The new spending plan was ratified on the night of Tuesday, May 2.

Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, and Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, who both represent the Olympic Region, released their thoughts on the budget, and the governor announced her highlights.

“With this budget, we are delivering on our promise to make the Empire State a more affordable, more livable, safer place for all New Yorkers,” Hochul said in a May 3 press release. “These bold investments will lift up New Yorkers of today — and tomorrow — while maintaining a solid fiscal footing, and I thank my partners in the Legislature for their collaboration throughout this process.”

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Gun safety

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In all, $347 million — a $120 million increase from the FY 2023 budget — was allocated for programs designed to prevent and reduce gun violence, including but not limited to:

– $84.1 million for youth employment programs, of which $37 million is for programs in Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) jurisdictions.

– $70 million for communities to respond to the aftermath of gun violence, of which $50 million is for community capital needs.

– $36.4 million for the GIVE initiative.

– $31.1 million for crime reduction, youth justice, and gang prevention programs.

– $25.9 million for State Police Community Stabilization Units.

– $25 million for the SNUG Street Outreach program.

– $7.4 million in additional funding to establish a Supervision Against Violent Engagement program and expand the State’s response to gun violence among the parolee population in GIVE jurisdictions.

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Criminal justice

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The budget includes the following items for the criminal justice system:

– $170 million to support improvements to the discovery process for prosecutors and defenders, including $50 million in capital for discovery technology improvements in New York City.

– $100 million in aid for prosecution and defense funding across the state.

– $92 million to offset county costs related to increasing rates paid to lawyers assigned to represent low-income New Yorkers. The budget increases assigned counsel rates to $158 per hour statewide.

– $31.4 million for alternatives to incarceration programs.

– $20 million for pretrial services.

– $11.5 million for reentry services to help individuals reintegrate to their communities after serving prison sentences.

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Public safety

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The budget includes the following public safety items:

– $105 million to upgrade the State Emergency Operations Center.

– $100 million to purchase and renovate a new satellite crime laboratory for the State Police.

– $66.7 million to increase the number of State Police academy classes.

– $25 million to provide capital grants to volunteer fire departments for construction, renovation or purchase of facilities and equipment.

– $20 million to assist counties in transitioning to Next Generation 911.

– $10 million to provide stipends to volunteer firefighters who complete foundational training.

– $16 million for the state-supported Crime Analysis Center network.

– $7.4 million to allow State Police to keep pace with technology in criminal investigations.

– $7 million to establish an Anti-Fentanyl Innovation Grant.

– $5 million to provide financial assistance to victims and survivors of domestic violence.

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Mental health care

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The governor will make a long-term $1 billion investment to transform New York’s continuum of mental health care.

This multi-year plan includes allocating:

– $890 million in capital to develop new residential units, plus $120 million in annual operating costs.

– $25 million in capital and $7.3 million annually to increase operational capacity for inpatient psychiatric treatment.

– $60 million in capital and $121.6 million annually to expand outpatient services.

– $28 million annually to improve post-discharge connections to services through the creation of 50 new Critical Time Intervention care coordination teams.

– $30 million annually to expand mental health services in schools.

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Abortion access

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In all, $100.7 million in state funding will boost New York abortion providers by increasing Medicaid reimbursements and require private insurers to cover medication abortion when prescribed off-label for abortion. The budget allocates new funding for abortion providers and reproductive health to include:

– $25 million in recurring support for additional Support Abortion Access Services.

– $10 million in Security Grants for Reproductive Health Centers (one-time).

– $65.8 million in additional Medicaid reimbursement ($14.1 million state share).

– $14.9 million to increase surgical abortion reimbursement.

– $35.2 million to increase family planning reimbursement.

– $15.6 million for Pharmacist Prescribed Contraceptives.

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Education

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The budget includes $34.5 billion in total school aid for the 2024 school year. The following items for education are in the budget:

– $24 billion for Foundation Aid — a $2.6 billion increase from last year.

– $150 million expanding prekindergarten to 20,000 children across the state, bringing the state’s annual investment to more than $1.2 billion.

– $134 million to increase access to free school meals.

– $20 million for Early College High School and Pathways in Technology Early College High School funding to allow students to earn college credits in high school, prioritizing students in high-need school districts.

– $2.4 billion in new funding for SUNY and CUNY capital projects to upgrade campus facilities and make strategic investments to support innovation and the growth of both systems.

– $381 million in new operating support for SUNY and CUNY campuses.

– $500 million to create the first-ever New York State matching fund for contributions made to the endowments of SUNY’s four university centers.

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Housing

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The budget includes the following items for housing:

– $391 million for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program to support additional tenants and families, including NYCHA and other public housing residents and recipients of federal Section 8 vouchers.

