Assemblyman Scott Gray (R-Watertown) released a statement explaining his votes on the New York State Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget. Gray supported some budget bills that deliver key investments for New Yorkers, while opposing others due to concerns over excessive spending and problematic policy provisions. He noted that the budget’s top-line spending number—approximately $254 billion—is higher than he would prefer, but emphasized that stronger-than-expected revenues and robust reserve funds help offset the cost.

“While the overall budget is larger than I’d like, I won’t vote ‘no’ just because my job is to do a deeper dive into these bills and see what they deliver for the North Country and all New Yorkers. This budget is imperfect, but it includes important initiatives that benefit our communities. I supported the measures that responsibly invest in our future and opposed those that went beyond what I believe is prudent.”

Votes in Favor of Key Budget Bills

“I voted in favor of several appropriation bills—specifically:

• School Funding Increases: The budget provides additional aid to local school districts, boosting resources for K–12 education. This record investment in schools will help ensure quality education in the North Country and across the state, supporting students, teachers and vital programs in local communities.
• Expanded Access to School Meals: To combat child hunger and ease burdens on families, the budget allocates significant funding (approximately $340 million) to provide universal free school meals for all K–12 students statewide starting in the 2025-26 school year. “I support this expansion of school meal access, recognizing it will ensure every child is fed and ready to learn while relieving parents of an added expense.”
• Delayed Zero-Emission Bus Mandate Implementation: The budget includes a provision delaying the implementation of the state’s zero-emission school bus mandate, giving school districts additional time and flexibility to transition their bus fleets. Gray said, “I support this pragmatic adjustment, as it acknowledges districts’ financial and infrastructure challenges in converting to electric buses. By postponing the mandate’s start, the state can work to provide resources and ensure districts aren’t forced to cut services or programs to meet an unrealistic timeline.”
• Improvements to Legal Discovery Procedures: “I am also encouraged to see the reforms to New York’s discovery laws included in the budget’s public safety measures. These changes streamline legal discovery requirements in criminal cases, helping prevent the dismissal of cases due to minor technical omissions while protecting defendants’ rights. This reform will strengthen public safety and the justice system by ensuring that serious cases aren’t thrown out on technicalities, a common-sense fix he has long advocated for.”

Votes Against Certain Budget Bills

“While supporting some of the budget bills, I voted against one appropriation and three Article VII bills.

I oppose A3000 based on some fiscal concerns, specifically unnecessary spending items and objectionable policy provisions in Article VII bills A3005, A3007 and A3008. While each bill had some merits, I ultimately opposed them due to specific policy disagreements.

Despite opposing these particular bills, my votes were cast issue-by-issue and with the hope of better solutions. I support many of the initiatives in this budget, but oppose parts that I believe missed the mark. My goal is always a responsible budget that delivers for our communities without unnecessary overspending or overreach. When a bill doesn’t meet that standard, I vote against it—not out of partisanship, but of principle and concern for our state’s future.

No budget is perfect, and this one is undoubtedly a mixed bag. I will always fight for a balanced approach that invests in our families, schools and public safety while keeping an eye on the bottom line. The residents of my district expect thoughtful, honest representation, and that’s exactly how I’ve approached every budget and every vote I cast in Albany.”

Watch the newest episode of The Gray Area here.