of area median income. And that
16 number would actually vary widely depending on
17 what part of the state you're building in. But
18 it also permits and it would be our anticipation
19 that additional state subsidies might be used to
20 lower -- to also provide units for people at
21 lower incomes.
22 And again, this is an authority that
23 would have the ability to develop housing in a
24 very wide range of contexts. And presumably the
25 economic viability of the project, the -- you
1359
1 know, the condition of the site and the local
2 needs for housing would be the factors that you'd
3 want to consider in determining which projects
4 make sense where.
5 SENATOR MARTINS: Madam President,
6 through you, if the sponsor would continue to
7 yield.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
9 continue to yield?
10 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes,
11 Madam President.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
13 Senator yields.
14 SENATOR MARTINS: So there are
15 people who would argue that 165 percent of area
16 median income in certain areas could be an awful
17 lot of money and is not, in fact, affordable.
18 But, you know, if we're pivoting for
19 a second to an affordable housing crisis that we
20 all understand exists and we've all spoken about
21 and has been a priority in this state certainly
22 for years, can you tell me do you know how many
23 units -- rent-stabilized units or rent-controlled
24 units -- in New York City, of the 2.3 million I
25 believe you mentioned earlier, are occupied by
1360
1 people earning above New York City's average
2 median income?
3 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
4 Madam President. Just to clarify, also, I
5 mentioned that the number my colleague was citing
6 before -- I think it was a slightly larger
7 number, actually, but that was the number of
8 people who live in those units. There are a
9 about a million -- just for clarity, there are
10 about a million households in rent-stabilized
11 housing in Nassau, New York City, Westchester and
12 Rockland counties. And I don't have those --
13 that data at my fingertips here. Of course
14 that's not the subject of the budget resolution
15 we're discussing today.
16 But as a general matter, people who
17 live in rent-stabilized housing, the overwhelming
18 majority of them make very modest incomes and
19 certainly substantially below the 165 percent AMI
20 that we're talking about that we were just
21 referencing.
22 SENATOR MARTINS: Madam President,
23 through you, if the sponsor would continue to
24 yield.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
1361
1 continue to yield?
2 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes,
3 Madam President.
4 SENATOR MARTINS: So if I'm -- if I
5 were to tell you there are 835,000 out of the
6 2.3 million I referenced earlier who have an
7 income of over $100,000 in New York City in
8 rent-stabilized housing, would you agree that if
9 we're dealing with affordability and the median
10 income in New York City being $78,000, that we
11 have a responsibility as we look at the
12 affordability crisis to look at people who are
13 affluent, some earning multiple multiples of area
14 median income who continue to live in
15 rent-stabilized apartments that should be
16 occupied by people who are means-tested to live
17 in there, don't you think that would be a great
18 step in terms of providing housing for people who
19 are socioeconomically challenged and are looking
20 for housing?
21 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
22 Madam President. The area median income in the
23 New York City metropolitan area -- which includes
24 my district and my colleagues' -- for a single
25 person living in a single-person household is
1362
1 $98, 900. The area median income for a
2 two-person household is $113,000 a year. For
3 three persons, $127,100. And for a four-person
4 household is $141,200. That is the area median
5 income as calculated by HUD and by the Census
6 Bureau.
7 That, we understand -- again, I'm --
8 if my colleague wants to check, I'm reading
9 off -- HPD has a particularly clear and
10 straightforward, you know, website that presents
11 these numbers. So if my colleague or his staff
12 wants to take a look, they're welcome to do that.
13 The rent-stabilized housing in
14 New York City is overwhelmingly occupied by
15 people of modest incomes who would not be able to
16 afford to live in our city in market-rate housing
17 without -- without this program. This program
18 has been in place for decades. It is the bedrock
19 of why New York City is a place where teachers
20 and firefighters and police officers and social
21 workers and, you know, storekeepers have been
22 able to live in our communities. It's the
23 bedrock of the economic diversity of our city.
24 And there are -- it is true that the
25 program is not means-tested. And by the way, no
1363
1 formal representative of property owners that I'm
2 aware of has ever suggested to me that we ought
3 to pass a law that requires them to rent
4 apartments to people of lower incomes rather than
5 people of higher incomes. Generally, property
6 owners prefer tenants of higher incomes because
7 they are more able and reliable rent payers.
8 But for what it's worth, if that is
9 a proposal that my colleagues -- who seem
10 interested in that today -- would like to
11 propose, you know, it certainly could be
12 proposed.
13 But there is no proposal that I'm
14 aware from the many representatives of
15 rent-stabilized housing that have very well-paid
16 lobbying operations that has brought to us to
17 make that change to that housing. If you did it
18 in a very aggressive way, it might displace a lot
19 of people. If you merely said very wealthy
20 people can't live in rent-stabilized housing, you
21 would be talking about a very small number of
22 people.
23 SENATOR MARTINS: Madam President,
24 on the bill.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
1364
1 Martins on the resolution.
2 SENATOR MARTINS: Thank you,
3 Madam President, on the resolution.
4 You know, I don't think I or anyone
5 else have mentioned repealing rent stabilization,
6 rent control. Haven't talked about it at all in
7 terms of repealing it. And we understand the
8 importance that it has to New York City and,
9 frankly, to many communities downstate in the
10 metropolitan area.
11 What I am talking about is affluent
12 people, rich people living in rent-stabilized
13 apartments when this house continues to talk
14 about the need for affordability in housing.
15 Affordability in housing, that we have to have
16 housing for people who have limited means. And
17 yet we continue to ignore the fact that there are
18 hundreds of thousands of people living in
19 rent-stabilized apartments, paying below market
20 rent, that are affluent and well above what they
21 would otherwise qualify for if they were
22 means-tested today.
23 So we're talking about building
24 housing in communities across New York State,
25 including in my district, controlled by someone
1365
1 who's appointed by the Governor and by the
2 Majority in this house and the other house, who
3 are going to make decisions with regard to
4 building affordable housing. And yet the
5 Majority in this chamber refuses to look at the
6 housing in the immediate area where you yourself
7 live, and in your district where you have rich
8 people, affluent people, living in apartments who
9 are making multiples of area median income. Look
10 at the facts.
11 So why don't we talk about those
12 hundreds of thousands of units and means-testing
13 them so that rich people can afford to pay their
14 own rent and make those same units available to
15 people who are looking to live in New York City
16 and in the metropolitan area and can't afford to
17 do so?
18 So I don't want -- Madam President,
19 I don't want to hear about lobbyists and owners
20 and what they want to do and how they want to do
21 it and they're not asking for this. It's not
22 about what they're asking about.
23 It's whether or not we have the
24 courage of our convictions in this chamber when
25 we talk about a commitment to building affordable
1366
1 housing, and whether or not that includes going
2 back and looking at the affordability of those
3 units that have historically served as the
4 bedrock of our housing in New York City and in
5 the metropolitan area, and make the decision that
6 we should have years ago, which is make it
7 means-tested, allowing for the opportunity for
8 those people who aren't making what some of those
9 people who are living there right now are
10 making -- give them the opportunity to live in an
11 affordable apartment.
12 Madam President, with that, I'll sit
13 and allow another one of my colleagues to
14 continue.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
16 Borrello, why do you rise?
17 SENATOR BORRELLO: Good afternoon,
18 Madam President.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Good
20 afternoon.
21 SENATOR BORRELLO: I'm looking for
22 some answers on new Part HHH, specifically Ag &
23 Markets. Who would --
24 SENATOR KRUEGER: And my colleague
25 Senator Hinchey would love to answer those
1367
1 questions.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
3 Hinchey, do you yield?
4 SENATOR HINCHEY: I do.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
6 Senator yields.
7 SENATOR BORRELLO: Thank you.
8 Excuse my back while I ask the question into the
9 microphone.
10 We're now three years into what we
11 have passed, the legalization of recreational
12 marijuana in New York State -- three years now
13 this month. And we are now proposing a bailout
14 for pot farmers of $128 million. We all, I
15 think, can agree that this has been an abject
16 failure. I think it's been said on both sides of
17 the aisle: Somehow New York State has managed to
18 screw up pot. I don't know how that happens, but
19 we did.
20 With that said, are we aware of any
21 other states that have had to bail out their
22 recreational marijuana business?
23 SENATOR HINCHEY: Through you,
24 Madam President. As far as we know, not in other
25 states.
1368
1 But we are incredibly -- we feel
2 it's incredibly important to make sure that our
3 ag producers and our farmers receive the support
4 that they need.
5 SENATOR BORRELLO: Madam President,
6 will the sponsor continue to yield.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
8 continue to yield?
9 SENATOR HINCHEY: I do.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
11 Senator yields.
12 SENATOR BORRELLO: Senator Hinchey,
13 I agree. You and I have actually worked together
14 on that topic, because I have farmers, new
15 farmers in some cases, in my district that are
16 struggling because of this botched rollout of
17 recreational marijuana.
18 But part of this bailout, it looks
19 like it's 128 million; 60 million for cannabis
20 farmer loans, 40 million for cannabis farmer
21 grants, and 28 million for farmer tax credits.
22 Do we have any idea how upside down
23 we are in the State of New York so far with the
24 rollout of recreational marijuana? We've got the
25 Office of Cannabis Management that's filled with
1369
1 six-figure employees. We have -- obviously
2 there's a whole cost of trying to enforce the
3 illegal shops. Do we have any number as to how
4 much New York State taxpayers have lost because
5 of the botched rollout of recreational marijuana?
6 SENATOR HINCHEY: Through you,
7 Madam President, I don't right now have any
8 numbers on the broader spectrum of cannabis
9 across the state.
10 But I think it's incredibly
11 important to recognize and acknowledge that these
12 are growers who we asked to grow the product for
13 the market. And so the 128 million here is to
14 cover the losses that they would have seen since
15 the rollout was delayed, and making sure that
16 they have the funds to be able to stay in
17 business moving into the next growing cycle.
18 SENATOR BORRELLO: Madam President,
19 will the sponsor continue to yield.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
21 continue to yield?
22 SENATOR HINCHEY: I do.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
24 Senator yields.
25 SENATOR BORRELLO: I agree with
1370
1 you. I just don't see an end to this. Because
2 we still haven't really, you know, pulled out of
3 this tailspin so far.
4 But with that being said, there
5 is -- there appears to be an allowance that would
6 give a portion of those funds, they can be like
7 suballocated or transferred to any department,
8 agency or public authority. Why would we take
9 that away from Ag & Markets? Unless I'm
10 misunderstanding that.
11 SENATOR HINCHEY: (Pause.) Through
12 you, Madam President. We had this program
13 originally running through Ag & Markets because
14 this is a farm relief package. But a number of
15 these programs will be run through ESD, because
16 they have the mechanisms to be able to do the tax
17 piece and the loan piece, which is very normal.
18 But starting with Ag & Markets, since it's
19 actually an ag program.
20 SENATOR BORRELLO: Madam President,
21 will the sponsor continue to yield?
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
23 continue to yield?
24 SENATOR HINCHEY: I do.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
1371
1 Senator yields.
2 SENATOR BORRELLO: My last question
3 on this. Even though there are a lot -- most of
4 the farmers are absolutely struggling. But there
5 are a few that are doing all right. What are the
6 requirements going to be for accessing these
7 funds? Do we have anything set in place to
8 ensure that this is going to those that are most
9 in need?
10 SENATOR HINCHEY: (Pause.) Through
11 you, Madam President. First of all, this package
12 is only for the conditional cultivators. So
13 there's a limited number of farmers already in
14 this package. And they have to establish that
15 they've actually experienced financial losses.
16 So that could be default on loans or other types
17 of things like that.
18 But there are mechanisms in place to
19 make sure that the money is actually going to the
20 farmers that have experienced losses over the
21 last year.
22 SENATOR BORRELLO: Great.
23 Madam President, on the bill.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: On the
25 resolution, Senator Borrello.
1372
1 SENATOR BORRELLO: On the
2 resolution.
3 Thank you, Senator Hinchey, for your
4 answers.
5 I just think we all should look
6 around and say to ourselves, how has government
7 been able to screw up marijuana in New York
8 State? And it's really easy to point out to the
9 fact that we have not only allowed the black
10 market to flourish, but we've also really
11 destroyed the ability for us to create a good
12 infrastructure for the legal market.
13 So this is a real problem. It's a
14 real problem. But you know what? We knew this
15 was going to be a problem three years ago when we
16 debated this bill originally. Myself and my
17 colleagues, we all said this was going to happen.
18 But nobody wanted to listen. So I realize that
19 now we've got to dedicate even more than funding.
20 But this was sold to the people of
21 New York State as a panacea. There was going to
22 be this amazing new market, this amazing new
23 industry. And it was going to create hundreds of
24 millions of dollars a year in tax revenue. And
25 we're going to have all these potrepreneurs all
1373
1 over New York State that are going to be making
2 money. Look where we are now. The only people
3 making money are the people that are doing it
4 illegally. Those are the only folks making money
5 right now.
6 So this has been a sad rollout. And
7 we need to fix it. And I'm glad we're going to
8 help our farmers, but I don't see an end to this
9 until we start doing, first and foremost, what we
10 should have done. If people are selling pot
11 illegally, if they're a storefront -- I don't
12 care if it's in New York City or it's in my town
13 or wherever it is, those folks need to go to
14 prison. Okay?
15 Fines, seizures? Those are just a
16 cost of doing business for these folks. They'll
17 just add that into the cost of doing business.
