Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson (D-104) scored significant victories in the Assembly one- house budget, restoring cuts from the Governor’s budget to public schools, highway funding and clean water infrastructure, including the replacement of lead water lines. Jacobson was also instrumental in getting additional money for the county boards of elections.

“I worked with my colleagues to reverse the unnecessary cuts to our public schools. No school district should be forced to have a surprise cut in their State funding,” said Jacobson.

In Jacobson’s district, Poughkeepsie, Highland and Beacon schools would be slated for Foundation Aid cuts in Governor Hochul’s proposed budget. He also requested an increase in the reimbursement rate for Career and Technical Education (CTE) instructors in the state’s Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) programs to ensure that students can access valuable career training. These priorities were reflected in the Assembly budget, which provides a $1.3- billion increase in Foundation Aid over last year and a minimum increase of three percent for each school district. The budget also proposes to increase the salary cap aid for BOCES CTE instructors from $30,000 to $40,000, resulting in an additional $31 million for this budget.

“Road conditions have long been a priority of mine, from my time on the Newburgh City Council through my tenure in the Assembly. Every municipality in my district relies on these vital State programs so that they can afford to take care of their roads. I was able to restore cuts and even increase aid,” said Jacobson.

The Assembly budget increases funding for highway repair programs, including $598 million for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), which restores $60 million in cuts; $210 million for PAVE-NY, with an increase of $60 million; $150 million for Extreme Weather Recovery, with a $50-million increase; and $4.9 billion for the State Road and Bridge program, which is an increase of $400 million over the Governor’s budget.

Jacobson also fought successfully for full funding of New York’s Clean Water Infrastructure Act (CWIA), as well funding to replace lead-contaminated water lines — a problem that plagues the cities of Newburgh and Poughkeepsie. The Assembly budget restores the Governor’s 50% cut of $250 million, to match the $500 million in last year’s budget. From that sum, $100 million is allocated to lead service line replacement.

“There is no safe level of lead in drinking water,” said Jacobson.

Jacobson was also successful in getting an extra $10 million for the County Board of Elections to implement sweeping voting reforms the Legislature has made over the past five years, including early voting, the ability to cure mistakes in absentee ballots, and the on-time counting of early voting and absentee ballots received prior to election day.

After the Governor proposed her budget in January, the Democratic majorities in the Assembly and Senate produced their own budgets. Both houses of the Legislature are now negotiating with the Governor to produce a final budget, due on April 1.