– $50 million for a Homeowner Stabilization Fund to finance home repairs in 10 communities across the state that have been identified as having high levels of low-income homeowners of color and homeowner distress. The program is modeled on the $10 million Buffalo East Homeowner Improvement Program.

– $40 million for the Homeowner Protection Program, which provides funding to dozens of nonprofit housing counseling and legal services organizations around the state to help homeowners in default and foreclosure.

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Public transportation

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The budget includes the following items for transportation:

– Implementing over $400 million in MTA operating efficiencies to reduce expenses and improve service to customers.

– Increasing the top rate of the Payroll Mobility Tax for the largest businesses in New York City, generating an additional $1.1 billion annually.

– Increasing New York City’s share of funding for paratransit services for two years, generating nearly $165 million annually.

– $300 million in one-time State aid to address the extraordinary impact of the pandemic on MTA operating revenues.

– $35 million in investment to improve subway service on weekday middays, weekends and weeknights.

– $65 million to reduce the proposed fare increase on the MTA from 5.5 to 4%.

– $35 million in safety investments to protect riders.

– Dedicating $1.5 billion in licensing fees if three downstate casino licenses are awarded, and a share of an estimated $231 to $413 million in incremental annual tax revenue from the casinos for MTA operations.

– $15 million to fund a pilot program providing five fare-free bus routes in New York City and expand the Automated Bus Lane Enforcement program to increase bus speeds and decrease collisions.

– $9.4 billion in mass transit operating support, including $829 million in operating support for non-MTA authorities.

– $1.3 billion for a commuter-first Penn Station, the Western Hemisphere’s busiest transit hub.

– $20 million for bus electrification for non-MTA authorities, and $20 million to rehabilitate NFTA’s light rail system.

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Climate change and energy

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The budget includes the following to combat climate change, promote energy affordability, reduce emissions, and invest in clean air and water:

– Creation of the financial foundation that is required to support an economy-wide “Cap and Invest” program going forward.

– $400 million to provide relief to New Yorkers experiencing high electric bills as well as lowering energy burdens through electrifications and retrofits.

– Requirements for advancing zero emission construction in new buildings and requires NYPA to complete decarbonization action plans for 15 of the highest-emitting state facilities.

– $500 million in clean water infrastructure funding, bringing New York’s total clean water infrastructure investment to $5 billion since 2017.

– $400 million for the Environmental Protection Fund.

– Authorizing Suffolk County to put a ballot referendum to the voters to implement a long-term plan to create a recurring funding source for wastewater infrastructure needs.

– $200 million for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to invest in enhancing state parks.

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Economy

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The budget includes the following items aimed at strengthening the state’s economy:

– $225 million in grant funding and tax credits for the Regional Economic Development Councils.

– $100 million each to fund an additional year of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward.

– $50 million for the RESTORE New York Communities Initiative.

– $400 million for the NYWORKS Economic Development Fund.

– Almost $200 million for projects that support community growth and enhancement.

– $45 million to be made available to GO-SEMI – the Governor’s Office of Semiconductor Expansion, Management, and Integration to lead the growth of the state’s semiconductor industry.

– Civil service exam fee waivers to rebuild New York State’s government workforce through critical initiatives to be administered through the Department of Civil Service and Office of General Services.

– Expansion of the New York Film Tax Credit to $700 million.

– Creation of a Youth Jobs Connector program to provide educational support and job training to unemployed and underemployed people ages 16 to 24.

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Child care

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The budget includes the following investments in child care and support working families:

– Expanding the Empire State Child Credit to include children under four years of age.

– Provide $179 million in total support for over 525,000 low and middle-income taxpayers thanks to the inclusion of nearly 630,000 additional children.

– $500 million in underutilized federal funds to create a state Workforce Retention Grant Program to support New York’s child care workforce.

– $4.8 million investment in a new Employer-Sponsored Child Care Pilot Program.

– Establishes ‘Employer Child Care Tax Credit’ for businesses that create new child care options and expand existing programs for their workers.

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Health care

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The budget includes the following items for health care:

– Substantial Medicaid reimbursement rate increases — a 7.5%increase for inpatient hospital services, an up to 7.5% increase for nursing homes, and a 6.5% increase for outpatient hospital services and assisted living providers. This will provide a $1.2 billion annual gross benefit to health care providers, on top of a state investment of $500 million to support financially distressed hospitals.

– $1.7 billion to fully fund the consolidation of Wadsworth Laboratories’ five unconnected sites to one site on the W. Averell Harriman Campus in Albany by 2030.

– $1 billion multi-year health care capital program to drive transformative health care investments, including $500 million to support investments in technology and cybersecurity.

– $419 million gross investment to improve coverage and expand access to preventive and primary care services for Medicaid beneficiaries.

– $120 million gross investment to expand the Medicaid buy-in program.

– $39 million to reduce the risk of lead exposure in rental properties.