18 They close, they reopen. Until you really have
19 the spine to put people in prison for selling
20 drugs illegally, this isn't going to end.
21 So, Madam President, with that I'll
22 move on to the next topic. If the sponsor would
23 yield on TED Part WW specifically with the
24 electric bus mandate.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
1374
1 Krueger, I think that's my question. So I'm
2 going to come down.
3 SENATOR KRUEGER: I'm sorry, I
4 wanted to respond to earlier. But please, your
5 question is fine.
6 If you don't mind, I would like to
7 answer also on your cannabis questions first.
8 While I appreciate my colleague's
9 points, just for the record, it's not a complete
10 failure. It's going slower than we hoped.
11 Although when you compare New York State's
12 rollout of legal cannabis with the other states
13 around the country, they also took at least two
14 years. We're taking three years. That's
15 frustrating. But nobody decided to bring whole
16 lawsuits against the other states to prevent us
17 from moving forward with the licenses.
18 And they are moving forward quite
19 fast now. We in fact have people who created
20 cannabis businesses in other states moving here
21 because they see that they'll make more money as
22 New Yorkers creating legal businesses. So we're
23 actually seeing a growth in the number of people
24 starting cannabis businesses, even though
25 everybody says it's not working, it's going too
1375
1 slow.
2 They actually expect, OCM, to
3 actually have revenue to start to invest in the
4 commitments of the original MRTA law by the new
5 fiscal year, which is very encouraging. And
6 they've been moving forward with the licensing.
7 You're totally right about our being
8 blindsided by the number of illegal stores and
9 the fact that in its own bizarre entrepreneurial
10 way, we saw large corporations deciding to
11 underwrite illegal stores. And that really has
12 harmed us and has held us back. But we are
13 trying to resolve that. We are improving that.
14 And I believe the other sections of the law that
15 we are putting forward in this budget will help
16 us address that.
17 And frankly, the money that you
18 asked about, and my colleague answered, we
19 already had a loan fund built into the MRTA. And
20 since people are asking for it now, we will
21 trigger that, and it won't actually cost us money
22 because it's a loan fund. You have to pay it
23 back.
24 The grants, as she described, will
25 be specifically to a universe of farmers who can
1376
1 document that they are the ones who were harmed
2 for that at least one year where there was not
3 enough buying of their product. And we have
4 tried to come up with a number of alternatives,
5 and we stuck on this.
6 And finally, the tax credit was the
7 request of people who pointed out that if they
8 were in almost any other business of equivalent
9 category, we would have given them a tax credit.
10 But because they're not -- simply because they
11 were eligible based on federal law for a matching
12 state tax credit. But of course federal law
13 doesn't allow tax credits for marijuana.
14 Therefore, they asked for a specific
15 set of changed rules so that they can take the
16 state credit they would have been able to take
17 without our even having to deal with it. So I
18 think that's a completely legitimate question by
19 business that we're answering this way.
20 So yes, fabulous, everything worked?
21 I'll be the first one to say no. And I wrote
22 that bill. A complete disaster? Totally not
23 true when you look at what we're doing compared
24 to the other states who have been in business
25 much longer who are actually saying to us daily,
1377
1 Oh, we wish we did that. Oh, we're going to do
2 that. Oh, we're going to do that.
3 So I ask everyone, let's have that
4 discussion again in a year with these changes
5 added this year, and we may all be able to have a
6 very different set of discussions specifically to
7 cannabis.
8 And now I will be happy to address
9 the next set of questions.
10 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
12 Gianaris.
13 SENATOR GIANARIS: I believe
14 Senator Mayer will be on the question from
15 Senator Borrello.
16 SENATOR KRUEGER: Oh, right. Thank
17 you.
18 SENATOR GIANARIS: I also want to
19 remind my colleagues that we have 30 minutes
20 remaining in debate. There are still a half a
21 dozen members beyond Senator Borrello. So we do
22 intend to enforce conclusion of debate at 1:35.
23 And so if the members go long, they're only
24 taking time away from their colleagues, so.
25 SENATOR KRUEGER: So yes indeed,
1378
1 we've changed Madam Presidents.
2 So Shelley Mayer, the chair of
3 Education, will answer your questions.
4 SENATOR BORRELLO: Madam President,
5 will the sponsor yield.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Will the
7 sponsor yield?
8 SENATOR MAYER: I want to make
9 clear which section you're asking about.
10 SENATOR BORRELLO: It's TED Part
11 WW, specifically on the electric bus mandate.
12 SENATOR MAYER: Are you referring
13 to school bus?
14 SENATOR BORRELLO: Well, both
15 school and municipal. But we can start with
16 school. That obviously would fall under your --
17 SENATOR MAYER: Okay. Thank you.
18 SENATOR BORRELLO: Yeah. So am I
19 correct that in the budget we are creating a task
20 force to study the impact of the electric school
21 bus mandate? Is that correct?
22 SENATOR MAYER: Through you,
23 Madam President. What we have done is in hearing
24 the -- some of the complications in this rollout,
25 we've created a zero-emissions school bus
1379
1 committee which is going to be comprised of a
2 large number of state stakeholders, hold hearings
3 so that all of the people impacted can have their
4 voices heard, and report back within a year's
5 time on some of the impediments and challenges so
6 that we can be mindful of the challenges while we
7 continue to stay with the deadlines that were in
8 the original act.
9 SENATOR BORRELLO: Madam President,
10 will the sponsor continue to yield.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Will the
12 sponsor yield?
13 SENATOR MAYER: Yes.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
15 Senator yields.
16 SENATOR BORRELLO: So we're going
17 to move ahead with the deadlines, that you're not
18 going to -- we're not going to suspend those
19 deadlines while we get some answers to some very
20 serious questions. Like are we going to be able
21 to safely transport our children on these buses?
22 Are we going to have enough range, particularly
23 in the wintertime, when we transport our children
24 on these school buses? Where is the money going
25 to come from? Not just for the buses, but for
1380
1 the infrastructure.
2 So we're not going to suspend this
3 very short timeline of about -- less than three
4 years while we answer those questions, is that
5 correct?
6 SENATOR MAYER: Senator Borrello,
7 as you know, the actual requirement does not go
8 into effect until buses are purchased after 2027.
9 We have adequate time both to look at any
10 technical things that may require modification
11 while at the same time to remain true to our
12 commitment to move to a safer environment for our
13 kids, which is the -- really the motivating
14 factor with this change to electric school buses.
15 SENATOR BORRELLO: Madam President,
16 will the sponsor continue to yield?
17 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Will the
18 sponsor yield?
19 SENATOR MAYER: Yes.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
21 sponsor yields.
22 SENATOR BORRELLO: You're saying
23 the safety of our children. There are some major
24 concerns. Electric vehicles tend to burn quickly
25 and very hot. We really don't have a safety plan
1381
1 in place in the event that a school bus starts on
2 fire. We recently heard that the emissions from
3 the burning of the tires -- because the tires
4 are -- the heaviness of the weight of the school
5 buses, actually the rubber tires actually
6 disintegrate faster, leading to more emissions.
7 Which, according to the study that we saw, was
8 actually worse than that the emissions from
9 diesel power.
10 So I guess in less than three
11 years -- and schools obviously have to plan well
12 in advance for capital purchases -- why are we
13 not suspending this timeline when we really don't
14 have any answers to those questions?
15 SENATOR MAYER: Through you,
16 Madam President. First of all, schools are
17 required to have a school safety plan that
18 includes the use of electric school buses.
19 Secondly, the facts -- or the
20 suggestion by my colleague that these are all
21 facts that he knows, the fact is that moving to
22 electric vehicles has been proven to be a wise
23 and safer alternative.
24 And because we have heard concerns
25 of the school bus companies, of the school
1382
1 districts, we have created this committee which
2 will have a very short turnaround to actually
3 look at the details that may cause some concerns.
4 The other thing I would note is that
5 the Governor proposed to add three full-time
6 workers to the State Education Department to be
7 focused on school bus issues. And we have urged
8 NYSERDA to take an even more proactive role in
9 educating those affected on the details of both
10 financing and implementation of this requirement.
11 SENATOR BORRELLO: Madam President,
12 will the sponsor continue to yield.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Does the
14 sponsor yield?
15 SENATOR MAYER: Yes.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
17 sponsor yields.
18 SENATOR BORRELLO: In the interests
19 of time, this will be my last question.
20 We have heard from school districts
21 across the state about the costs of this. Is
22 there anything in this budget that will improve
23 the funding available? A paltry 500 million on
24 what's going to be tens of billions of dollars is
25 all we've got so far. Anything in the budget
1383
1 that's going to improve the financial outlook so
2 it doesn't devastate school property-tax payers?
3 SENATOR MAYER: Through you,
4 Madam President. The Governor has proposed to
5 include bond act funds in the calculation of
6 reimbursable aid. We have expanded that to
7 include federal funds, because there are federal
8 funds available.
9 And if our provision is adopted, it
10 will be even more beneficial financially for
11 school districts as they move forward to comply.
12 SENATOR BORRELLO: Madam President,
13 on the reso.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
15 Borrello on the resolution.
16 SENATOR BORRELLO: I understand
17 that we really need to dodge this topic a lot
18 because everybody's heard from the school
19 districts. It's going to be about $20 billion
20 just to replace the buses. That doesn't include
21 the infrastructure costs. And we're talking
22 about bonds and loans and we're going to dedicate
23 more funding maybe from the Environmental Bond
24 Act.
25 It doesn't scratch the surface,
1384
1 folks. You are all hearing it. We need to pump
2 the brakes on this mandate before it's too late.
3 Because schools are already starting to -- they
4 have to make these purchases. And in some cases,
5 they're getting lemons. We already heard that
6 from the school district, that these buses are
7 actually not working well, period.
8 But with that being said,
9 Madam President, if I could just move on to the
10 housing section in the reso. Anybody? Anybody?
11 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator,
12 do you yield?
13 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
14 Madam President, I don't notice I'm being called
15 on unless Liz Krueger is also standing.
16 (Laughter.)
17 SENATOR KAVANAGH: But I'm happy to
18 yield.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
20 Senator yields.
21 SENATOR BORRELLO: Thank you.
22 Through you, Madam President. There's made
23 mention in the budget a very vague terminology
24 that the Majority in this one-house budget
25 supports good-cause eviction, but there's really
1385
1 no specifics. Can you explain exactly what the
2 conference's, your conference's position is on
3 good-cause eviction?
4 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
5 Madam President. As my colleague notes, the
6 resolution says that this conference supports the
7 basic principle of good-cause eviction as part of
8 a broader agreement on housing that we're hoping
9 to achieve in the next few weeks in the course of
10 the budget negotiations.
11 SENATOR BORRELLO: Madam President,
12 will the sponsor continue to yield.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
14 continue to yield?
15 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes, Madam
16 President.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
18 Senator yields.
19 SENATOR BORRELLO: So is it your
20 intention to implement, as part of this budget,
21 good-cause eviction as the piece of legislation
22 sits now?
23 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
24 Madam President. I'm going to take that as the
25 collective "you" and not my personal views.
1386
1 SENATOR BORRELLO: Yes. Not you
2 personally.
3 SENATOR KAVANAGH: The resolution
4 states the conference's position. We intend to
5 implement good-cause eviction, a bill that
6 reflects the principles that are on the books in
7 several other states that were -- you know,
8 good-cause eviction has been on the books in
9 New Jersey for many years. It's been on the
10 books in California since 2019, Oregon and other
11 places.
12 It is our intention to negotiate a
13 version of good-cause eviction. Obviously if you
14 wanted to say that we were going adopt precisely
15 the terms of an existing bill, we could have done
16 that. We are taking the position that the
17 principle of good-cause eviction is important.
18 It's something that many of us have fought for
19 for a long time. And we have put -- the Senate
20 Majority has put forth a very broad set of
21 proposals on housing that really are intended to
22 address this crisis throughout the state. And we
23 think tenant protections in the form of
24 good-cause eviction are an important part of
25 that.
1387
1 SENATOR BORRELLO: Madam President,
2 will the sponsor continue to yield?
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
4 continue to yield?
5 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes,
6 Madam President.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
8 Senator yields.
9 SENATOR BORRELLO: So is it the
10 intention of the Senate Majority to perhaps more
11 specifically outline in the final budget proposal
12 what parts, if not all parts, of good-cause
13 eviction will be supported as part of this
14 budget?
15 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
16 Madam President, yes, it is my expectation that
17 we will negotiate in this budget some statutory
18 language that provides the protections of
19 good-cause eviction.
20 I mentioned the principle of
21 good-cause eviction. The basic principle of
22 good-cause eviction is that you can't be evicted
23 from your home for no good reason. And
24 good-cause eviction statutes tend to enumerate
25 those. I don't think a sentence about the
1388
1 principles of good-cause eviction that's included
2 in the resolution is going to have much effect if
3 that's all we say in adopted statutory language.
4 So yes, the goal would be to create
5 a statute that provides those -- the benefits of
6 those protections in New York.
7 SENATOR BORRELLO: Madam President,
8 will the sponsor continue to yield?
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
10 continue to yield?
11 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Yes,
12 Madam President.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The Senator
14 yields.
15 SENATOR BORRELLO: You know, I
16 understand that there's kind of a collision
17 course here between trying to create more housing
18 opportunities and, you know, really deterring
19 those folks that are in the housing business
20 through things like good-cause eviction from
21 actually creating more housing.
