This past week, the Assembly passed its “one-house” budget resolution in response to the Governor’s executive budget, which will be negotiated over the next couple of weeks with the Governor and the Senate to produce the final budget. I’m pleased to share that many issues of importance to the Capital District are supported in the one-house budget. Below are some highlights from the Assembly’s resolution.

Capital City Funding for the City of Albany, $12.5 Million to address the serious fiscal finances in Albany to eliminate the city’s budget deficit without the need for additional cuts from public safety and other programs. We are grateful to Speaker Heastie’s recognition of Albany’s plight, which is exacerbated by the fact that over 60% of Albany’s property is tax exempt.

Water Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2017. I’m pleased that $2 Billion has been included in the one house to address New York’s water infrastructure challenges. I have introduced legislation, modeled after the success of the Albany CSO Pool communities, to encourage and reward intermunicipal cooperation by communities addressing shared water infrastructure challenges. My bill would increase the cap on state water infrastructure grants from $5 million to $15 million, and give priority consideration to communities that opt to share services while working to upgrade their water and sewer infrastructure. Read more about my proposal in this Times Union piece.

Small Business Tax Cuts are included to lower the cost of doing business in New York. The income tax rate for small businesses with an income of $290,000 or less would be reduced to 4 percent from 6.5 percent, while Personal income tax filers, such as sole proprietors, farmers, partnerships etc. would have the option to deduct 15 percent of their income from their adjusted gross income before the personal income tax rate is applied. This deduction is an increase from the currently allowed 5 percent deduction. An estimated 1.1 million sole proprietors, farmers and small businesses would benefit from the Assembly proposal.

Health and Life Sciences Lab Consolidation, Keeping 700 Jobs in the City of Albany, $150 Million. The proposed budget transfers $150 million in capital to consolidate Department of Health public health laboratories including the Wadsworth Lab. I support the need to upgrade and consolidate these labs, however, I requested language to stipulate that the labs and jobs remain in Albany.

Direct Care Worker Pay Increase, $45 Million to support the first year of a six year plan to support increases for direct care staff who are among our most underpaid workers yet care for our most vulnerable populations.

Nuclear “Bailout” Provisions Put on Pause in the Assembly by requiring the state’s Public Service Commission “to appear before a joint public hearing of the Senate and Assembly to testify and answer questions related to the ZEC program.” I continue to raise serious concerns about the lack of financial details on this monumental $7.6 billion proposal. I have cosponsored a bill, introduced by Assemblymember Fred Thiele, to delay this proposed “bailout” so that it may be reviewed by the legislature.

Refugee Resettlement, $4 Million to enable refugee resettlement agencies, like U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in Albany, to “bridge the gap” and continue to provide transitional services and support staff as funding is reduced as the President Trump’s administration cuts refugee numbers and services.

Indigent Legal Services - Inclusion of key sections of a bill requiring NYS to reimburse counties for providing representation for poor persons who are accused of crimes. Last year, I sponsored this bill with Senator John DeFrancisco, which passed with the unanimous support of both bodies of the legislature, but was later vetoed by the Governor.

Transportation: Local Roads Infrastructure, $488 Million for through the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) funding, which is a $50 million increase from the proposed executive budget.

Transportation Infrastructure Improvements, $30 Million. The Assembly continues to invest heavily in the Department of Transportation’s capital plan for non-MTA transit or Upstate projects with $30 million more than the executive’s budget proposal. These projects are critical to expanding CDTA services and deploying new vehicles that are more energy efficient.

Higher Education: $150 Million in SUNY New Project Capital Aid. The Assembly would provide SUNY with $150 million in additional capital funding for expansion projects. The budget additionally provides $30 million in capital funding for Educational Opportunity Centers. Of these funds, we will continue to seek $20 million to renovate the old Schuyler HS for UAlbany’s proposed engineering programs.

UAlbany’s Center of Excellence in Atmospheric and Environmental Prediction and Innovation, was allocated $500,000 which doubles the funding for UAlbany Center of Excellence!

Partial Inclusion of Excelsior Scholarship, Increase of Maximum TAP Award to $6,500 over the next four years. The Assembly proposal builds on the governor’s proposed Excelsior Scholarship by expanding eligibility for the program and keeping up with the rising costs of college. While I am encouraged by the proposal to expand college affordability, I share the concerns of local private colleges that enrollment shifts could force layoffs locally.

K - 12: Foundation Aid for Schools, $26 Billion, which is an increase of $1.8 billion or 7.4 percent, over the 2016-17 school year and an additional $887 million over the Executive proposal. Also, there is a $50 million increase for Pre-K.

English Language Learners (ELL), $15 Million for school districts with high numbers of ELLs to improve graduation rates. In Albany, more than one in ten students speak a language other than English and more than 53 different languages are spoken in the district. Similarly, in Guilderland schools, 40 languages are spoken.

$11 Million in Library Grant Restoration and Grant Increases, $4 Million in Library Foundation Aid Increases.

Health: $79 Billion for Public Health, $243 to Address Heroin and Opioid Addiction Crisis. The plan also includes numerous funding restorations to promote the accessibility and affordability of care across the state.

Environmental Protection Fund Allocation for Multiuse Trails, $1 Million. The proposed budget also includes a $1 million allocation of Environmental Protection Fund monies for “Rail Trails,” to improve our state’s networks of bicycle and walking trails found adjacent to our historic railroads.

Other Updates

Father Peter Young and OASAS State Agency Funding. An article in the Times Union exposed problems and very troubling conversations between state agency staff and Father Peter Young, where a number of questions have been raised about the fiscal management of his legendary work in drug treatment. I have been in discussions over the last few months to help resolve these matters and joined Capital Region colleagues in sending a letter, to the Commissioner of OASAS requesting that the situation be addressed and resolved. Negotiations continue.

Albany Distilling Expansion. Albany Distilling recently announced their expansion to a newer, much larger facility. This serves as visual proof of the expanding craft beverage industry that has found a home in the heart of the Capital Region. Within the last decade there have been a number of distilleries, cideries and breweries emerging throughout New York’s Capital.

Remembering Our History

St. Patrick’s Day and Immigration.

Fortune Magazine recently published an opinion piece titled “This St. Patrick’s Day, Imagine An America Without Irish Immigrants.” Immigrants, like my parents, have made enumerable contributions to the strength of our nation – indeed we are a land of immigrants. This St. Patrick’s Day, I reflected on contributions that immigrants made to help build our great nation-- and reminded to not let the present negative, nationalistic rhetoric allow us to forget the diversity immigrants bring has historically helped strengthen our economy.

Job Opportunities: New York State has setup a new job portal entitled Jobs Express, where thousands of private and public sector jobs are listed. Visit jobs.ny.gov for more information on how to apply for these opportunities.

As always, for the latest news or for upcoming events, please visit my office online, on Facebook, on Twitter, or my Times Union blog. If you would like to reach my office, please feel free to send us a note.

Sincerely---

Pat