There is much to applaud in New York state’s $220 billion budget, “a bold and fiscally responsible plan makes historic investments in communities across the state that will bring relief to New Yorkers recovering from the pandemic and launch New York’s economic comeback,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “We are making historic investments that will make differences in people’s lives right now. But also more importantly, these are legacy achievements that’ll be noted for years to come.”
And Hochul is very right in putting the state on the path to keep 15 percent of state operating funds in reserves against the next cataclysmic event when the federal government won’t be as quick or as generous to bail the state out.
The budget funds major priorities:
It offers tax relief for 6.1 million New Yorkers, including a new property tax credit for middle-income households worth $2.2 billion that will help 2.5 million homeowners; a $250 million tax credit for small businesses affected by COVID-19; authorizes the sale of to-go alcoholic beverages; and suspends collection of state fuel taxes from June to December to give some relief (16 cents a gallon) from high pump prices (localities may do the same).
It allocates $20 billion to rebuild the health care infrastructure, economy and grow the workforce by 20 percent over five years ($1.2 billion in frontline healthcare worker bonuses;$7.7 billion to raise home-care workers’ minimum wage by $3; $2.4 billion to build the health care system of the future; $3.9 million in funding over four years to aid hospitals.
It makes historic investments in education: $31.5 billion in school aid, $2.1 billion over last year (including $457 million more for Long Island public schools, totaling $4 billion, Newsday reported); $1.5 billion increase in foundation aid; $150 million to expand New York’s Tuition Assistance Program to cover part-time students (some 75,000 students) for the first time; $500 million to support SUNY and CUNY plus $2.2 billion in capital projects; $1.1 billion investment in Universal Prekindergarten; $125 million to support full-day kindergarten.
It allocates $7 billion over four years to more than double the support for child care subsidies, expanding eligibility so that half the young people in the state would be covered.
A bold, comprehensive, $25 billion, five-year housing plan that tackles systemic inequities by creating and preserving 100,000 affordable homes, including 10,000 homes with support services for vulnerable populations; $1.1 billion in funding for Emergency Rental Assistance (ERAP) and the Landlord Rental Assistance (LRAP); $250 million for a utility arrears program; $35 million for the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP).
A record $32.8 billion investment in a five-year transportation infrastructure plan (a 40 percent increase). “We’re not just rebuilding our infrastructure overall, we’re also finding out how to adapt to climate change, making our infrastructure more resilient,” Hochul said.
Historic investment in clean energy infrastructure, climate resiliency and preservation: $4.2 billion in a landmark Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act; $400 million for a Environmental Protection Fund to support climate change mitigation projects; $500 million to develop the state’s offshore wind supply chains and port infrastructure (2,000 jobs); $500 million in clean water infrastructure funding and investments in a green energy economy that will create 10,000 new jobs.
But the controversy over the budget had to do with modifications to the politically disastrous bail reform law that opponents are weaponizing to attack Hochul and Democrats as soft on crime. Hochul stuck to her guns against progressives: the revised law will direct judges to consider new factors – including whether a defendant is accused of seriously harming another person or has a history of gun use — in setting bail.
“We are moving forward toward a safer, more just New York by cracking down on the trafficking of illegal guns, stopping the cycle of repeat offenders, protecting the victims of domestic violence and hate crimes, and investing in mental health infrastructure,” Hochul declared. “We have to establish that foundation of security once again, and we can do it while protecting the rights of individuals. We’re not here to undo the progress that was made in the past,” she said.
The governor went on to address New Yorkers concerned about the rise in crime, saying “we have put forth a comprehensive package that again achieves and continues the progress we’ve made in the past to make sure our criminal justice system is fair.”
The budget includes $224 million to fund gun violence prevention programs; $13 million to expand the use of community stabilization units; $35 million for suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline; $100 million for mental health services; $20 million to respond to the regional needs in the aftermath of gun violence.
“This has an effect on people’s psyche, and we can no longer ignore the impact on communities…So these are bold steps. They are thoughtful steps,” Hochul insisted.
But if the budget is not as progressive as some would like (are progressives really going to withhold their vote because of tightened bail reform, a $600 million subsidy to build a new NFL stadium for the Buffalo Bills and more casinos?), keep in mind Hochul is not a downstate progressive but an upstate moderate and it is laudable that she is basically continuing the progressive agenda former Gov. Andrew Cuomo put into place.
Moreover, you can’t fault her for making a political calculation. Because if Democrats lose the governor’s mansion and/or the Legislature, any progress towards the things that the majority of New Yorkers support – health care, gun safety, public education, women’s rights, sustainable infrastructure and environmental protection, and the once-in-a generation opportunity to spend millions of federal dollars on sustainability and clean energy – will be lost.