22 So with that being said, one program
23 that did seem to work well was 421-a, but yet the
24 Majority has refused to renew that program. What
25 is the plan to address those projects that are
1389
1 already under construction that fall under the
2 421-a program?
3 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Through you,
4 Madam President. I just have to begin -- I
5 didn't hear a question mark, but there is not --
6 there is not, in my view, a collision course
7 between the effort to provide tenants and
8 homeowners who already have housing basic
9 protections for the stability in their homes, and
10 also trying to produce new housing.
11 We've done both of those things for
12 a long time. We need to continue to do those
13 things. The Senate Majority in this resolution
14 is saying roughly the same thing about the
15 provision that my colleague just mentioned, which
16 is intended to -- which would be intended to
17 permit projects to move forward in New York with
18 some tax breaks and the tenant protections of
19 good-cause eviction. That we are committed to
20 negotiating versions of those that could be
21 enacted in this budget in a negotiation with the
22 Executive and our colleagues in the Assembly.
23 And, you know, we've had many
24 conversations since that tax break has expired
25 about how specifically to allow those projects to
1390
1 move forward. But it is our intention to get
2 both of those things done as reflected in this
3 resolution in the course of this budget
4 negotiation in the next few weeks.
5 SENATOR BORRELLO: Madam President,
6 on the resolution.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
8 Borrello on the resolution.
9 SENATOR BORRELLO: I think we've
10 had a theme here today as we've asked a lot of
11 questions, myself and my colleagues, about
12 housing.
13 But just to address the point. The
14 collision course is the fact that we are telling
15 people in general that are in the housing
16 business that you're no longer in control -- how
17 much you can charge for rent, whether or not you
18 can remove someone from the property that you
19 own, whether or not you're going to be able to,
20 you know, have the necessary means to build new
21 housing.
22 That's what I mean when I say a
23 collision course. These things are not
24 exclusive. In fact, most developers are saying
25 how difficult it is to build housing, to maintain
1391
1 housing, you know, to actually make basic
2 improvements to their housing, and maintenance,
3 because of the restrictions, the handcuffs that
4 are put on them by New York State government.
5 So this is a collision course, and
6 we're going to have a problem ahead of us.
7 Because unless we want to just have all
8 government-run housing in New York State, the
9 private sector has been devastated by the
10 policies of this New York State Legislature.
11 And with that, I will yield my time.
12 Thank you.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
14 Tedisco.
15 SENATOR TEDISCO: Thank you,
16 Madam President. I'm going to limit myself to
17 five minutes. I'm looking at my watch here
18 because there's several of my other members who I
19 want to respect who want to say some things.
20 First of all, very quickly, we've
21 had a lot of illustrations of why we're in the
22 position that we are in, in terms of being number
23 one in outmigration. This is the mother --
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Excuse me,
25 Senator Tedisco. Are you on the --
1392
1 SENATOR TEDISCO: On the bill.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Are you on
3 the resolution?
4 SENATOR TEDISCO: On the
5 resolution.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
7 Senator.
8 SENATOR TEDISCO: We are the mother
9 of out-exodus in terms of this particular budget.
10 It's the mother, this resolution, of outmigration
11 and exodus from the State of New York. We've
12 seen all the illustrations of that.
13 One of those was the discussion we
14 had about our family farms, in not providing them
15 a tax credit for housing. If you want to provide
16 a tax credit that helps housing, it's not going
17 to be just one bill or one piece of legislation,
18 in relationship to this budget -- or any program.
19 I've got the bill. It's 8804,
20 S8804. I got the number yesterday. It provides
21 the same tax credit for farmworkers, for our
22 farmers in the State of New York, as we provided
23 last year for capital projects, building
24 buildings so we can have production. And if you
25 want to sponsor that, you can. But you should
1393
1 put it back in this budget, that tax credit for
2 farmworkers. One, it will help the economy.
3 Two, it will help the homeless. Three, it will
4 incentivize our farmers to get workers, because
5 we have a dearth. Fourth, when there's an
6 emergency, they'll be right there. Farmers
7 respect that. When the weather's bad, they like
8 to have their workers right there.
9 You've done a lot of bad to them,
10 and people across this state, but this would
11 really help them. So that tax credit bill is
12 here, I have a sponsor in the Assembly, but you
13 could put it in the budget.
14 Now I'm going to go to asking
15 somebody to yield on our parks, parks and
16 recreation.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
18 Serrano, do you yield?
19 SENATOR SERRANO: Yes.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
21 Senator yields.
22 SENATOR TEDISCO: Thank you,
23 Senator Serrano.
24 Governor Hochul put something in her
25 one-house budget. It was one of the only good
1394
1 things that was in there. It was nothing really
2 helping affordability or public safety, which
3 this also doubles down on, this resolution. But
4 she put language in there that said every single
5 park, all 200 parks, would have to put security
6 systems in.
7 Is that in this particular
8 resolution?
9 SENATOR SERRANO: Thank you.
10 Through you, Madam President. Thank you,
11 Senator.
12 In the then-Parks commissioner's
13 testimony on the Executive Budget, he indicated
14 $53 million that was allocated by the Executive
15 for things like security that the Parks
16 Department would use for security cameras,
17 et cetera.
18 SENATOR TEDISCO: Would the
19 gentleman yield for another question.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Were you
21 finished, Senator Serrano?
22 SENATOR SERRANO: I'm not quite
23 done.
24 And in addition, in our Senate
25 one-house, we added additional capital funds,
1395
1 which again could be used for that, could be used
2 for cameras, can be used for other security
3 measures in state parks. So we've actually added
4 to that -- to that notion.
5 SENATOR TEDISCO: On the
6 resolution.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
8 Tedisco on the resolution.
9 SENATOR TEDISCO: Yeah, we had a
10 case in Moreau Park -- and this is not unique,
11 crime across the state. Very little in this
12 budget, zero in the budget that the Governor --
13 this resolution the Governor sent us. The girl
14 was abducted, the man drove in, drove out. She
15 wouldn't be alive today unless the man made a
16 mistake and put a ransom note at her house and
17 the cop was out there and they tracked him down.
18 Called the Parks department in the
19 State of New York, the commission, and they said
20 no, we don't have it. They put her in Moreau
21 Park, going into parks and leaving parks. Not in
22 the parks watching people swimming or picnicking.
23 I put a bill in for all over 200
24 parks and recreational facilities to have cameras
25 as you go into a park and leave a park. It's a
1396
1 commonsense safety feature. Hochul I believe had
2 cameras in her bill. It was security. We're not
3 sure if it's cameras or not, and I'm not sure if
4 they're talking about cameras going in or
5 leaving.
6 But it's a commonsense thing. We
7 don't see a lot of common sense right now in
8 terms of public safety.
9 In terms of this bill, as I said,
10 it's the mother of all exodus budget resolutions
11 right now, because it increases taxes, it
12 increases spending, it does nothing really about
13 public safety. And it's just going to make more
14 people leave the State of New York.
15 We're number one in outmigration,
16 one of seven states that lost another
17 representative, projected to lose three more
18 Congress people in 2030. You saw the last report
19 that came out: Number one issue is
20 affordability. Second is public safety.
21 So I'm going to have to vote no on
22 this resolution, Madam President. And I urge my
23 colleagues to go back and think about the
24 $7 billion for taxes, $13 million in spending.
25 Unemployment money, when you talk
1397
1 about small businesses -- all the small
2 businesses are going to pay for that
3 unemployment. Over 40 states paid for it at the
4 back end through COVID. You're putting it on the
5 backs of small businesses. When you say only
6 1 percent are millionaires, 99 percent are
7 middle-income and lower. Sixty-five percent of
8 this state says there's an affordability problem.
9 So it's not only millionaires we're
10 talking about. We are talking about
11 middle-income. When you say you're going to keep
12 the tax structure for them, that was three years
13 ago. There's inflation right now. If you put
14 the same tax structure on the middle-income,
15 you're increasing their taxes because of
16 inflation.
17 This is a terrible resolution,
18 budget resolution. And you've got to rethink the
19 agenda. Because when 101,000 people are leaving
20 the State of New York, you know your agenda is
21 failing.
22 So let's go back and correct that a
23 little bit. You're representatives, and that's
24 what they're telling you.
25 Thank you, Madam President.
1398
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
2 Senator Tedisco.
3 Senator Mattera, why do you rise?
4 SENATOR MATTERA: Thank you,
5 Madam President. Would the sponsor yield for
6 some questions? This is on the New York HEAT
7 Act.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: On what
9 subject?
10 SENATOR MATTERA: It's on the
11 subject -- on TED Part P. And it's my good
12 friend -- thank you so much, Senator Krueger.
13 And I wanted to talk to you --
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
15 Krueger, do you yield?
16 SENATOR KRUEGER: Of course.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
18 Senator yields.
19 SENATOR MATTERA: And I was hoping
20 that we can talk about cannabis, but we're not
21 going to be doing that.
22 As I understand it, the legislation
23 abolishes the 100-foot rule, which obligates a
24 utility to connect to any customers within
25 100 feet of a gas line to a main line free of
1399
1 charge. Utilities and companies I've spoken to
2 that operate in this space have told me that this
3 will lead to laying off 30 percent of good
4 workers, good union workers, and nonunion workers
5 in the plumbing industry, obviously with our
6 utility workers, plumbers, pipe fitters. All
7 these people, they'd be laid off.
8 Does this legislation contain any
9 funding to retain or retrain those laid off
10 workers?
11 SENATOR KRUEGER: (Pause.) Thank
12 you, Senator.
13 So in this bill the answer is no.
14 In other things we have done we've put I think
15 $20 million into the Department of Labor for
16 retraining of pipe professionals. And we put
17 additional money into -- $25 million into NYPA.
18 So that actually totals 45 million.
19 But I think your question is so
20 important in the context of what we need to do
21 and New York HEAT is just one piece of. We're
22 all arguing back and forth, how can we go into a
23 green economy? What will happen when we go into
24 a green economy, whether we're talking buses or
25 pipes or boilers.
1400
1 Well, the truth is we actually know
2 that in a new green economy we will have more
3 jobs for all of these workers. Maybe -- and I
4 respect, because we have talked about this many
5 times, that you in fact come from a history of
6 being a labor leader for plumbers. We all know
7 that and respect you for that. There are going
8 to be other models of work in a green economy
9 with new jobs that nobody's even understood they
10 were going to have an opportunity to get. There
11 will be more jobs for people.
12 Actually, if we continue -- and this
13 is something you and I agree on -- with expansion
14 of geothermal energy opportunities, both
15 one-on-one in individual houses or through
16 networks, which are extremely exciting, they not
17 only have zero-carbon footprints, but you put
18 pipes in the ground. You're just not putting oil
19 and gas through those pipes, you're putting hot
20 water.
21 With electric buses, we're not going
22 to be telling people you have to chuck every
23 valuable bus that still should be on the road.
24 We're doing it over time so it will be the
25 transition.
1401
1 The new buses will be electric. The
2 old buses are combustion engines. New York City
3 has electric buses all over the streets of
4 New York City, and they seem to be working fine.
5 And so we're paying people to build electric
6 buses instead of combustion buses. We're paying
7 people to drive electric buses instead of
8 combustion buses.
9 And just because the question was
10 asked earlier -- and I'm sorry, I'm going on too
11 long -- it turns out electric buses can
12 occasionally blow up. But they have a higher
13 safety record than combustion -- and you're
14 looking at the clock. Please let me -- keep
15 going. Sorry.
16 SENATOR MATTERA: Please, I just
17 want to do this, because my colleagues really
18 wanted to get to speak.
19 You know, studies that I've seen
20 indicate that these conversions could cost up to
21 50,000 for each one of our homes. What
22 allowances does the legislation make to assist
23 these customers with these costs?
24 I understand we have the low-income,
25 but what are we doing about the middle class,
1402
1 Senator? What are we doing to help our middle --
2 excuse me. I was supposed to say would you
3 yield.
4 (Laughter.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Yes, you
6 are supposed to.
7 SENATOR MATTERA: So sorry about
8 that.
9 What are we doing about our middle
10 class that can't put food on their table? The
11 food insecurities, the lines around the blocks
12 that I see when I'm there, with Long Island Cares
13 and Island Harvest. What are we doing for the
14 middle class, Senator?
15 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you. So if
16 we were on NY HEAT, I would point out that that
17 is pipes going into new construction, not
18 conversions. And I believe this question is more
19 what about buildings that need to convert,
20 homeowners who need to convert.
21 The good news is we have a whole
22 series of tax credits at the state and federal
23 level. And even as we sit here discussing it, we
24 are finding that the middle class are building
25 their homes and converting their homes to the
1403
1 alternative energy at higher rates than ever
2 before. If you look at the growth in heat pumps
3 in New York State, it's amazing how many people
4 are actually using the tax credits and converting
5 their homes and building homes using heat pumps
6 and other sources of energy.
7 Yes, there is an initial cost, no
8 denial. But you get so much savings over a
9 relatively short period of time with an
10 assortment of tax credits, which we are expanding
11 in this budget. That I have to say Maine, now
12 the coldest state in the nation, has more heat
13 pumps going in than any other source of energy in
14 their residences.
15 SENATOR MATTERA: On the
16 resolution.
17 Just so everybody knows, New York
18 State residents need to understand it's going to
19 cost triple to quadruple with their electric
20 bills --
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Excuse me.
22 Senator Mattera, are you on the resolution?
23 SENATOR MATTERA: Yes, I'm on the
24 resolution.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: And
1404
1 Senator Krueger, did you finish your answer?
2 SENATOR KRUEGER: I finished, and
3 it's his.
