Most of the policies that held up budget talks for more than a month represent small steps when comprehensive action was needed. Actions to address involuntary commitment, discovery reform and the statewide mask ban could have gone further, Fand hopefully they will do so in the future.

Fiscal measures like a middle-class tax cut, addressing the Unemployment Insurance Fund debt, and expanding the Empire State child credit have been supported by the Minority Conference for years. But when combined with a payroll tax in the MTA region, extending taxes on high earners and failing to reconsider the costly climate mandates that raise prices on all New Yorkers, our affordability problems are far from over.”