“Since I began serving as the Assemblywoman for Long Island’s 2^nd Assembly District, I have been and continue to be solution-oriented and focused on proposing legislation that will directly help New Yorkers. While I am looking forward to reviewing the governor’s proposals for reducing state spending and ensuring any further expenditure will result in positive gains for families and businesses, the 2022-23 State Budget will be the largest one yet. Despite years of huge state spending, I somehow still see vast homeless problems, underfunded and unsupported police departments, and schools with barely enough to work with. Families continue to struggle with food insecurity due to historically high inflation, while taxes that are too damn high compel our neighbors to join the “Great Exodus” in search of more affordable communities outside New York where their businesses won’t be stifled by some of the highest state tax rates in the country.

“The governor tells us she’s offering real change, and I hope she is. We need less people with their hands out. We need more hardworking earners in New York who won’t be limited by their own government. To make New York the Empire State again, we’ll need to change our mindset about spending and investment. I’m optimistic for the governor’s plan to improve mental health care, along with support for drug use disorders and addiction services. However, our families also need support for childcare so they can return to their livelihoods. We need to provide meaningful incentives for businesses so they can provide on-site childcare for their employees at reduced prices, and I hope the 2023 Legislative Session produces results on that front. To help make this possible, we’ll also need to support proper, affordable training for childcare workers. Together, we’ll get New York back on its feet and finally emerge into a new era after the pandemic to make our state a place that people want to move to, instead of from.”