4 SENATOR MATTERA: Thank you. And I
5 just want to say it again, on the resolution,
6 just fast. That's what it's going to cost. All
7 New Yorkers, triple to quadruple with their
8 electric bills, what's happening right now with
9 this HEAT Act, what's happening with the CLCPA's
10 mandates. Mandates are wrong, goals are good.
11 Thank you.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
13 Rolison.
14 SENATOR ROLISON: Okay, thank you,
15 Madam President. Through you, would the sponsor
16 yield for a couple of questions in public
17 protection?
18 SENATOR BAILEY: Through you,
19 Madam President, I would love to yield.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
21 Senator yields.
22 SENATOR ROLISON: And thank you.
23 Through you, Madam President. In my read of
24 this, Senator Bailey, there is a $25 million
25 reduction in the State Police budget. Is that
1405
1 accurate?
2 SENATOR BAILEY: Through you,
3 Madam President, that is not accurate, actually.
4 We have come up with a new and innovative way of
5 making sure that local law enforcement is
6 involved in the retail theft conversation.
7 Previously in the Governor's
8 Executive Budget, $25 million had been allocated
9 solely to State Police. What we have done at the
10 behest of many people -- and we've listened to
11 our constituents and other voices. What we have
12 done is we've created something that gives some
13 money to prosecutors, to local law enforcement,
14 and also State Police as well.
15 So in summation, there is no cut.
16 The money is distributed through DCJS. And it's
17 going more to local law enforcement, which is
18 what we hear often from folks on your side of the
19 aisle.
20 SENATOR ROLISON: Through you,
21 Madam President, would the sponsor continue to
22 yield?
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
24 Bailey, do you yield?
25 SENATOR BAILEY: Certainly.
1406
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
2 Senator yields.
3 SENATOR ROLISON: Through you,
4 Madam President. I see that there is a new
5 addition for retail theft when the aggregate
6 amount reaches a million dollars. Is that
7 accurate?
8 SENATOR BAILEY: Through you,
9 Madam President. Senator Rolison, did you say a
10 million dollars or a thousand dollars?
11 SENATOR ROLISON: It would exceed a
12 million dollars, which would then create a
13 Class B felony, which would be bail-eligible.
14 SENATOR BAILEY: Could you clarify
15 what part you're getting that from,
16 Senator Rolison, if you don't mind? Through you,
17 Madam President, excuse me.
18 SENATOR ROLISON: Right. So
19 Part WW creates a mechanism to aggregate the
20 value of stolen goods from retail theft crimes.
21 SENATOR BAILEY: And the question
22 is?
23 SENATOR ROLISON: Is that -- am I
24 accurate?
25 SENATOR BAILEY: Through you,
1407
1 Madam President, that's accurate.
2 SENATOR ROLISON: And through you,
3 Madam President, where does the million dollars
4 come into play?
5 SENATOR BAILEY: Through you,
6 Madam President. Senator Rolison, what million
7 dollars?
8 SENATOR ROLISON: The aggregate
9 value of the stolen goods. Over a 90-day period.
10 SENATOR BAILEY: Through you,
11 Madam President, I think that there's a
12 misunderstanding. It's not a million dollars.
13 We're talking about the aggregate for a crime of
14 grand larceny, which is a thousand dollars.
15 The million -- it is not a
16 million-dollar, you know, threshold for grand
17 larceny. That would be quite a large threshold
18 for grand larceny. Through you, Madam President.
19 And what the intent of the
20 legislation is, if I may --
21 SENATOR ROLISON: Yup.
22 SENATOR BAILEY: -- is, you know,
23 sometimes people steal amounts up to $999. And
24 so that prosecutors would be able to charge
25 aggregate crimes that occur within a three-month
1408
1 period as a grand larceny crime, as opposed to
2 Class A misdemeanors.
3 SENATOR ROLISON: Through you,
4 Madam President, if the sponsor would continue to
5 yield.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
7 Bailey, do you yield?
8 SENATOR BAILEY: I do.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
10 Senator yields.
11 SENATOR ROLISON: So if an
12 individual is involved in shoplifting, retail
13 theft crime, and they are arrested once or
14 100 times, they are treated the same currently as
15 it relates to bail.
16 SENATOR BAILEY: Through you,
17 Madam President, in the hypothetical alleged, if
18 the amount that was taken is under a thousand
19 dollars, that would be accurate.
20 Which is why we have taken steps in
21 this one-house to remedy what is currently
22 happening so that we can be more responsive to
23 the occurrence of retail theft happening in our
24 state.
25 SENATOR ROLISON: Madam President,
1409
1 I'll yield the rest of my time.
2 Thank you, Senator.
3 SENATOR BAILEY: Thank you.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Okay.
5 Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick.
6 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:
7 Thank you, Madam President. Will the sponsor
8 yield for questions on TED Part 0 regarding the
9 RAPID Act?
10 SENATOR KRUEGER: Which act is it?
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Krueger,
12 RAPID Act.
13 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK: The
14 RAPID Act.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The RAPID
16 Act. I think there were questions previously
17 about that.
18 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:
19 Yes.
20 SENATOR KRUEGER: Senator Harckham
21 would love to give that answer.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
23 Harckham, do you yield?
24 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Absolutely.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
1410
1 Senator yields.
2 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:
3 Thank you, Senator.
4 The Governor's proposal for the
5 RAPID Act allowed ORES to ignore local law and
6 regulations to advance the goals of the CLCPA.
7 Did the one-house proposal reject that provision,
8 or is that still included?
9 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Through you,
10 Madam President, the Governor's proposal does not
11 change any of the language in the law that
12 currently exists. All the Governor is doing in
13 her proposal is moving it from the Department of
14 State to the Department of Public Service.
15 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:
16 Madam President, will the sponsor continue to
17 yield.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
19 continue to yield?
20 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Absolutely.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
22 Senator yields.
23 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:
24 Included in the Governor's proposal, though, is
25 an ability for the -- for ORES to overrule local
1411
1 law. And my question is, will local law be
2 overruled regarding zoning, et cetera?
3 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Through you,
4 Madam President. The provisions of ORES do not
5 change. Those stay -- again, nothing has changed
6 either in the Governor's proposal or our
7 proposal. The way ORES works is for those larger
8 projects, they take into account community input
9 and weigh against some of the larger factors.
10 And some projects have been denied based on
11 community input.
12 But again, nothing in the Governor's
13 proposal, or in the Senate one-house, changes
14 what's already in law. It simply moves it from
15 one agency to another.
16 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:
17 Will the sponsor continue to yield.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
19 continue to yield?
20 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Absolutely.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
22 Senator yields.
23 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK: So
24 the RAPID Act also allows for engaging
25 stakeholders and municipalities to develop
1412
1 guidelines regarding agricultural land.
2 My question is, does the one-house
3 provide for similar working groups to minimize
4 adverse impacts on other sensitive environmental
5 areas such as coastlines?
6 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Through you,
7 Madam President. In the Senate one-house we have
8 actually strengthened protections for prime
9 farmland and agricultural land.
10 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:
11 Thank you.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
13 Gianaris.
14 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
15 that concludes the debate.
16 Please call the vote, and we can
17 move on to vote explanations.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Seeing and
19 hearing none, debate is closed.
20 Call the roll.
21 (The Secretary called the roll.)
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
23 Webb to explain her vote.
24 SENATOR WEBB: Thank you,
25 Madam President.
1413
1 As I rise to speak on our one-house
2 budget that appears to have unanimous support --
3 (Laughter.)
4 SENATOR WEBB: -- I want to thank
5 Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, my
6 colleagues, all the staff and members who have
7 worked tirelessly on our budget.
8 I also want to lift up -- because
9 during the debate there was a lot of conversation
10 around what are we doing to support --
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Can we
12 have some order, please.
13 SENATOR WEBB: There were a lot of
14 points with regards to what are we doing to
15 support working families, those who are the most
16 vulnerable. And this one-house budget proposal
17 is doing all of those things.
18 And so as someone who represents the
19 Southern Tier but also someone who has also
20 advocated for a number of resources for
21 underserved communities on a number of issues
22 that we're touching upon in this budget -- such
23 as education funding and supports, especially for
24 small and rural communities which I represent --
25 we are providing -- continuing to provide funding
1414
1 to support our educators and staff as they
2 continue to educate our students.
3 And so we have pushed back against
4 the proposed cuts. We are continuing to make
5 historic investments in our schools, increasing
6 school aid by $747 million, to name a few of the
7 investments. We are also making historic
8 investments in higher education, as we are
9 reforming the TAP program by raising the maximum
10 threshold for TAP eligibility.
11 In addition, we are addressing and
12 continuing to advance efforts to address the need
13 for quality, affordable, safe and secure housing.
14 And we are making significant investment in
15 reforms aimed on this issue, also providing
16 protections for tenants and simultaneously
17 supporting development across the state and
18 providing provisions for homeowners or for those
19 who are aspiring to be homeowners.
20 We are continuing to deliver on our
21 commitment to climate goals and a sustainable
22 future. Our budget proposal includes NY HEAT,
23 which will save our constituents the money on
24 their utility bills.
25 As the chair of the Women's Issues
1415
1 Committee, I am happy that our one-house budget
2 addresses the need to support and protect
3 reproductive and maternal health, including
4 10 million to support an increased Medicaid
5 reimbursement rate for reproductive care and
6 medication.
7 I also want to lift up, as I close,
8 that a number of the reforms that we're looking
9 to support, including childcare, which are also
10 integral for workforce development and job
11 security, are areas that we continue to invest
12 in. And so --
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
14 Webb, how do you vote?
15 SENATOR WEBB: As I conclude, I
16 proudly vote aye and I encourage my colleagues to
17 do the same.
18 Thank you, Madam President.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
20 Webb to be recorded in the affirmative.
21 Senator Harckham to explain his
22 vote.
23 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Thank you very
24 much, Madam President.
25 I will be voting aye on this
1416
1 resolution. I want to thank the Majority Leader.
2 I want to thank Senator Krueger.
3 There are a number of things in this
4 budget that are beneficial to all of us all over
5 the state. We have heard a lot from all over the
6 state about the need to restore the cuts to
7 50 percent of our school districts -- Republican
8 districts, Democratic districts. We did that.
9 We heard a lot about the need for
10 universal school meals -- Republican districts,
11 Democratic districts. We did that.
12 For those of us outside of the city,
13 the need for universal pre-K -- Republican
14 districts, Democratic districts. We did that.
15 We heard the need from Republicans
16 and Democrats about the need to restore funding
17 for clean water funding. That money goes to
18 Republican districts and Democratic districts.
19 We did that.
20 We heard the need to restore funding
21 and increase funding for our roads, our CHIPS
22 program, for our local municipalities and for the
23 State DOT highway program because our roads are
24 in such poor shape. That's in Democratic
25 districts, Republican districts. We fixed that.
1417
1 We heard about the need to
2 adequately pay our direct care support workers
3 who care for the neediest among us. That happens
4 in Republican districts, Democratic districts.
5 We did that.
6 And finally I just want to say, on
7 the notion of the transformation to clean energy,
8 to my good friend Senator Mattera I would say we
9 also put in $90 million for two geothermal heat
10 projects on SUNY campuses, one in Buffalo, one at
11 SUNY Purchase. All that work goes to unionized
12 plumbers, steamfitters, operating engineers.
13 That's the future.
14 Norway is 90 percent heat pumps and
15 thermal networks. Towns and villages, thermal
16 networks. That's the future. That's today.
17 That's what's in this budget.
18 I vote aye, Madam President.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
20 Harckham to be recorded in the affirmative.
21 Senator Liu to explain his vote.
22 SENATOR LIU: Thank you very much,
23 Madam President.
24 I speak in enthusiastic favor of
25 this Senate budget resolution. This was crafted
1418
1 after hours and hours, days and days and weeks
2 and weeks of deliberations, consultations with
3 our constituents, and debate with our colleagues.
4 And in particular, I thank you,
5 Madam Chair, for your leadership and also the
6 leadership of our Majority Leader, Andrea
7 Stewart-Cousins, on the issues of education,
8 education that preserves funding for school
9 districts all across the State of New York, and
10 also ensures that we will be able to govern and
11 operate our schools in the best manner possible
12 for all New York City schoolkids.
13 Madam President, in particular I
14 want to point out one item in the budget
15 resolution that speaks to New York City's
16 requests for additional borrowing capacity. The
17 City of New York, as you know, has requested
18 $12 billion of additional bonding authority.
19 That is a massive increase in the city's
20 borrowing authority. In comparison, the last
21 bond authority that the State of New York
22 received was a $4.2 billion bond authority for
23 environmental projects.
24 I strongly urged -- and I am happy
25 to see that this is in the resolution -- that if
1419
1 the City of New York will get this additional
2 bonding authority, that they first must
3 prioritize school construction, especially when
4 their capital construction plan for schools in
5 New York City is at the lowest it's been in many,
6 many years.
7 There cannot be any serious effort
8 on the part of New York City to comply with
9 class-size mandates that we passed here in this
10 chamber unless they are serious about their
11 school capital construction plan. And so that is
12 why it's important that that be a proviso in
13 granting the city additional borrowing aid.
14 Thanks so much, Madam President.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you.
16 Senator Liu to be recorded in the
17 affirmative.
