Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced that he helped pass the Assembly’s state budget proposal (E.1047), which seeks to boost the economy and strengthen the middle class. Key highlights of the Assembly plan include: a $2.1 billion increase in aid for schools, a tuition freeze at public colleges, paid family leave and funding for economic development initiatives.

“The Assembly’s budget proposal delivers for hardworking families and creates a better future for all New Yorkers,” said Assemblyman Thiele. “Our plan helps ensure every child can receive a great education, and it helps workers and their families get ahead. The Assembly’s fair and fiscally responsible plan is what New York needs to move forward.”

Investing in our schools

A quality education is essential to a child’s future success. That’s why the Assembly’s budget proposal once again makes funding for our schools a top priority by increasing education aid by more than 9 percent – or $2.1 billion – over last year for a total of $25.4 billion. The amount is $1.2 billion more than that proposed by the governor in his executive budget.

“Education is the foundation for future success,” Thiele said. “Giving students a comprehensive, top-quality education allows them to grow and reach their fullest potential.”

The Assembly budget seeks to fulfill the obligations outlined in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity court decision to ensure every child receives a sound, basic education. The Assembly budget proposal increases Foundation Aid for New York’s schools by $1.1 billion, $875 million more than the governor’s proposal, and includes $434 million to eliminate the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA), which has left school districts and taxpayers overburdened.

The Assembly budget plan also includes $807 million in continued support for universal pre-K programs and a five-year financial assistance program to help more schools offer full-day kindergarten.

Making higher education more affordable

College is quickly becoming out of reach for many young men and women because of soaring expenses. Hardworking students deserve better access to affordable higher education in New York State. That’s why the Assembly budget proposal rejects the proposed extension of SUNY tuition increases and expands the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) by $100, bringing the maximum award to $5,265.

“Higher education offers students the opportunity to grow and make a better future,” Thiele said. “Unfortunately, many college students are increasingly saddled with crushing student loan debt. Cost should not be the barrier that stands between a hardworking student and a college degree.”

For the fourth consecutive year, the Assembly’s budget proposal includes the DREAM Act, which would allow children of immigrants the opportunity to apply for a variety of state tuition-assistance programs to help them realize the goal of a college education. In addition to investing $27 million to provide eligible immigrant students with access to TAP, the Assembly’s version of the DREAM Act sets up the DREAM Fund, an initiative that would raise private funds to provide scholarships for eligible college-bound children with at least one immigrant parent. It also allows immigrant families who have a taxpayer identification number to open a New York 529 family tuition savings account.

Protecting workers and their families

“The Assembly budget proposal provides paid family leave to help workers and their families,” said Thiele.

Under the Assembly’s paid family leave proposal, private employers would offer a paid family leave benefit financed by a maximum 45-cent contribution per week by employees. This small contribution would afford workers a maximum of 12 weeks of paid family leave at two-thirds of the employee’s salary – as long as it doesn’t exceed 67 percent of the state’s average weekly wage – and provide employment security during an absence.

Reforming the tax code

The Assembly budget also includes reforms to the tax code, including applying the current top personal income tax rate to all New Yorkers earning $1 million or more, increasing the rate for those earning above $5 million, and implementing a higher rate for those earning above $10 million. Additionally, the plan provides middle-class tax relief to over 5 million taxpayers. The expansion of the “Millionaire’s Tax” would generate an additional $2 billion in tax revenue annually compared to the current tax rate structure.

In an effort to help those attempting to climb the ladder to the middle class, the proposal expands the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) over two years, benefiting more than 1.6 million working families. Enacted in 1975 during the Ford administration, the EITC ¬¬¬– which is complemented by a similar state program ¬– continues to offer highly targeted tax relief for low-income earners who often struggle to meet the rising costs of living.

“The Assembly’s reforms would make the tax code more progressive, helping to lift families out of poverty and grow the middle class,” said Assemblyman Thiele. “By asking the wealthiest New Yorkers to pay a little more, we can make much-needed investments in education and infrastructure.”

