Assemblymember Taylor Delivers Strong Legislative Victories for Manhattan

Successfully battling a pandemic and recovering from it requires a steadfast focus on putting families first

July 13, 2021

“It’s been nearly a year and a half since the novel coronavirus first emerged in New York State – a long, arduous period in all of our lives marked by fear, grief, isolation, loss and uncertainty. When the pandemic first hit, the Assembly Majority immediately made a commitment to the hardworking families and residents of New York to not only combat this ever-changing public health crisis as quickly as possible, but also do everything we could to help our communities rebuild and recover. Whether passing groundbreaking legislation to ensure nobody is evicted in the midst of a global pandemic, making critical resources available for struggling small-businesses or securing a historic state budget that invests in our recovery, the Assembly Majority has remained committed to helping New Yorkers through this difficult time.

“To that end, the Assembly Majority fought tirelessly throughout the 2021 state legislative session to enact critical legislation and invest in the resources and services that would help our families, communities and small businesses recover and rebuild from the devastating economic effects of the pandemic. From passing legislation to extend sick leave and expand paid family leave, putting a stay on evictions and foreclosures for small businesses as well as providing funding to help them get back on their feet and expanding the existing utility-shut off moratorium for all New Yorkers, we worked to ensure hardworking New York families had the resources they needed to stay safe and continue to put food on the table during this crisis.

“In addition to providing critical relief, we also passed a record-breaking 2021-22 state budget that invests in our children’s future, from pre-K through graduation day. The budget provides $29.1 billion for public schools and $19.8 billion in Foundation Aid to support high-need schools, as well as continues a multi-year investment in universal prekindergarten to give all our kids a solid educational foundation. It also allocates $88 million to increase the maximum TAP award and rejects proposed tuition increases at SUNY and CUNY. The Assembly Majority also ensured the budget restored $69.4 million in local assistance for child care programs, family and children’s programs and youth programs, added $50.9 million in grants and programming to support working parents and restored funding for major public general hospitals that treat low-income patients.

“The Assembly Majority has always fought to uphold and defend the democratic process. This year, we worked to ensure that a global pandemic – or any other crisis – could never prevent someone from casting their ballot by passing a series of bills to make elections safer and easier, which included measures to expand early voting as well as ensure access to ‘no-excuse’ absentee ballots. While the opposition is doubling down on the Big Lie and restricting access to the polls, the Assembly Majority knows that democracy is strongest when all voices are heard in the halls of power.

“Furthermore, the Assembly Majority passed a host of gun safety legislation to help law enforcement crack down on gun violence without infringing on the rights of law-abiding gun owners. Despite opposition from the other side of the aisle, the Assembly knew that inaction was unacceptable. The same people who dismissed the insurrectionist attack on democracy are trying to hide behind a revisionist interpretation of the Second Amendment instead of backing the police officers they supposedly support. We must always stand up for those who need help the most – especially in tough times and in the face of bad-faith attacks.

“The vaccines have been a miracle, most restrictions have been lifted and brighter days are here as we turn the corner on this pandemic and safely reopen our economy. It was the compassion; resiliency and strength of New Yorkers that truly helped get us to this point and showed what we can accomplish when we work together. My commitment is to keep fighting to get New York all the way back from this pandemic by always putting families first.”

Battling the pandemic and bringing New York back