18 Senator Weik to explain her vote.
19 SENATOR WEIK: Thank you,
20 Madam President.
21 In this budget we see the creation
22 of the New York Housing Opportunity Corporation,
23 which largely removes local control from our
24 communities. We see a push to legalize ADUs.
25 The budget -- this budget ignores
1420
1 the many viable concerns about the rapidly
2 approaching deadlines for electric school buses.
3 It spends 2.4 billion on illegal
4 migrants, yet offers no repeal of Tier 6. Even
5 after holding two public hearings last year to
6 find ways to grow our public-sector employees and
7 keep people working here in New York, the
8 number-one plea of teachers and civil service
9 agencies during those hearings was to repeal
10 Tier 6 so we can grow our workforce. And yet
11 this budget does nothing to do that.
12 This budget that aims to spend
13 $246.2 billion does not prioritize New Yorkers.
14 Instead, it grows government control and greatly
15 raises taxes and makes New York State much less
16 affordable.
17 And for that, Madam President, I'll
18 be in the negative.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
20 Weik to be recorded in the negative.
21 Senator Ramos to explain her vote.
22 SENATOR RAMOS: Thank you,
23 Madam President.
24 I rise on behalf of the children in
25 my district to vote aye on this one-house
1421
1 resolution. Two years ago I passed the
2 Child Poverty Reduction Act, which requires that
3 we cut child poverty in half by 2032. Because of
4 the dysfunction in Washington, we have regressed
5 in our fight.
6 There are critical measures in this
7 resolution that will help us fight this economic
8 and social evil. First, we are updating our
9 temporary disability insurance system by enacting
10 progressive wage replacement so low-wage workers
11 can use the safety net, and updating the benefit
12 to be a true wage replacement.
13 Aligning the system with paid family
14 leave makes sure pregnant people have a longer
15 runway to care for themselves and their growing
16 family.
17 I'm thrilled that both the Senate
18 and Assembly are advancing an iteration of the
19 Mothers and Infants Lasting Change Allowance,
20 making New York State a national leader in
21 exploring poverty reduction via guaranteed
22 income.
23 Hearing the success stories during
24 this budget cycle from mothers who have benefited
25 from modest cash grants during their pregnancy
1422
1 has been nothing short of transformational.
2 These mothers use this money to buy diapers and
3 formula, leave abusive partners, and pursue
4 higher education. And this is how we lift from
5 the bottom up.
6 I'm also grateful that my bill to
7 improve street safety around our public schools
8 has the support of my conference. Yesterday
9 afternoon my community and I lost an
10 eight-year-old boy to a reckless driver who
11 didn't yield while turning. His three-year-old
12 brother was also injured.
13 I have heard this story too many
14 times during my tenure as Senator. Thankfully,
15 this resolution includes Sammy's Law and my
16 scrambled crosswalks bill.
17 There's so much else to be proud of:
18 Tier 6 pension reform, rejecting school cuts and
19 Medicaid cuts, new tools to combat wage theft, a
20 plan for housing and tenant protections, serious
21 funding for the expansion of mental health
22 treatment courts, and taxing the rich to fund our
23 communities, to name a few.
24 I'd like to thank the outstanding
25 staff of the New York State Democratic Conference
1423
1 and my exemplary staff. I'd like to thank
2 Senator Krueger for her work as Finance chair,
3 and our leader for her strength as she heads into
4 three way negotiations.
5 Thank you.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
7 Ramos to be recorded in the affirmative.
8 Senator Sepúlveda to explain his
9 vote.
10 SENATOR SEPÚLVEDA: Thank you,
11 Madam President.
12 I rise also to vote in the
13 affirmative for this resolution.
14 Budgets are an indication of
15 priorities of our conferences. And I know -- I
16 recently visited Taiwan. In Taiwan, healthcare
17 is considered a human constitutional right. We
18 haven't reached that anywhere near in this
19 country, but we should. And if you look at what
20 we've done with Medicaid, we've increased the
21 3 percent rate; a 10 percent increase in
22 inpatient/outpatient for hospitals.
23 One of the most important
24 institutions, health institutions in my district
25 is St. Barnabas, which is bleeding money and
1424
1 needs a lot of assistance. And so for these
2 hospitals that are in a critical situation, to
3 allocate $1.5 billion for these financially
4 distressed hospitals are going to save a lot of
5 lives in the district that I represent.
6 And on the issue of housing, we have
7 $250 million for the Housing Access Voucher
8 program; 500 million for NYCHA; 40 million to
9 repair rent-stabilized apartments and to create
10 housing legal assistance for the residents in the
11 community.
12 On education, $4.5 million for
13 English language learning students that are
14 disabled; 138 million to expand TAP that will
15 allow part-time students to attend proprietary
16 institutions. On the hunger front, 65 million
17 for hunger prevention and nutrition. And
18 compelling us to participate -- or asking us to
19 participate in the national school lunch program,
20 and breakfast, so all the schools in our
21 districts are required to offer breakfast and
22 lunch, in many cases where that is the only
23 breakfast or lunch a child will have.
24 On capital projects, important for
25 me, an institution in my district that I share
1425
1 with Senator Serrano, Hostos College,
2 $150 million for capital improvements.
3 On corrections, 1.6 million -- small
4 amount -- for families to visit to take their
5 children to visit parents that may be
6 incarcerated. It is not a child's fault if they
7 are separated from a family member because the
8 family member's incarcerated, and we should do
9 everything possible to help them establish these
10 kinds of relationships.
11 It aligns the definition of serious
12 mental illness and mental hygiene. And on the
13 crime front, I know one of the biggest problems
14 we have is retail theft crimes, and we're
15 addressing that in this budget as well.
16 The cannabis industry, which once we
17 get it straight I believe will be awesome --
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
19 Sepúlveda, your time is -- your time is up.
20 SENATOR SEPÚLVEDA: And last but
21 not least, getting New York City back to
22 participate in AIM funding. In his infinite
23 wisdom, the last governor took us out. We want
24 back in, because that will bring hundreds of
25 millions of dollars to the City of New York.
1426
1 I vote aye.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
3 Sepúlveda to be recorded in the affirmative.
4 Senator Brisport to explain his
5 vote.
6 SENATOR BRISPORT: Thank you,
7 Madam President.
8 I rise to vote in the affirmative
9 and to remind us that, through her artfully
10 misleading speeches and press releases, Governor
11 Hochul seems to have created a false collective
12 memory in Albany, a strategic fiction in which
13 two years ago she took swift action to make the
14 transformational investments needed to move the
15 childcare sector out of a state of crisis.
16 In reality, our Governor
17 successfully negotiated to limit New York's
18 childcare investment. As a result, New York's
19 childcare educators are still earning less than
20 96 percent of occupations in our state, and the
21 continued exodus of professionals from the sector
22 has left massive childcare deserts from Buffalo
23 to Brooklyn.
24 On Friday Cornell released a report
25 showing that adults in nearly half of households
1427
1 with young children are kept out of the workforce
2 because of unmet childcare needs. Our Governor
3 has essentially thrown a sponge at a bursting
4 dam, taken a bow, and walked away.
5 We in the Legislature now bear the
6 responsibility of holding the Governor
7 accountable to finally align her actions with her
8 public claims. Yet this one-house budget
9 resolution does not do that. In fact, it rolls
10 back on our own commitments to childcare. Two
11 years ago this very body voted on a one-house
12 resolution that said in 2024 we would push to
13 invest $4.1 billion in the childcare sector.
14 Today's resolution cuts that proposed investment
15 by about 50 percent.
16 To make matters worse, the harms of
17 our reversal on childcare investments stand to be
18 compounded if we fail to stop the Governor's
19 effort to tie childcare more closely to
20 employment, a policy nightmare that is
21 simultaneously cruel to families, inequitable to
22 children, and a drag on our economy.
23 Today's one-house resolution is an
24 improvement over the Governor's incredibly
25 irresponsible proposal in many important ways,
1428
1 and I feel compelled to support it and fight for
2 all these improvements to be maintained in our
3 final budget. But I strongly urge this body to
4 rise to meet the scale of our childcare crisis.
5 We cannot sit back and wait for the Governor. We
6 cannot sit back and wait for the federal
7 government. We must be the force that rises to
8 meet this moment and make New York the first
9 state to build universal childcare.
10 Thank you.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
12 Brisport to be recorded in the affirmative.
13 Senator Sanders to explain his vote.
14 SENATOR SANDERS: Thank you,
15 Madam President.
16 I want to commend Andrea
17 Stewart-Cousins, the Democratic Majority, the
18 excellent staff, and all who supported this
19 budget resolution.
20 Many things about this budget will
21 aid working people in New York State. There are
22 so many that we can -- I won't go into them. My
23 colleagues have spoken well.
24 I will point out one. I especially
25 want to thank my colleagues for our stand on
1429
1 reparations. Senator Krueger did such a great
2 job that I didn't have to jump up. I was ready,
3 but you were doing so good that you did better
4 than I would, so I let you do it.
5 Reparations. The word itself, of
6 course, comes from repair. So we in the
7 Democratic Majority have taken great steps to
8 ensure that all people have the equality of
9 opportunity that America claims that it stands
10 for and that New York insists that we have.
11 Now that we have a commission, may
12 all the New Yorkers wish them Godspeed in their
13 deliberations, and may we legislators pursue
14 justice and wisdom. New York, like America, is
15 not a perfect place, but we are fighting to help
16 create the perfect union.
17 On behalf of the more than 50,000
18 New Yorkers who died in the Civil War, most of
19 whom were white, I want to vote yes on this
20 budget. God bless the Union. God bless
21 New York.
22 Thank you. And thank all of my
23 colleagues.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
25 Sanders to be recorded in the affirmative.
1430
1 Senator Rhoads to explain his vote.
2 SENATOR RHOADS: Thank you,
3 Madam President.
4 This is only my second year, but I
5 kind of feel like this is a little bit of
6 Groundhog's Day. You know, every year we have
7 budget hearings. Every year we have experts who
8 come in and tell us that the reason that people
9 are leaving this state in droves -- 1.5 million
10 over the course of the last 10 years alone -- is
11 because we are taxing too much. It's taxes that
12 are driving people away.
13 New York is the second-worst state,
14 ranked by Forbes, for business. New York is the
15 second-highest-taxed state next to California.
16 And I must thank my colleagues on the other side
17 of the aisle for attempting to make us number one
18 in both. Not a distinction that we would want to
19 have.
20 We have budgets that are about
21 priorities. But this budget is making us less
22 safe, it's making New York less affordable, it's
23 making New York less free. And as we talk about
24 priorities, we see no funding for Nassau
25 University Medical Center, which was something
1431
1 that we had requested. We see $20 billion that
2 is going towards electric buses that will come
3 directly out of the pockets of taxpayers,
4 property taxpayers in their school taxes.
5 We see an effort to vacate
6 convictions, which will greatly lower the
7 evidentiary threshold and will lead to the
8 disclosure of confidential informants, undercover
9 law enforcement officers, creating a threat to
10 their safety and security.
11 We see priorities like cutting
12 $99 million in funding from the State Police,
13 rejecting an expansion in the list of hate
14 crimes. We see 1.5 million and 3.5 million in
15 two different spots being taken away from
16 faith-based organizations and for not-for-profit
17 development, who service many of the
18 disadvantaged populations that we have here in
19 the State of New York. Yet we see $128 billion
20 more being spent on cannabis, $2.4 billion --
21 I'll wrap it up.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Your time
23 has expired.
24 SENATOR RHOADS: -- $2.4 billion
25 being spent on illegal immigrants. The reality
1432
1 is that our priorities are wrong.
2 I will vote no on this budget, and I
3 encourage -- well, on this resolution, and I
4 encourage my colleagues to do the same.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
6 Rhoads to be recorded in the negative.
7 Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick to
8 explain her vote.
9 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:
10 Thank you, Madam President.
11 There are several concerns that I
12 have regarding this budget proposal. The
13 New York Housing Opportunity Corporation, along
14 with ORES, are designed to override local
15 control, local officials that have been elected
16 by districts that know better, that know about
17 their local needs, about their local concerns.
18 And I have serious concerns that shoving things
19 down the throat of our local officials is not
20 going to help with things like the CLCPA and
21 affordable housing.
22 I also have concerns about the fact
23 that we've heard from school districts about the
24 need to overhaul our Foundation Aid calculation,
25 the wealth ratios. There's not enough in this
1433
1 budget to fix that problem, because that is going
2 to affect multiple things.
3 I also think that the idea of
4 congestion pricing, and what we're doing in not
5 getting fare evaders, is going to hurt the people
6 directly in my district, the 9th Senate District.
7 And for those reasons, I'm voting in the
8 negative.
9 Thank you, Madam President.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
11 Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick to be recorded in the
12 negative.
13 Senator Hoylman-Sigal to explain his
14 vote.
15 SENATOR HOYLMAN-SIGAL: Thank you,
16 Madam President.
17 I rise in support of this
18 resolution. I want to thank, of course,
19 Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, our Finance chair,
20 Senator Krueger, and all of my colleagues,
21 including the staff.
22 This budget resolution really speaks
23 to so many issues -- working families, fair
24 taxation, seniors, schools, housing, climate,
25 helping the most vulnerable.
1434
1 I want to also point out the fact
2 that we are allocating as a proposal a historic
3 amount to funding Family Court in the State of
4 New York, a vexing problem for so many of our
5 constituents who are litigants in that maelstrom
6 that exists.
7 I want to thank the Chief Judge for
8 his support, and the Chief Administrative Judge
9 in connection with this.
