Assembly Member Paula Elaine Kay (D-Rock Hill) helped pass the 2025-26 enacted budget, addressing top priorities. From providing financial relief to millions of New Yorkers and local businesses to increasing access to higher education and improving public safety, the state budget puts New York families first.

“The enacted budget provides much needed relief to hardworking families and individuals across the state and makes major investments in our schools and public safety,” Assembly Member Kay said. “We expanded affordable housing initiatives, strengthened access to childcare, funded free school meals, modernized the arraignment process and reformed discovery laws to help improve public safety. While I would have liked to see even more investment in our local roads through the CHIPS program, the enacted budget addresses some of the most pressing challenges New Yorkers are facing today.”

Since her election, Assembly Member Kay has focused on improving the safety of our families and communities. The enacted budget includes crucial changes to the state’s discovery laws, something that has been called for across the 100^th District. These changes will help balance the court system and ensure better outcomes for crime victims because fewer cases will be dismissed based purely on technicalities.

Another key element of this budget aimed at modernizing the court system, is the expansion and codification of permanent virtual arraignments, an initiative that originated as a bill Assembly Member Kay cosponsored at the specific request of the Orange County Police Chiefs. Virtual arraignments will not only save the taxpayers money by eliminating travel costs, it will speed up the arraignment process ensuring equity and efficiency for all parties involved.

A big win for the constituents of the 100^th district came with the inclusion of $2.5 Million for the Public Utility Law Project (PULP), which provides legal services to low-income New Yorkers dealing with utility disputes, an issue that has become especially relevant with recent sharp increases in energy costs.

To ease the burden on families, the budget cuts taxes for working and middle-class New Yorkers, provides exemptions for Orange County municipalities from MTA payroll tax and invests $2.2 billion in expanding and improving reliable, affordable childcare services and free school meals for all students regardless of their ability to pay.

This budget provided much needed relief to small businesses through the elimination of the Unemployment Trust Fund debt. Small businesses are the foundation of our economy, and this commitment will pay dividends for our hardworking business owners and consumers.

Assembly Member Kay, who represents Woodbourne Correction Facility and constituents from Sullivan and Orange County who work at Eastern Correctional Facility, voted against allowing for the closure of up to three prisons across New York State (A.3005C). Kay reaffirmed her strong commitment to protecting the jobs and improving the working conditions of correctional officers across the state.She has also introduced legislation to mandate mental health services for all correction employees.