Dear Neighbors & Friends,
Our state budget finally passed this week (and came in 33 days late) as my colleagues and I fought for historic wins on education, child care, climate change. The $229 Billion budget for 2023-24 is chock full of important provisions to support New Yorkers and continue our economic recovery. The budget also provides funding to boost small businesses, prevent gun violence, invest in mental health initiatives, support the libraries and the arts, fund reproductive health, and programs that support the LGBTQ+ community.
Like most budgets, this year’s was also imperfect and contained some bitter pills and missed opportunities. There are several large budget bills, and one of those bills is typically dubbed the “the big ugly” as it has many good things, but also many that legislators find distasteful, hence the nickname. This year was no different. Please see a detailed summary below of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Fighting Climate Change: All-Electric Building Act, Build Public Renewables, & $400 million for Environmental Protection Fund: New York has taken an historic step forward in fighting climate change by passing the first in the nation “All-Electric Buildings Act.” This will transition all new buildings from polluting fossil fuels to electric power. This legislation will decrease greenhouse gas emissions, reduce air pollution in new construction, and reduce energy costs for hard-working people. Another big win for our planet’s future and the health of New Yorkers was the inclusion of the Build Public Renewables Act in the budget. This empowers New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to begin converting our energy production and distribution from fossil fuel sources which add enormous amounts of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) to our environment, to energy that is produced from renewable sources. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Fund received $400 million towards initiatives to protect our parks, oceans, and lakes.
While we have been calling it “cap and invest” the program included in the budget is really one that is more of the “cap and trade” ilk. Good, but not nearly good enough. We have very little time left to get this right and I am very disappointed that we didn’t take the once in a lifetime opportunity to create a program that disallows trading of GHG credits and requires investment be made in climate conscious approaches and technologies in primarily low income communities of color that have been bearing the brunt of environmental degradation for decades. I fear that cap and trade will not result in companies investing in clean energy, but allow them to pay for the degradation they cause as a cost of doing business.
Overall, these initiatives will help New York meet our aggressive goals of reducing GHGs by 40% by 2030. I’m proud to support a budget that protects our planet for future generations.
Major Investments in Transit: Free Bus Route Pilot Program, Reduced Fare Hike & More. The MTA will pilot a free bus route for each of the five boroughs over the next two years. This will support working New Yorkers, families of color, older people and people with disabilities -- those who rely on bus transit the most in our city. The Assembly also fought to keep the MTA fare hike as low as possible, lowering it from 5.5% to 4%, which will keep the subway fare under $3. We also committed an additional $300 million in state aid to help fill the MTA’s budget gap. Public transit is a climate-friendly and essential public good which our budget prioritized.
Rejecting Tuition Hikes for in-state CUNY & SUNY Students, Increased Funding for CUNY & SUNY. My colleagues and I rejected the Governor’s CUNY and SUNY tuition hikes for in-state students, ensuring that students of all economic backgrounds continue to have affordable access to our public colleges and universities. In addition to preventing this tuition hike, the Assembly also committed an additional $213 million for opportunity programs, including HEOP and EOP. The CUNY operating budget is $821 million, an increase of $103 million from last year, and the SUNY operating budget will be $1.38 billion, an increase of $178 million from last year. An additional $1.9 billion in capital support will fund maintenance and expansion at SUNY facilities, while $1.1 billion in capital support will go towards the CUNY system.
Education. This year we met and exceeded the goal of fully funding foundation aid. This is something we have been under a mandate to do since Eliot Spitzer was elected Governor. It’s taken too long, but this year we funded the third year of our three year commitment to fully fund foundation aid. We provided $150 million in new funding to expand Universal Pre-K programs, and enhanced funding to sustain and grow early college high school and P-TECH programs. In an issue that is close to my heart - special education - the budget provides a path for real relief. For over a decade, the state funding methodology for schools for students with disabilities has been both overly complicated and inadequate. The enacted budget includes $2.5 million for the State Education Department to design a new methodology to help bring stability to this sector so that all students can receive the education that they deserve. We also increased funding for our schools for the blind and deaf which have been woefully underfunded for years.
Overall, this year’s budget was the best education budget we have had in a very long time. In addition, we provided $99.6 million in funds for public libraries and funding to ensure that every library has at least $6,000 for summer reading programs.