10 You know, Madam President, this is
11 Sunshine Week. And I'm happy as well that our
12 Senate one-house resolution includes a proposal
13 to open up the courtrooms by allowing cameras for
14 the first time, as well as assisting our local
15 publications, something I hear about from many of
16 my colleagues that newspapers and publications in
17 our districts are dying. But in this proposal,
18 we will provide them an outlet for as much as
19 $200,000 per publication as a critical lifeline
20 to small news publications struggling to keep
21 journalists on the payroll to provide the crucial
22 coverage that our communities rely on.
23 One national newspaper has under its
24 masthead "Democracy dies in darkness." Well,
25 that's a local issue too. Over the last 20 years
1435
1 more than 20 percent of American newspapers have
2 shut down. And in total, they employ less than
3 one-half as many journalists as they did 20 years
4 ago. In New York State, 190 newspapers closed.
5 With this proposal, the Local Journalism
6 Sustainability Act, hopefully we can turn that
7 around.
8 I vote aye.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
10 Hoylman-Sigal to be recorded in the affirmative.
11 Senator Weber to explain his vote.
12 SENATOR WEBER: Thank you,
13 Madam President.
14 As my colleague Senator Rhoads
15 mentioned, this is also my second budget year, so
16 a lot of what I'm going to say is probably
17 similar to what I said last year, that budgets
18 like this are unsustainable. This budget is
19 $14.6 billion over the base, 13.4 billion over
20 the Governor's budget. Truly unsustainable
21 numbers, setting a dangerous precedent for years
22 to come.
23 A budget resolution that has no
24 significant middle-class tax cut and does things
25 that I think makes us less safe.
1436
1 You know, I was encouraged when the
2 Governor released her budget that she included a
3 major portion of Senator Hoylman-Sigal's hate
4 crime legislation, which would have increased the
5 hate crime offenses from 66 to 97 -- crimes that
6 you would think would automatically and already
7 have been included as a hate crime.
8 I'm extremely disappointed, and I'm
9 sure my colleague is too, that that has been
10 taken out in this resolution. And I'm hopeful
11 that in the final budget version, that will be
12 included. Because as we've seen since the
13 slaughter of 1100 Jews on October 7th by Hamas,
14 we've seen a 95 percent increase in hate crimes
15 against Jewish residents, Jewish residents all
16 across this state. We've seen a 90 percent spike
17 in hate crimes between 2020 and '22 among all
18 races.
19 So we need to really address this.
20 I think that goes a long way to doing it, and I
21 look forward that the things that aren't
22 addressed and that are not being done properly in
23 this budget get addressed over the next few
24 weeks.
25 I'll be voting in the negative on
1437
1 this resolution, hopeful that we can correct a
2 lot of the things that I think are deficient in
3 this resolution.
4 Thank you.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
6 Weber to be recorded in the negative. Correct,
7 Senator Weber?
8 SENATOR WEBER: (Nodding.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
10 Ryan to explain his vote.
11 SENATOR RYAN: Thank you,
12 Madam President.
13 This budget contains many housing
14 proposals that are focused on expanding safe and
15 affordable housing. We face many housing
16 challenges in New York State, and there are
17 regional differences in the challenges we face.
18 Upstate New York, New York City, they are
19 different housing markets and they need proposals
20 tailored to their specific needs.
21 That's why I'm so excited about the
22 policies that we've included in our one-house
23 budget. I want to take the opportunity to
24 highlight three proposals we included in our
25 budget that really move the ball forward towards
1438
1 obtaining the goal of regional housing policy.
2 The first one is my bill S8585.
3 It's a bill that would create infill housing
4 throughout upstate New York. They're a series of
5 pilot projects, but it's a $40 million investment
6 that will build one and two family homes in
7 Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and
8 Binghamton, all areas that really faced a
9 demolition crisis in the eighties and the
10 nineties.
11 The program will prioritize vacant
12 lots, and it will help ease the housing market in
13 those cities. It will add thousands of new homes
14 to the municipal tax roll, which is also very
15 important.
16 The second is S8591, and it creates
17 a rental improvement pilot project. It creates
18 $40 million to HCR to give up to $75,000 per
19 rental unit. The priority is on small landlords
20 and to bring units that are offline because of
21 code violations back online. As a condition of
22 receiving the grant, the landlord is required to
23 rent at affordable rents based on the
24 neighborhood median income.
25 And the third is changes to
1439
1 Social Services Law. It's a bill that I have,
2 8622, combined with bills from Senator Kavanagh.
3 But it will make changes to the law to make it
4 easier to get emergency housing funds, one-shot
5 rental deals. It's a $50 million appropriation.
6 And we think with these programs
7 they'll be successful in bringing more housing to
8 our upstate communities.
9 Because of these proposals and
10 others, I proudly vote aye, Madam President.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
12 Ryan to be recorded in the affirmative.
13 Senator Cooney to explain his vote.
14 SENATOR COONEY: Thank you,
15 Madam President.
16 I rise to support this budget
17 resolution. And I want to thank our Majority
18 Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, our Deputy
19 Majority Leader Mike Gianaris, and our Finance
20 Chair Senator Krueger for their leadership in
21 today's vote.
22 I want to say that this budget truly
23 delivers for the families and the people of
24 upstate New York. As Senator Ryan discussed just
25 now, in terms of our housing crisis there are
1440
1 real solutions on the table, including housing
2 access vouchers, to make sure that our families
3 can stay and be safe in their homes.
4 We saw a record increase in
5 financing and funding for our public schools. I
6 want to thank Senator Hinchey for her leadership
7 with universal school meals. This is huge as we
8 combat poverty across upstate New York.
9 And speaking of poverty, this Senate
10 put together a package which invests in upstate
11 cities and zip codes that have experienced
12 generational poverty for years. In the city that
13 I am from and proud to represent, the City of
14 Rochester, three out of five of the poorest zip
15 codes in the State of New York are located in the
16 district I represent. Yet we continue to have
17 this conversation about how to break the cycle of
18 poverty. We know how to do that, and this budget
19 reflects that.
20 We also invested in our arts and our
21 historic theaters. This is a wonderful way to
22 celebrate being a New Yorker.
23 And let's also recognize that there
24 are innovations and new ideas in this budget
25 resolution. We talk about the science of reading
1441
1 and making sure that we're preparing our students
2 for learning and reading education.
3 This budget invests and expands the
4 Dolly Parton Imagination Library Program
5 statewide so that we can start to build libraries
6 in the homes so that children can prepare through
7 early education to be successful when they get to
8 school.
9 This is what this budget reflects,
10 which is innovation and respect for families both
11 in upstate and downstate. Madam President, I am
12 proud to support this resolution.
13 Thank you.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
15 Cooney to be recorded in the affirmative.
16 Senator Hinchey to explain her vote.
17 SENATOR HINCHEY: Thank you,
18 Madam President.
19 I rise in proud support for this
20 resolution today. Our budget not only
21 resoundingly rejects the cuts to education across
22 our state, ensuring that every student, no matter
23 where you live, including in our rural areas, has
24 the funding that they need to get a good
25 education.
1442
1 This budget closes the gap in
2 universal school meals. Last year we got a
3 historic investment, making sure that our
4 students and our kids across the state received
5 breakfast and lunch. But we are now closing the
6 gap for those that were left out, and we will
7 continue to make sure that every student has
8 breakfast and lunch at the end of this budget
9 process.
10 Our budget includes a robust housing
11 proposal, including our bill for a short-term
12 rental registry to help our municipalities and
13 communities like the Hudson Valley, and continues
14 to invest in upstate housing investments to build
15 more housing that works for our smaller
16 communities.
17 I'm really proud also that this
18 Majority has continued for four years in a row to
19 secure the best budget for agriculture in our
20 state's history. And contrary to some of the
21 questioning that we heard today, we have the
22 strongest protections for farmland across the
23 state as well.
24 Madam President, I want to thank you
25 for your leadership, because in this budget we
1443
1 proudly say that EMS is an essential service and
2 we will make sure that everyone sees that and
3 feels that and believes that by the end of this
4 budget process.
5 And I also want to thank the
6 Majority and of course our Majority Leader for
7 helping us put a stake in the ground to show that
8 we are serious that the Mid-Hudson Valley
9 deserves a Mid-Hudson Valley Transportation
10 Authority for the communities and the residents
11 that live in our area that today do not have
12 access to robust public transportation, but we
13 need it.
14 This budget also has strong tax
15 support for our working families, and it moves
16 the ball further in our fight against the climate
17 crisis while bringing down utility costs for our
18 residents.
19 This is a budget that works for the
20 entire state, and I am proud to vote aye.
21 Thank you very much.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
23 Hinchey to be recorded in the affirmative.
24 Senator Martins to explain his vote.
25 SENATOR MARTINS: Thank you,
1444
1 Madam President.
2 You know, we're spending
3 $246 billion and you'd think that with that,
4 you'd leave this building and we'd live in a
5 panacea, that people would be flocking to
6 New York State from all over the country for the
7 opportunity to live here.
8 But the opposite is actually true.
9 We lead the country in outmigration, and we're
10 spending money, Madam President, irresponsibly.
11 I can't support this resolution for
12 a number of reasons, some of which I spoke about
13 earlier, that it does not prioritize public
14 employees and doesn't have meaningful repeal of
15 Tier 6.
16 As for housing, if you live on
17 Long Island, in the Hudson Valley and upstate
18 New York, good luck going home and telling your
19 local communities that their zoning has been
20 usurped by a corporation that will be appointed
21 by Albany, that will be able to impose housing
22 even where the local community doesn't want it.
23 And as a person who lives in the MTA
24 region and represents the 7th Senate District, my
25 commuters go into New York City every day.
1445
1 They're going to in short order be paying
2 congestion pricing in New York City. And yet the
3 Majority saw fit to strip everything in this
4 proposal that had anything to do with holding
5 fare beaters, turnstile jumpers and toll evaders
6 responsible.
7 So Madam President, I have to ask
8 myself -- and I ask everyone here -- why
9 shouldn't we go home and tell those who ride into
10 New York City on the Long Island Rail Road or
11 Metro-North that they shouldn't have to pay their
12 fares either? If the MTA is broke and we're
13 putting congestion pricing in place in order to
14 subsidize them, why are we not protecting the MTA
15 by making sure everyone pays their fair amount?
16 I vote nay.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
18 Martins to be recorded in the negative.
19 Senator Cleare to explain her vote.
20 SENATOR CLEARE: Thank you,
21 Madam President.
22 I vote aye on this resolution, and I
23 just want to point out some things that I'm
24 really happy are included.
25 I want to thank Andrea
1446
1 Stewart-Cousins, Senator Krueger, all my
2 colleagues who worked so hard on advocating for
3 funding and policies to improve the lives of all
4 New Yorkers.
5 As was mentioned earlier, we funded
6 the Reparations Commission. This is so
7 important, so this commission would be able to do
8 the thorough and comprehensive work it has been
9 tasked with, and not just put in place to be
10 unfunded.
11 I'm very, very happy for what we've
12 done in housing. We need to do more, but we
13 certainly have done a lot -- historic aid to
14 NYCHA, New York City Housing Authority, historic
15 aid has been delivered to that.
16 We have to preserve affordable
17 housing that already exists and respond to what I
18 hear most from my constituents or former
19 constituents who have had to leave this city, who
20 have had an exodus from this city. Rents are too
21 high. We have to create affordable housing. And
22 I'm very proud of what was put into this
23 one-house in order to create that.
24 I also have to say, as chair of the
25 Aging Committee, that we have finally funded the
1447
1 LTCOP program at $15 million. We've added funds
2 to the Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly
3 Program. We've also allocated $9.1 million to
4 the Neighborhood NORC programs. And we've added
5 a million dollars to support the notification
6 supporting the Interagency Council of Elder
7 Justice.
8 Our elderly are the fastest-growing
9 population, our older New Yorkers, in New York.
10 And we have to support them and make sure that we
11 do more to make sure that their lives are
12 comfortable and they are able to get the
13 healthcare and the housing that they deserve.
14 We also put in money, in this
15 cannabis conversation, to have a youth education
16 program.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
18 Cleare, your time is up.
19 SENATOR CLEARE: Thank you.
20 Thank you, and I vote aye.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
22 Cleare to be recorded in the affirmative.
23 Senator Mattera to explain his vote.
24 SENATOR MATTERA: Thank you,
25 Madam President.
1448
1 You know, this has been a very
2 interesting topic today on everything. But I'm a
3 proud union leader that creates jobs. I don't
4 have jobs that are eliminated. And what's
5 happening with this is jobs will be eliminated.
6 And you know what? That's utility workers,
7 union, hardworking workers. With the plumbers
8 and the pipefitters, yes, hard workers. The
9 nonunion world -- what about the contractors that
10 are going to be losing jobs? And guess what
11 happens -- that means they lay people off.
12 To Senator Harckham, I don't forget
13 one time you said that some people were being --
14 taking advantage of this more than others with
15 workforce. Yes. Sitting as the ranker on
16 Energy, I care about green hydrogen. I care
17 about sewage heat recovery expansion. I care
18 about geothermal. I care about retooling our
19 power plants, better investment than what's
20 happening. Nuclear power. Carbon capture.
21 Solar, wind and battery storage is
22 just going to cost all New Yorkers trillions of
23 dollars in their pocketbooks. And that's the
24 reason why people move to Tennessee, North
25 Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Texas. And
1449
1 it's the truth. We lost 1.5 million people in
2 the last four years because of mandates like
3 this.
