“I am committed to making your life more affordable while investing in our communities. Whether it’s lowering rising energy costs, delivering resources to our agricultural industry, or protecting critical health care institutions, I helped craft an Assembly budget proposal that removes barriers and helps our region thrive.

“This budget proposal includes a wide range of issues, some I agree with and some I don’t. As the final budget is negotiated with the Senate and the Governor, I will be pushing to ensure that the issues that matter in Upstate New York, and to the working men and women of the 113th Assembly District are addressed. What follows are a few highlights of the budget proposal that are consistent with the priorities I have heard from constituents.

“The proposal includes a 1% reduction in the income tax rate for taxpayers earning less than $323,200, alongside an increase in the personal income tax rate for individuals earning above $5 million.(For reference, approximately 96% of households in the 113th Assembly District earn below $323,200, and statistically zero percent earn above $5 million.)

“Rising energy costs are impacting people and businesses across the state and certainly in our communities. The Assembly’s budget proposal prioritizes utility relief, including a 2-year moratorium on implementing already approved rate increases and any new actions that would increase utility rates, pausing utility assessments on ratepayers, providing rebates to utility customers, and establishing a commission on utility rates to look at the root causes of rising utility rates and proposing practical solutions. These actions will save working families money.

“Hospitals and nursing homes across Upstate New York have struggled with rising costs and stagnate reimbursement rates for years, and Federal cuts to Medicaid have added to these challenges, putting health care access at risk, which is why we’re proposing $1.2 billion to increase funding for hospitals and nursing homes across New York. Cities, towns and villages have all seen their costs increase significantly and struggle to budget for those costs without raising taxes; for that reason, the proposal also includes an increase of $150 million, above the Governor’s proposal, in Temporary Municipal Assistance for communities outside of New York City; this municipal assistance will help communities balance their budgets without cutting services or raising taxes. To assist upstate cities with doing regular maintenance on water infrastructure, the proposal includes $50 million, distributed by a formula (similar to road maintenance funding). To further support our communities, I advocated for $200 million in the Assembly plan to help not-for-profit-owned sports facilities and convention centers, such as the Glens Falls Civic Center, make capital improvements to their facilities, and for funding for the operation of historic downtown theaters, like the Strand Theater in Hudson Falls.

“The Assembly proposal increases the state’s agricultural budget by $11 million over the executive budget proposal. The Assembly plan would also increase investments in nutrition assistance programs, expand the Farm to School program, and increase tax credits for farms and retail establishments that donate food to community organizations like food pantries.

“I am committed to supporting our communities and the people and businesses that call Saratoga, Washington and Warren counties home. There are numerous items in this budget proposal which will address challenges that make life unaffordable and I will be pushing for these to be included in the final budget.”