State Legislature and Gov. Hochul Still in Budget Negotiations
No. 316 | Monday, April 3, 2023
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.
Local News
The State legislature and Governor Hochul did not finalize a state budget before the April 1 deadline. The main points of difference between the legislature’s one house budget resolution and the executive proposed budget center on criminal justice reform and housing.
On criminal justice reform, several proposed bills that address elder parole, record sealing, and legal protections for minors during police interrogations will not be included in the final budget. Additionally, Hochul has proposed walking back some elements of previously passed bail reform laws and eliminating the current so-called “least restrictive” standard that judges set bail based solely on the likelihood that a defendant will show up for court.
Home care workers and advocates have been protesting Hochul’s proposed weakening of previously passed legislation that stipulated a minimum wage for home care workers that is $3 greater than the state minimum wage. Hochul’s proposed budget instead increases investment in nursing homes by increasing their Medicaid reimbursement rate by 5 percent.
The City explains issues at stake in the budget negotiations.
Democratic congressmember Jamaal Bowman (NY-16, Yonkers, north Bronx) led nine of New York's congressional Democrats in an effort to encourage Governor Hochul to include the Build Public Renewables Act in the State budget.
Landlord groups called for double digit rent increases on rent-stabilized units after a report from the Rent Guidelines Board suggested that some landlord income dropped from 2020 to 2021.
City officials signed a 5-year contract with Aetna insurance on Thursday, as part of a move to put the city’s 250,000 retired employees into a privately run Medicare Advantage plan.
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