ALBANY- On Thursday, the State Senate voted to approve its one-house budget resolution for the next state fiscal year, slated to begin April 1st. Three area senators weighed in on the details of the plan, and had different opinions on the impact the budget would have on New Yorkers.
“The Senate’s one-house budget proposal delivers for the Hudson Valley and presents a clear picture of the needs of our district and the momentous investments we are championing to better our lives for the future,” said Senator Michelle Hinchey (D-Saugerties). Hinchey supported the resolution, citing the inclusion of several provisions that she had championed.
Hinchey believes the plan will benefit upstate and rural New Yorkers, due in large part to the inclusion of tax relief for Hudson Valley families and historic investments in affordable housing, food access, volunteer fire and EMS, clean water, railway safety and upstate economic development.
Senator James Skoufis (D-Cornwall) whose district is entirely within Orange County, cited the funding that the proposal brings to his district. The plan includes an increase of approximately 19%, or $2,500 per student, of additional school funding for Orange County’s school districts and an additional $125 million for districts that choose to adopt full-day pre-kindergarten programming. It also provided for approximately $7 million of additional library aid and more funds for local roadways. Finally, Skoufis highlighted that the plan also included the controversial provision to assign one or two state-appointed monitors to oversee the operation of the Orange County IDA.
“The release of our one-house budget is where the rubber starts to meet the road each year,” said Skoufis. “It’s how legislators communicate their priorities, and for me, my priorities are firmly rooted in making life in Orange County safer, more affordable, and easier for hard-working families. Our communities deserve their fair slice of the pie, and I’ll continue to fight for the resources our district needs as a final budget is negotiated.”
Senator Rob Rolison (R-Poughkeepsie) voted against the resolution and expressed his concerns about public safety and the economics of the spending plan, which adds $9 billion in spending to what is expected to be the largest budget in state history. Rolison is concerned that additional spending can only be supported by higher fees and taxes, which he opposes.
Focusing on changes to the state’s bail reform laws that were proposed by Governor Hochul in the executive budget proposal, Rolison said, “Public safety is once again largely ignored in this resolution.” He went on to add, “Simply put, we need discovery reform, judicial discretion for bail, juvenile-justice safeguards, and district attorneys willing to enforce the law. Anything less is an abdication of our role as legislators.”
Both houses of the legislature and the Governor will spend the next two weeks hashing out the details of the state budget, which if delivered on time, will be finalized before April 1st.