4 Senator Krueger, you did say
5 something -- you know, and I appreciate you very
6 much. But you did mention that, guess what, we
7 need to do a better job to make sure we get these
8 people to be retrained, because -- not in this
9 resolution. This is showing that people are
10 going to lose their jobs. And as a union leader,
11 this is upsetting and upsetting to I think
12 everybody here, especially anybody who sits on
13 Labor, that people will be losing their jobs.
14 You know what's happening with
15 New York State with this cannabis disaster?
16 Total disaster, what's happening. It's not
17 bringing any revenue at all to the State of New
18 York. The farmers, I feel so sorry for them,
19 what happened to them. We say, okay, we're going
20 to do a better job. No. There was no plan at
21 all, zero plan, what's going on with this. The
22 black market is running rampant. We're driving
23 down our roadways, and what do you smell? You
24 smell cannabis.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
1450
1 Mattera, your time is up.
2 SENATOR MATTERA: Well, all I can
3 say is I vote nay. We need a plan, not a ban.
4 Keep our natural gas. Keep our jobs.
5 Thank you.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
7 Mattera to be recorded in the negative.
8 Senator Kavanagh to explain his
9 vote.
10 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Thank you,
11 Madam President.
12 This -- there's a lot to talk about
13 in this budget. I'm going to focus on the
14 housing elements, just to say this resolution is
15 by far the broadest, most ambitious housing plan
16 that's been put forth in this state in a very
17 long time.
18 It has, as we've discussed today,
19 provisions to strengthen the laws that protect
20 tenants and homeowners, including good-cause
21 eviction, but also including a codification of
22 the Homeowner Protection Program, which is the
23 bedrock of homeowners who are facing eviction or
24 foreclosure either because of mortgage problems
25 or because of tax foreclosure.
1451
1 It also has new provisions that add
2 to what we did last year on deed theft, when
3 scammers are trying to take people's homes from
4 them and all too often succeeding.
5 It has a very large investment in
6 legal services and the cost of lawyers and
7 advisors for tenants and homeowners when they are
8 facing, again, housing instability and potential
9 loss of their homes -- $130 million and the
10 creation of a new Office of Civil Representation
11 to coordinate those services to make sure that
12 they're available to the people who need them.
13 It includes very ambitious plans to
14 help renters and homeowners with the cost of
15 their housing. That includes the HAVP program
16 which we have been pushing for several years now,
17 a Section 8-style rental assistance program, but
18 also a new program my colleague Senator Ryan
19 mentioned to ensure that when someone is facing
20 eviction because they can't pay their rent, that
21 somebody is there to step in and pay the rent and
22 prevent them from being evicted. That protects
23 the renters, but it also protects the property
24 owners, who otherwise in that circumstance often
25 lose out on the rent arrears that have been built
1452
1 up.
2 And we've got a program here to
3 ensure that people particularly living with HIV
4 have their rents, the contribution to their rents
5 set at a reasonable amount.
6 We've got enormous programs here to
7 increase production and renovation of housing.
8 We are committing to removing artificial
9 restrictions on density in New York. We're
10 committing --
11 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
12 Kavanagh, your time is up.
13 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Just one more
14 sentence. We're committing to ensuring
15 faith-based communities can build, and we are
16 committing to address the various tax breaks that
17 are necessary to New York City --
18 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
19 Kavanagh, your time is up.
20 SENATOR KAVANAGH: -- and around
21 the state to produce housing.
22 And with that, Madam President, and
23 with your patience, I vote aye.
24 Thank you.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
1453
1 Kavanagh to be recorded in the affirmative.
2 Senator Helming to explain her vote.
3 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you,
4 Madam President.
5 I want to start with a few
6 positives. I'm glad that our collective voices
7 were heard on education, and the restoration of
8 the hold-harmless provision been included.
9 To give everyone just a quick
10 example of how the Governor's proposed changes
11 would have affected my predominantly rural
12 district, Marion Central School District would
13 have lost 1.2 million in Foundation Aid. That's
14 a 13.5 percent decrease. The Governor's proposal
15 alone forced them to put 30, 30 of their staff
16 members on notice.
17 So I support the restoration of
18 education funding and the proposed funding to
19 study changes to the Foundation Aid formula. We
20 need to do everything we possibly can to make
21 sure the formula is up-to-date and distributes
22 funding in a fair and reasonable way.
23 In regard to health, I'm glad to see
24 that this budget provides for desperately needed
25 rate updates, including those for our FQHCs.
1454
1 However, this budget does little to
2 nothing for New York State taxpayers, especially
3 our working and middle class. In fact, the
4 proposed budget threatens businesses and jobs
5 with more and more regulations and higher taxes.
6 Just last week, the 17th annual Business Leaders
7 Survey reported that 67 percent of upstate
8 business leaders say business conditions are
9 getting worse in the State of New York.
10 Seventy-six percent of business leaders in the
11 Finger Lakes region reported the reason state
12 government is the gravest detriment to doing
13 business in New York State.
14 The budget proposed by the Majority
15 also continues to grow the size of state
16 government without addressing the glaring issues
17 with our current state operations. Instead of
18 learning from past mistakes, the Majority's
19 budget also seeks to transfer even more power to
20 the Governor's office. It fails to reject the
21 use of eminent domain, the taking of private
22 property. This is a threat to our public.
23 This budget will also strip --
24 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:
25 Senator Helming, your time is up.
1455
1 SENATOR HELMING: --
2 decision-making power from our local
3 communities --
4 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
5 Helming, your time is up.
6 SENATOR HELMING: And for these
7 reasons and many, many more, Madam President, I
8 vote nay.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
10 Helming to be recorded in the negative.
11 Senator Stec to explain his vote.
12 SENATOR STEC: Thank you,
13 Madam President.
14 Two hundred forty-six billion, with
15 a B, dollars -- 13 billion more than the Governor
16 asked for. Sixteen billion more than last year.
17 That's just shy of a quarter of a trillion
18 dollars. We're already the highest-taxed, most
19 overregulated state in the country. We're
20 setting new records here.
21 You know, when you start talking
22 about $246 billion, it's hard to get your head
23 around that unless you work with big numbers like
24 that. So astronomers that work with distances in
25 space, they start understanding that. But you
1456
1 know how also they look at it? They look at it
2 from relative. So relative, where are we now,
3 $230 billion? That's bigger than Texas and
4 Florida's combined state budgets. That's one and
5 a half times per capita California's spending.
6 We are spending out of control,
7 Madam President. Seven billion, seven billion --
8 with a B -- new dollars in new taxes in this
9 budget one-house proposal. At the same time,
10 though, we're going to cut $100 million from the
11 State Police at a time when crime is rising.
12 We did not -- after all this money,
13 $16 billion more above last year, you didn't fix
14 Tier 6. We didn't do anything for our public
15 employees that we can't hire. We can't hire
16 corrections officers, we can't hire State
17 Troopers. But there's two and a half billion
18 dollars of New York State taxpayer money going to
19 New York City for illegal immigration.
20 The priorities of this house and
21 Albany are out of kilter. This is a reckless
22 spending plan.
23 I firmly vote in the negative.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
25 Stec to be recorded in the negative.
1457
1 Senator Oberacker to explain his
2 vote.
3 SENATOR OBERACKER: Thank you,
4 Madam President.
5 You know, I spoke here yesterday
6 when it was Maple Day, maple being one of the
7 sweetest ingredients I think that nature
8 provides. And being a food scientist and a chef,
9 I always prided myself on being -- I could make
10 anything palatable. I could make anything
11 edible. I daresay today I have been proven
12 wrong.
13 It is with much regret that I vote
14 nay. There are certain ingredients in this
15 budget that are palatable. The overall product
16 is inedible.
17 I will be voting nay. Thank you.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
19 Oberacker to be recorded in the negative.
20 Senator Mayer to explain her vote.
21 SENATOR MAYER: Thank you,
22 Madam President.
23 And I want to thank the
24 Majority Leader and our Finance chair and all my
25 colleagues for an incredibly strong budget on
1458
1 education.
2 There is not a child, a community, a
3 family in this state that does not benefit but
4 what this Majority did on education. Every
5 single district will be benefited by the full
6 restoration of Foundation Aid, restoring the
7 inflationary factor at least, at a minimum, that
8 is in the existing law, and rejecting the
9 save-harmless change that the Governor proposed.
10 Providing a minimum 3 percent
11 increase to every district, a minimum. And
12 adding $1 million -- as requested by the
13 State Education Department, I would point out to
14 my colleagues -- for a comprehensive study of
15 Foundation Aid, which must be done.
16 On top of that, we added 150 million
17 in new funds for UPK; 12,000 new formula slots
18 benefiting 400 districts; and increasing the
19 minimum per-pupil rate for universal pre-K.
20 We've increased so every child will
21 have breakfast and lunch in their school, in the
22 entire state. We have invested in community
23 schools, which I have seen firsthand are serving
24 the challenges post-COVID of our families and our
25 students.
1459
1 We have added $5 million for a grant
2 program in K through 12 to address antisemitism,
3 Islamophobia, and anti-Asian hate. We've added
4 $90 million for our nonpublic schools, to assure
5 they have security during these very tough times.
6 And far more in the higher ed space.
7 This is a budget that reflects the
8 values of this conference and, frankly, I would
9 say the values of everyone in this chamber on
10 behalf of children and families.
11 I am so proud of what we have
12 achieved with my colleagues on behalf of every
13 child. Regardless of whose district they sit in,
14 we have done right by the children of New York
15 State.
16 I proudly vote aye.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
18 Mayer to be recorded in the affirmative.
19 Senator Krueger to explain her vote.
20 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you,
21 Madam President.
22 So I've been here 22 years now, my
23 22nd budget. I've never been prouder to be part
24 of this Senate or this conference than with the
25 budget proposal we have offered up this year.
1460
1 And I know some of my colleagues
2 think we're making all the wrong decisions, but I
3 have to say it's not true. First off, I spent
4 years here where we had budgets controlled by the
5 Republicans that I would refer to as the tax and
6 borrow budgets. We would borrow, borrow, borrow
7 -- excuse me, the borrow and spend budgets --
8 because we didn't want to raise taxes, so we
9 would borrow and spend and build up what we owed
10 and what the next generation of people borrowed
11 and then had to pay for.
12 And now, yes, we do some taxes,
13 minimal, on those who can afford it. But we're
14 not borrowing to balance our budget. We have a
15 plan for a balanced budget. And as you've
16 already heard from so many people here, there are
17 really important things in that budget for every
18 part of the state, whether you're a Republican or
19 a Democrat. And we're already hearing that from
20 people, that they know it and they see it.
21 And then I hear people going, we're
22 going too fast in the direction of environmental
23 change and energy change. Well, first off, we're
24 not -- because the planet's burning up, so we
25 ought to be doing something as fast as we can.
1461
1 Second, it is not true that the
2 green economy is going to leave everybody
3 unemployed -- just the opposite -- or that it's
4 going to cost us far more to do basic energy.
5 The data is just the opposite. And even the
6 issue of our too-high taxes are driving people
7 out? It's not reflected in our economic
8 activity.
9 And so just quickly, I want to point
10 out the economy of the State of New York has a
11 gross state product of over $2.2 trillion,
12 $2.2 trillion, ranking us third in size behind
13 the much larger states of California and Texas.
14 And if New York State were an independent nation,
15 it would rank the 10th largest economy in the
16 world.
17 So the fact is businesses do come
18 here, they do do their business here, and they
19 will continue to, particularly as climate change
20 forces people out of the southern states. I
21 mean, the Southwest doesn't have water. We have
22 water, and we're going to, and we're going to
23 keep it clean. The southern states, the
24 temperatures are terrifying. Just look at the
25 news today about what is going on in the rest of
1462
1 the country.
2 And research shows that the two
3 states with the most promise for the next
4 50 years: Michigan and New York State.
5 So even those who've decided maybe
6 they think it's nice and warm in Miami now, it's
7 going to be underwater and they're coming back.
8 And Texas, Arizona, Colorado? I'm sorry, but
9 those states are in big trouble.
10 So we're looking forward. And we're
11 building infrastructure that we need for the
12 21st century. And we're ensuring our kids are
13 going to get the education they deserve. And
14 that's what businesses want. They want solid
15 infrastructure and they want an educated
16 workforce.
17 And so I know we are heading in the
18 right direction for the State of New York, and I
19 proudly vote yes.
20 Thank you, Madam President.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
22 Krueger to be recorded in the affirmative.
23 Senator Ortt to explain his vote.
24 SENATOR ORTT: Thank you very much,
25 Madam President.
1463
1 I will try to be -- and I will be --
2 brief, because my colleagues on this side of the
3 aisle have done a very good job of identifying
4 and outlining all of the problems with the Senate
5 one-house budget. Knowing, of course, full well
6 that it's a one-house budget, which means it's
7 really nothing. It's a political document. It's
8 a marker in a three-way negotiation. That was
9 true when we were in charge. It's certainly true
10 with the current Majority.
11 But there's something I -- I want to
12 speak to some of the comments that I've heard and
13 sort of surmise -- when $7 billion in new taxes
14 are some taxes, minimal -- maybe to somebody in
15 Manhattan, but not to somebody in Niagara. Not
16 to somebody in much of New York State. That
17 almost crystallizes the problem, when $7 billion
18 is just a little bit. Just a little tax
19 increase.
20 When $245 billion -- when that's
21 some money, I think that shows you the problem.