Making child care more accessible

For many working families, quality child care is often out of reach due to cost and availability. The Assembly Majority’s longstanding commitment to helping New York families access quality, affordable child care is reflected in this year’s proposal. The plan includes $83.7 million to fund child care subsidies and quality measures, including:

• $75 million in additional support for 10,000 child care slots;
• $8.4 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds for Facilitated Enrollment to expand eligibility for child care assistance to working families with incomes up to 275 percent of the federal poverty level, improving access to safe, affordable child care; and
• $334,000 for SUNY child care centers to expand access to affordable child care.

“Quality child care allows working parents to support their families with the peace of mind that their children are not only in a safe environment, but are growing and learning,” Thiele said. “Child care and after-school programs allow children to benefit from positive experiences outside of the classroom.”

Moving New York forward

The Assembly’s budget plan provides an additional $405 million for the Department of Transportation’s five-year capital program. It includes, over four years, $250 million for non-MTA downstate and upstate transit systems, $100 million for rail projects and $55 million for projects at airports throughout the state. The Assembly budget also includes $308.5 million in operating assistance for non-MTA downstate transit systems, an increase of $5 million over the governor’s budget proposal. In addition, the Assembly budget provides $208 million in operating assistance for upstate transit systems, an increase of $15 million over the governor’s budget proposal.

To help make needed repairs to our roads, the Assembly budget includes an additional $200 million over four years for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPs), for total funding of $488 million for 2016-17, an increase of $50 million annually above the governor’s proposal.

“New Yorkers all across the state rely on public transportation to get to and from work, school, medical appointments and other daily responsibilities,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “By investing in public transportation and infrastructure, we can ensure that every resident can get where they need to go safely and efficiently, whether they’re driving or using public transportation.”

Fighting the heroin epidemic

With the growing heroin and opioid epidemic, the Assembly budget plan takes proactive measures to fight substance abuse and invest in effective treatment options for those struggling with addiction. The plan proposes $30 million in funding to support an expansion of heroin and opiate abuse treatment and support programs, including:

• $15 million for Treatment and Prevention Services, including an expansion of heroin treatment services to specifically target underserved areas and underserved populations;
• $9 million for post-treatment community-based recovery services to support individuals who have recently completed treatment and to assist those who are continuing to maintain their recovery status;
• $6 million for patient engagement programs that would help link individuals with treatment opportunities and continue to support them on their path to recovery. The funding would support an expansion of the proposed On-Call Peers program, which would help engage individuals who are transitioning out of hospital-based detox programs.

“The heroin and opioid epidemic is devastating to our communities, and it’s affecting New Yorkers throughout our state,” Thiele said. “We must do more to not only fight this epidemic, but ensure that those struggling with addiction have access to treatment options that will help them get and stay on the path to recovery.”

Protecting environmental health

Whether it’s aging infrastructure, the contamination of drinking water sources or climate change, New Yorkers are concerned about the future of our environment.

“Nobody should ever have to wonder whether the water in their home is safe to drink,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “Investing in water infrastructure must be a top priority so families can rest assured that their health and safety are protected.”

The Assembly’s budget calls for $300 million for water and sewer infrastructure projects, a $50 million increase over what the governor proposed. The funds are to be used in the form of grants to local governments to repair or replace water mains and sewer systems.

The Assembly’s proposal allocates $2 million to protect children’s health, including the assessment and prevention of lead exposure. Another $7 million in funding for environmental justice programs is dedicated to environmental health issues, including lead inspection, remediation job training and other activities related to reducing lead exposure.

Extreme weather events are becoming more common, and we’ve seen the effects here in New York, most prominently with Superstorm Sandy. To protect New Yorkers from future storms, the Assembly budget provides funds for a coastal resiliency and flood mitigation program as part of the $25.5 million Climate Change Action Plan included within the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).

Protecting public health

“Health care is a necessity, not a luxury,” Thiele said. “Each and every New Yorker deserves access to quality, affordable health care, because high-quality medical care should never be reserved for only those fortunate enough to afford it.”

The Assembly budget restores $34.1 million for public health programs, and provides funding for health care infrastructure programs, including:

• $195 million for voluntary not-for-profit hospitals;
• $100 million to support public hospitals; and
• $25 million for clinics and other community-based providers.

Additionally, the Assembly plan restores $52.46 million, rejecting the governor’s proposal to reduce Medicaid reimbursements to pharmacies, which would have jeopardized health care for the neediest individuals in our state.