– $36 million gross investment to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for medical transportation.

– $28 million to support the creation of a new nation-leading health monitoring and surveillance system to inform targeted and appropriate responses to public health crises and to drive broader health care insight.

– $8 million to revitalize the State’s Emergency Medical Services system.

– Increasing the cigarette tax by $1.00 — the strongest cigarette tax in the nation.

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Dan Stec

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On May 2, State Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, issued the following statement about New York’s budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

“More than a month after it was due, New York State finally has a state budget. It’s unfortunate that Governor Hochul and Democrat Legislative leaders failed to use that time to craft a fiscally responsible plan that would end our state’s cycle of economic stagnation and rising costs and taxes. In the end, the budget they’ve advanced is a financial disaster and riddled with bad policies.

“Study after study shows that New York’s high tax-and-spend climate has pushed residents and businesses to leave our state for more and better opportunities elsewhere. This year’s budget only exacerbates that situation. It spends at an unsustainable $229 billion and positions New York for a major budget deficit next year and a $15 billion long-term budget gap.

“Not only does this budget come at a ridiculously high price tag, it focuses on the wrong priorities. Despite promising to enact a prison reuse initiative for sites like Moriah Shock, this major issue was ignored. Instead of providing our taxpayers with needed relief, it allocates $1 billion to assist illegal immigrants. Rather than fund universal school lunches, something that has widespread bi-partisan support, it shortchanges that program in favor of providing several million to cannabis-related programs. And it provides further financial distress to local governments and homeowners by intercepting eFMAP funding and shifting more than $2 billion in costs onto local taxpayers over the next four years. This move will further accelerate our affordable housing crisis by driving up property taxes.

“After months of posturing and promises to fix bail reform, the much-touted corrections to this unsafe policy falls short. The governor and Democrat leaders paid lip service to prioritizing public safety and have ultimately done very little to address and stem rising crime and repeat offenses.

“Governor Hochul and Democrat Legislative leaders had more than ample time to enact a responsible budget that meets the needs of all New Yorkers. Instead, they passed what is arguably the worst budget I’ve seen in my 11 years in the Legislature.”

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Billy Jones

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On May 3, Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, issued the following statement about New York’s budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

“After numerous debates and late nights in Albany, we have finally come to an agreement for the final budget. We made some changes to bail reform to provide clarity for justices as well as allocated funding for training. Although I was disappointed by the Governor’s proposal for changes to Medicaid reimbursement to counties, the Governor already had the ability to do this by policy, but my colleagues and I were able to negotiate a 3-year offramp to help counties transition. I am disappointed that reissuing licenses to charter schools was included in the final budget, but I am pleased that my colleagues and I secured important funding for education, including fully funding foundation aid and critical funding for SUNY campuses and community colleges. My colleagues and I also increased funding for hospitals and nursing homes, but I realize that the funding is not nearly enough. Our hospitals need more help and I will continue to push for more funding. While I have my concerns about some of the policy included, I am proud to have secured funding that will help North Country residents including support for Senior Planet and overuse in the Adirondacks.”

Jones said he was excited that the final budget included his bills to create a $25 million capital fund (A4929) and a $6.5 million training fund (A3242) to help struggling volunteer fire departments stay afloat and recruit new members.

“Volunteer fire departments are at a crisis and need state support,” he said. “We rely on them to be there during emergencies and the state needs to step up and make sure that fire departments have the resources they need to keep our communities safe. I introduced these bills last year because of the many heartbreaking conversations I had with volunteer firefighters across the North Country about their deteriorating facilities, outdated equipment, and dwindling membership and including $31.5 million in the budget for capital projects and training will help these fire departments tremendously.”

Jones said his bill to allow firearms at historic battle reenactments (A4133), which was an issue during the Battle of Plattsburgh events last year, was also included in the final budget.

“I am happy that re-enactors and the history community can finally rest easy knowing that they are officially allowed to carry firearms during historic battle re-enactments,” he said. “These events not only bring tourists from all over including Canada, but they are an important part of our communities and preserving our local history.”

Jones said he secured the following budget items for the North Country in the state budget:

– $200,000 for Senior Planet (Older Adults Technology Service)

– $225,000 for the North Country Chamber of Commerce

– $100,000 for the Adirondack North Country Association

– $420,000 for their Adirondack Diversity Initiative

– $250,000 for the Paul Smith’s College Visitor Interpretive Center

– $8 million to address overuse in the Adirondack and Catskills parks

– $2 million for a Survey of Climate change and Adirondack Lakes Ecosystems (SCALE)

– $100,000 for the Adirondack Mountain Club for a High Peaks Visitor Center

– $125,000 for North Country veterans

– $225,000 for the Maple Producers Association

– $300,000 for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program

– $3.45 million for the Local Tourism Matching Grants Program