Expansion of Child Care Tax Credit and Supporting NY’s Child care Workforce. We are supporting working families by expanding the Child Tax Credit for kids under 4, which has proven to lift thousands of New York families out of poverty. This expansion will provide $179 million to support an additional 630,000 children. The budget also includes $500 million to create a state Workforce Retention Grant Program to support New York’s child care workforce, benefitting an additional 250,000 caregivers. We are also expanding eligibility for the Child Care Assistance Program, raising the income limit from $83,250 to $93,200, which will benefit an additional 100,000 New York families.
Advancing the Rights of People with Disabilities. An important element of diversity is the inclusion - or lack thereof - of people with disabilities. Too often our neighbors with disabilities are not included in important conversations and we all miss out on benefiting from their expertise. I drafted a bill to address this issue and ensure that members of public bodies (like a town board, or the MTA) whose disabilities may make attendance at in-person meetings impossible could still be counted for purposes of achieving a quorum. If we want our public institutions to include the people with disabilities, we have to stop standing in their way when their in-person attendance is precluded because they can’t find wheelchair accessible transportation. We all now know how to include people remotely. I am proud that this year’s budget included my bill to modify the open meetings law to permit remote access by members of public bodies who need remote access as an accommodation.
Universal School Lunch. No child should go hungry at school because of their financial situation at home, which is why I fought to include Universal School Meals in this year’s budget. This funding will benefit over 800,000 students in New York.
Minimum Wage Increased to $17 by 2026; I’m fighting for $21.25. Our budget commits to raising the minimum wage to $17 by 2026, which is a step in the right direction but is still far from the living wage of $21.25 that I support. With rapid inflation and rising costs, we must demand more next year and commit to our working class with a living wage to lift New Yorkers out of poverty. The fight for a living wage isn’t over.
Medicaid Increase a Good Step, But Home Care Workers Deserve More. Our budget includes a 7.5% Medicaid rate increase for inpatient hospital services, and a 6.5% increase for outpatient hospital care and nursing homes. These increases are much larger than the 1.5% increase proposed by the Governor, which is a positive step that will support more New Yorkers receiving healthcare, but short of the 10% that healthcare providers needed. Unfortunately, home care workers are not getting the wage increase they deserve and that the Governor committed to last year. This is distressing, not only because we aren’t paying workers what they deserve, but also because we currently have a severe shortage of home care workers which puts people in need of these services at risk. Lastly, we provided increased – but not enough – funding for our crucial safety-net hospitals that serve low-income individuals and families of color.
Housing. The Governor’s housing compact contained some great proposals, but too many that were not yet ready for prime-time and needed more work. We were able to secure significant funding for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) and make that available to public housing residents for the first time, and additional funding for affordable home ownership. However, I am disappointed that neither the housing access voucher program nor good cause eviction were included. All in all, there was little coordination or agreement on how to best tackle the crisis in affordable housing.
Public Safety. The budget this year provided historic funding for public safety, including $170 million in total discovery funding, $40 million in funding for Aid to Defense, $10 million for expenses and services of state and local law enforcement associated with enforcing and investigation extreme risk protection orders, and $7.2 million for expenses and services of community safety and restorative justice programs. Additionally, the budget provides $3.3 million to support criminal justice programs including reentry programs, community dispute resolution centers, community-based organization, transitional housing, civil or criminal legal services and crime prevention programs, as well as $750k for the cost of conducting a study on missing Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) women and girls.
I am immensely disappointed however, that the topic of bail reform became a major source of the protracted budget delay. This move was influenced by fear-mongering and dishonest headlines, not the facts that show our bail reforms led to a reduction in the rearrest rate for low-level offenders. In fact, crime is down across the board. There was also a move to seriously curtail our discovery law. I am relieved that we were able to push back and eliminate the discovery proposal entirely and negotiate significantly less consequential changes from those which the Executive had proposed to the bail law. I was able to ensure the legislative intent was clear that cash bail and other conditions of release remained solely about ensuring a return to court, and that increased conditions for certain repeat offenses (which are bail eligible) were limited to nonmonetary conditions, and was thus able to support the final bill. Each year, we make the best budget deal we can, but I am always left with a pervasive sense that there ought to be a better way.
Sincerely,
Jo Anne Simon
New Bill: Reduce School Lockdown Drills. I introduced a new bill, along with Senator Andrew Gounardes, that will reduce the number of required active shooter and lockdown drills in NY schools from 4 to 1. Lockdown drills are not only ineffective, but they are shown to increase anxiety and depression among schoolchildren, and can even be traumatic for some students. In some instances, young children weren't even aware if the drill was real or not. This bill will also ensure that the drills are trauma-informed, age-appropriate, and that schools give parents notice in advance of these drills in case they wish to opt out. We must not do more harm than good to our students by mandating ineffective practices, and instead look to evidence-based solutions to reduce gun violence in our state. A sincere thank you to local parents, including constituent Sheffali Welch, member of Moms Demand Action NYC, who brought this issue to our attention. You can read more about the bill here, and check out some news coverage on ABC & Spectrum1.
