Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C,I-Schoharie) today joined fellow lawmakers and advocates from NY Caring Majority today at a rally to call on Gov. Hochul and the Legislative Majority to include fair pay for home care within the final 2022-2023 New York state budget.

Tague has long called for home care workers to be provided with fair compensation for the important work they do, often citing the shocking fact that roughly half of New York’s home care workers are living on the brink of poverty, and are lucky to earn more than $20,000 a year. He has also asserted that lawmakers need to bear in mind that home care is something that affects us all, whether we need it for ourselves or our loved ones. If fair pay is not offered to home care professionals, many fear New York’s home care workforce will not be able to meet the needs of the state’s aging population.

“The longer we wait to provide fair pay to the next generation of home care workers, the greater the danger becomes that home care will be out of the reach of working families, leaving them with no choice but to seek institutionalized care for the ones they love,” said Tague. “Our home care professionals are people doing difficult, important work, and who often become like members of the families they’re assisting with care. It’s absolutely shameful that people who do such important work are made to live near the poverty line, so ensuring fair pay for our home care professionals should be a priority within our budget for us all.”