And because every New Yorker should have access to quality care, the Assembly budget also provides $10.3 million in additional funding to support coverage through Medicaid’s Essential Plan, which benefits immigrants who are ineligible for federal health care programs.

Supporting seniors

“Seniors have spent their lives making our state a great place to live, and it’s up to us to ensure their needs are met,” Thiele said. “The Assembly’s budget helps more seniors remain in their homes and ensures they get the best care possible.”

The Assembly’s budget proposal restores $951,000 that was cut by the governor, and it also includes an additional $2 million in new funding for Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) and Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NNORC) programs. NORCs and NNORCs allow seniors to remain in their homes and communities by providing support services that include health monitoring and case management, as well as social activities to foster engagement.

The Assembly proposal also restores $10 million to preserve spousal refusal, ensuring couples do not lose their life savings in the event a spouse becomes ill. For seniors living on a fixed income, this program is vital because the costs of long-term care can be financially ruinous.

Expanding job opportunities

The Assembly budget also contains measures to help New Yorkers find good-paying jobs. The Assembly allocates $12.5 million toward the creation of the Empire Apprenticeship Tax Credit and Grant program. The program provides tax incentives to employers for hiring apprentices, who are trained and given the job skills needed to launch a new career. It also establishes grants for small businesses and not-for-profits to encourage the creation of new apprenticeship programs.

Investing in economic development

The Assembly budget allocates $100 million for the Downtown Revitalization Program, which targets downtown areas across the state that are suffering from economic distress or population loss, $100 million in grants for the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, and $100 million for the RESTORE NY’s Communities Initiative. The budget proposal also calls for the creation of a downtown property revitalization tax credit for upstate.

The Assembly budget also restores $300,000 in additional support for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), bringing their total funding to $1.8 million.

“We must continue to make investments in economic development projects that revitalize our communities,” Thiele said. “These initiatives not only grow the economy but also create jobs.”

Investing in agriculture

Agriculture is an integral part of the New York State economy. This year’s Assembly budget proposal continues to invest in programs that help New York farms, including making restorations to programs such as FarmNet, the Farm Viability Institute and Cornell’s Diagnostic Lab.

“Farming has long been the foundation of our state’s economy,” Thiele said. “That’s why we’re investing in agriculture and working to cut costs to help make life a little bit easier for our hardworking farmers.”

The Assembly proposal provides $5 million in funding for local fair capital improvements and increases funding for a farm-to-school pilot project to provide locally produced food to public schools.

The budget proposal also reduces taxes for small businesses, including farmers, as well as extends the beer production credit to include all alcoholic beverages, creates a sales tax exemption for items used at alcoholic beverage tastings and allows a Thruway toll credit for farm vehicles.

Additionally, the Assembly budget proposal restores funding for agribusiness child care programs to help farmworkers across the state.

Protecting veterans

Veterans and their families have sacrificed tremendously for our country, and it is the Assembly Majority’s priority to ensure that veterans have access to the supportive resources they need. This year’s budget proposal provides $575,000 in restorations and additional funding for veterans, including:

• $250,000 for the Veterans Defense Program, which provides in-depth training, support, and legal assistance to veterans and service members in the New York State criminal and family court systems;
• $200,000 for Helmets-to-Hardhats, which connects veterans and transitioning members of the military with training and career opportunities to help ease the transition into civilian life;
• a $100,000 restoration to SAGEVets, which helps Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) veterans over the age of 50 access veteran benefits; and
• $25,000 for Veterans Miracle Center, which provides veterans with vital goods and services.

In addition, the Assembly budget extends the Hire-a-Veteran credit for two more years through 2018 to help more members of the military find employment.

“It’s vital that we support the brave men and women who fought for our country,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “The Assembly budget proposal includes critical funding for programs to assist our veterans and give them the tools and resources they need as they make the transition back to civilian life here at home.”

Looking out for consumers

This year’s Assembly budget proposal continues to safeguard consumer rights. The plan includes $500,000 to create the New York State Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate (UCA) to serve as an independent advocate and appear on behalf of New York ratepayers in state and federal regulatory proceedings. It also includes $1 million for intervenor funding for consumer advocacy in utility rate cases before the Public Service Commission.

“We cannot allow utility companies to take advantage of consumers,” said Thiele. “Creating a dedicated advocate would give consumers a stronger voice and hold utility companies accountable to their customers.”