22 If spending money made New York more affordable,
23 we'd be the most affordable state in the country.
24 In fact, we're the least affordable state in the
25 country.
1464
1 One of my colleagues said so when
2 they voted themselves a pay raise. Got increased
3 costs, because it's expensive to live in this
4 state. Ironically, many of their policies are
5 the very reasons it is so expensive.
6 New Yorkers know this. They're
7 paying more for every factor of their life, and
8 they're getting the same or less. And that is
9 absolutely true here in the State of New York.
10 Their quality of life has gone down due to crime.
11 And even though the Governor had a very modest,
12 almost window-dressing retail theft task force,
13 that was too much for the Majority, so it's gone.
14 So crime, we know, quality of life
15 crimes especially, in the subways, across most of
16 our major cities here in New York, are up.
17 We know costs of basic goods and
18 services are up. We absolutely know the cost of
19 energy is going up and will continue to go up.
20 The data does not say it will go down. It
21 absolutely will go up. That's even if the
22 infrastructure is there to support it and the
23 technology is there, which of course it is not.
24 But $2.4 billion to an illegal
25 migrant crisis which continues to be exacerbated
1465
1 and made worse by the policies passed out of this
2 chamber and the other one. One-point-six billion
3 dollars to transport families of criminals -- no
4 doubt, I hope, on an electric bus.
5 But the truth is that we are
6 spending more and have spent more in the last
7 six years since the Democrats took control of
8 this chamber. All Funds is $75 billion more than
9 the last budget passed when Republicans were in
10 charge -- 75 billion. That is larger, as you
11 heard, than 37 other states' total budgets. Just
12 the increase. Now, you tell me how that is
13 sustainable.
14 The Governor doesn't think it's
15 sustainable. I don't even know if some of my
16 friends on the other side of the aisle think it's
17 sustainable. But no question, we have people in
18 this chamber who will continue to advocate for
19 more taxes, increased spending. Under the
20 failed, misguided, misplaced sense that somehow
21 that means we're making New York more affordable
22 and we're helping more people. And if that was
23 the case, we wouldn't have an exodus of people
24 from this state.
25 My colleague, when she says people
1466
1 aren't leaving, that is factually incorrect. We
2 lead the nation in outmigration. We have for
3 several years. It is very simple why. It is
4 budgets like this, or proposals like this. That
5 is why people have left this state. That is why
6 they will continue to leave this state. They
7 know, in spite of all the fancy speeches and the
8 figures and the data points and some of the nice
9 commercials -- they know the truth, and they're
10 deciding, they're voting with their feet.
11 And that is why I, along with the
12 members of this conference -- and I can tell you,
13 if a lot of New Yorkers were here, they would
14 join us in voting no on this Senate one-house
15 bill today.
16 Thank you very much, Madam
17 President.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
19 Ortt to be recorded in the negative.
20 Leader Stewart-Cousins to close.
21 SENATOR STEWART-COUSINS: Thank you
22 so much, Madam President.
23 First, I do want to thank my deputy
24 leader, Senator Gianaris, especially for leading
25 this long, important and spirited debate on the
1467
1 floor. Thank you, as always.
2 And of course I want to thank his
3 counterpart, Minority Leader -- I'm sorry. I
4 think this happened last time -- my good friend
5 Senator Lanza for what you do. And also let me
6 again extend a happy birthday, because I missed
7 it on that day.
8 And also to Minority Leader Senator
9 Ortt for, again, always being a cooperative
10 partner as we go through what we do.
11 I want to especially thank our
12 intrepid Finance chair, Senator Liz Krueger. You
13 know, I don't know how she does it, but she
14 helped preside over 13 joint budget hearings this
15 time around with our friends in the Assembly.
16 And we did a little rough estimation -- and of
17 course I want to give a nod to the Finance
18 ranker, Senator O'Mara, as well -- they spent
19 approximately 100 hours listening to testimonies
20 and shepherding the Legislature's questioning
21 along.
22 So again, that is incredible. And
23 Senator Krueger, thank you very, very much.
24 I also want to give sincere
25 gratitude to my senior leadership team, to all of
1468
1 the staff for their hard work on this one-house
2 budget, because we know that this is no easy
3 task.
4 I want to especially thank the
5 Senate majority members for your input, your hard
6 work. It is so evident in this document. Your
7 advocacies for issues in your subject area, as
8 well as your individual districts, as well as the
9 advancement of all of New York State, is
10 inspiring. And again, I thank you every day for
11 your work and your passion for public service and
12 doing this right.
13 As you may be accustomed, I like to
14 give the detailed timeline of where we are in the
15 budget process. So I can confidently say that
16 with our passing this bill we will mark the end
17 of the beginning.
18 One-house resolutions are a
19 statement of values. This year ours couldn't be
20 more clear. The ongoing shortfalls in some of
21 our most fundamental systems have weakened them
22 to the point of crisis. And New Yorkers can't
23 wait any longer. They're calling on us to
24 advance policies that preserve our resources,
25 protect our communities, and promote our
1469
1 well-being.
2 This budget is a testament to just
3 that and once again proves our dedication to
4 fostering a state that champions affordability,
5 equity and prosperity for every New Yorker,
6 especially our working and middle class families.
7 With this one-house resolution we're
8 supporting New Yorkers at every stage of their
9 lives to ensure that they live happily and stay
10 in our great state for the long haul, by
11 bolstering our healthcare infrastructure and
12 social programs, forging ahead on record
13 education funding and career readiness training,
14 ensuring that the housing market is stabilized
15 and that our natural resources and energy
16 production are primed for the future.
17 Through these efforts we will close
18 the gaps that have kept residents locked in place
19 and allowed too many to fall through the
20 cracks when times get hard.
21 Instead, we'll chart a seamless
22 pathway towards success, ample -- with resources
23 every step of the way, and designed to benefit
24 the many, not just the lucky few.
25 Protecting the future of New Yorkers
1470
1 starts with investing in a good public education
2 system. Our budget makes a monumental commitment
3 by increasing the Governor's education spending,
4 yes, by 1.2 billion, totaling $46.1 billion.
5 We're steadfast in rejecting any
6 alternatives to Foundation Aid -- any
7 alterations, rather, to Foundation Aid, and we're
8 providing a minimum 3 percent increase for each
9 school district, ensuring that our schools remain
10 robust pillars of community and learning. This
11 increase is a bold statement of our unwavering
12 commitment to our students and educators.
13 Our conference was proud to lead the
14 charge for expanding UPK statewide, and we
15 continue towards that goal, with the infusion of
16 an additional $150 million into universal pre-K.
17 Our $5 million initiative to combat
18 hate in our schools will put tangible resources
19 into fostering an inclusive, safe and supportive
20 learning environment for our students.
21 And as part of building out our
22 communities and creating stable places to grow,
23 we must ensure that New Yorkers have a safe,
24 stable, affordable place to call home. This is
25 not only key to addressing the affordability
1471
1 crisis, but also in allowing families to put down
2 roots for generations.
3 Our approach to housing reflects a
4 deep understanding of the urgency and complexity
5 of the crisis at hand. The introduction of the
6 New York Housing Opportunities Corporation, which
7 I'm calling Mitchell-Lama 2.0, is a pioneering
8 step towards creating long-term affordable
9 housing solutions.
10 Our comprehensive strategy also
11 includes significant allocations such as
12 $250 million for the Housing Access Voucher
13 Program, the principles of good cause,
14 $40 million for eviction prevention legal
15 services, and investments to encourage
16 homeownership and help for current homeowners and
17 small landlords, demonstrating our holistic
18 approach to ensuring housing growth, stability
19 and tenant protection.
20 Housing is a nexus of all social and
21 economic growth, including workforce development.
22 As we welcome new sectors to our state and
23 continue revitalizing our economy, we must
24 prioritize the people who power it. We always
25 knew the key to New York's success lay in the
1472
1 advancement of our working- and middle-class
2 families. Which is why we are extending smart
3 property tax relief, advancing the Working
4 Families Tax Credit, a new $550 credit per child.
5 We're also supporting those who care
6 for our children by investing $250 million in
7 additional support for the Childcare Workforce
8 Retention Grant Program, for a total of
9 $500 million, because childcare is essential to
10 keeping New Yorkers in the workforce and helping
11 them thrive.
12 Our economic growth initiatives are
13 tailored to foster innovation and support for
14 small businesses, the backbone of New York's
15 economy. That's why we advance a $5 million
16 Working Opportunities Tax Credit and a
17 $20 million Journalism Tax Credit, a powerful
18 tool not only for our local employers but for the
19 health of our democracy.
20 We are also advancing proposals and
21 investments to deal with retail theft. And as a
22 related effort, we are continuing our support of
23 our legal cannabis market while empowering local
24 law enforcement to crack down on illegal shops,
25 so that good-faith business owners as well as
1473
1 consumers can fairly participate in the regulated
2 economy.
3 As we build our impressive new tech
4 and cutting-edge markets, we have to remember our
5 bread-and-butter industry: Farming. New York is
6 one of the most prolific agricultural states in
7 our country, yet many farmers financially
8 struggle. That's why we're continuing to invest
9 millions for our farmers so we can protect both
10 our food chain and our planet.
11 None of those achievements would be
12 possible without the countless workers who get up
13 every day and make our economy run. Our
14 resolution makes numerous strides in the spirit
15 of labor and workers' rights. We're championing
16 a 3.2 percent COLA for workers across human
17 services and an additional $190 million
18 initiative to support wage enhancements for
19 direct service providers, while enacting reforms
20 to ensure a fair and supportive workplace
21 environment.
22 We also are making necessary reforms
23 to Tier 6 to help attract and retain vital civil
24 service employees. Our actions are geared
25 towards acknowledging and uplifting our amazing
1474
1 workforce.
2 And we are building out our physical
3 infrastructure to help support this rapid growth
4 by not only investing in the vitality of
5 individual communities, but strengthening the
6 entire fabric of New York.
7 I'm proud that we're seeking
8 approximately $1.5 billion increased investment
9 into our state's infrastructure. We all know
10 that without attention, our infrastructure will
11 only crumble more, and that's not good for local
12 economies or community safety.
13 We're also putting forward a
14 $698 million allocation for the Consolidated
15 Highway Improvement Program, commonly known as
16 CHIPS. And an additional $210 million for Aid
17 and Incentives for Municipalities, AIM funding,
18 which we know has been stagnant for decades.
19 These investments are crucial for enhancing our
20 transportation network, supporting local
21 governments, and fostering community resilience.
22 The well-being of our communities
23 extends far beyond commonsense labor protections
24 and capital improvements. It also relies on a
25 strong healthcare infrastructure and robust
1475
1 medical services. That's why, in this one-house
2 budget, we held the line on potential cuts and
3 advanced a $1.6 billion enhancement to the state
4 Medicaid program, ensuring comprehensive access
5 to quality healthcare for all New Yorkers.
6 On the environmental front, our
7 budget underscores a deep commitment to
8 stewardship and sustainability by restoring
9 $500 million to Clean Water Infrastructure Act
10 funding -- we are taking decisive action to
11 protect our water resources for future
12 generations.
13 This restoration, alongside
14 additional investments in reversing cuts to the
15 Environmental Protection Fund and advancing
16 climate legislation, demonstrates our unwavering
17 dedication to preserving New York's natural
18 beauty and fostering a sustainable future. Our
19 environmental initiatives reflect a holistic
20 approach to safeguarding our planet while
21 ensuring the health and prosperity of all
22 New Yorkers.
23 This budget resolution is not just a
24 financial document. It's a blueprint for a more
25 equitable, prosperous and sustainable future for
1476
1 New York. It embodies our resolve to create a
2 state that not only meets the current needs of
3 its residents but also anticipates and prepares
4 for the challenges of tomorrow.
5 As we move forward in a
6 collaboration with Governor Hochul and our
7 Assembly colleagues, we're committed to
8 transforming these proposals into tangible
9 outcomes that will propel New York State forward,
10 ensuring that it remains a beacon of progress,
11 opportunity, and inclusivity.
12 Thank you, Madam President, and I
13 vote aye.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Leader
15 Stewart-Cousins to be recorded in the
16 affirmative.
17 Announce the results.
18 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
19 Resolution 1952, those Senators voting in the
20 negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello,
21 Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming,
22 Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker,
23 O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec,
24 Tedisco, Weber and Weik.
25 Ayes, 41. Nays, 20.
1477
1 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
2 resolution is adopted.
3 Senator Gianaris.
4 SENATOR GIANARIS: Returning to
5 motions for a second, on behalf of
6 Senator Comrie, I wish to call up Senate Print
7 485A, recalled from the Assembly, which is now at
8 the desk.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
10 Secretary will read.
11 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
12 590, Senate Print 485A, by Senator Comrie, an act
13 to amend the Public Authorities Law.
14 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to
15 reconsider the vote by which the bill was passed.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The bill
21 is restored to its place on the Third Reading
22 Calendar.
23 SENATOR GIANARIS: I offer the
24 following amendments.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
1478
1 amendments are received, and the bill will retain
2 its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
3 SENATOR GIANARIS: Is there any
4 further business at the desk?
5 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: There is
6 no further business at the desk.
7 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to adjourn
8 until Monday, March 18th, at 3:00 p.m.,
9 intervening days being legislative days.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: On
11 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until Monday,
12 March 18th, at 3:00 p.m., with intervening days
13 being legislative days.
14 (Whereupon, at 2:49 p.m., the Senate
15 adjourned.)
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