Fix Atlantic Rally and Sign-On Letter to NYC DOT. I recently joined my colleagues and community members to demand – yet again – that NYC DOT implement street safety measures that are long overdue along Atlantic Avenue. We honored the memory of Katie Harris and others who have lost their lives needlessly to preventable traffic violence. I’m fighting hard to ensure that the legislature passes my bill A1627 to lower the blood alcohol content for DWIs to prevent drunk driving. I will continue to fight for every possible legislative and infrastructural step to make our streets safer and hold the city accountable to its Vision Zero goals. You can help: please join me, Council Member Lincoln Restler, Senator Gounardes and more in signing onto a letter to the DOT Commissioner. Read the Eagle’s coverage here.
Dyslexia Awareness Day: Advocating for Literacy for All, May 17th. I'm thrilled to host my 8th Annual Dyslexia Awareness Day! This day brings together families, students, advocates, and educators to build support for the dyslexic community and those with related learning disabilities. We also focus on legislative solutions like requiring our colleges of education to educate future teachers in the science of reading (A04659). NYS Education Department Commissioner Dr. Betty Rosa will attend, along with education and local legislative leaders including Assemblymember Robert Carroll and Senator Zellnor Myrie.
We will convene in person in Albany for a speak out so that we can hear directly from students and New Yorkers. RSVP here.
You’re also invited to a virtual workshop on 5/10/23 at 6:30pm to get tips on how to best share your story with the public and with your representatives.
South Bronx Literacy Academy is Approved! I’m thrilled that the NYC Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) voted to approve the creation of the South Bronx Literacy Academy (SBLA). This school, which will open in the fall of 2023 in District 7 in the Bronx, is specifically designed to support struggling readers and children with language-based learning disabilities, dyslexia, and the co-occurring conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, and depression that often go alongside. This has required an enormous effort on the part of parents and advocates, and we are grateful to the fearless leaders of the Literacy Academy Collective for championing this effort. I was glad to be able to support their efforts.
Gowanus Community Meeting on Brownfield Cleanups. NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), along with the State Health Department, recently held a community meeting on the brownfield cleanups in Gowanus. The meeting was well-attended by the community, despite objections to the meeting format, which didn’t include a full public presentation from DEC or public Q&A, but only small disparate group discussions. Members of the community have shared with us their disappointment with the agencies’ transparency of data and frequency of outreach. The community has asked that DEC and DOH squarely address for the community as a whole – providing data and other information about the Brownfields environment, any toxins in the ground/air/water, etc. – to ensure laws are followed and that human health, the environment, and the Superfund remedy are protected. We will be following up with the DEC on these concerns, along with our partners in government. DEC has assured us this is the first meeting and they will continue community engagement.
9th Street Traffic Safety Meeting. NYC DOT and NYPD heard an earful from frustrated community members at the recent 9th Street Meeting. Council Member Shahana Hanif held the town hall on improving street safety measures in the aftermath of the tragic death of Sarah Schick, a 37-year-old mother of two, who was bicycling along 9th Street when stuck and killed by a box truck. Community members called again for protected bike lanes, safety infrastructure upgrades, better enforcement of traffic laws, prioritizing people over vehicles, and other traffic calming measures. DOT pointed to recently installed leading pedestrian intervals and proposed protected bike lanes between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, which will necessitate removing some of the parking. DOT promised to study additional measures that will be implemented post 2023.
Another community meeting is planned for the 3rd week in May, with longer-term requests and safety ideas to be compiled as a resolution to DOT from Community Board 6. Residents were also urged to show up at their respective NYPD Precinct community Council Meetings with enforcement concerns.
NYU Tandon Students Designs to Improve the World. One of my favorite events to attend is the NYU Tandon School of Engineering Research Excellence Exhibit, where world class engineering and science students present ideas and technology designed to improve the world. I saw a drone that could diagnose buildings for moisture anomalies, devices to improve construction worker safety, a backpack with sensors to assist the blind and more. I also spoke with Chandrika Tandon, who has been a driving force in the rapid expansion of the school, which is named after her. More information on the Tandon School’s free K12
STEM summer courses can be found here.
Community Events & Resources:
- #Fix4thAve! This Saturday, May 6, at 10:30am, join community members & advocates from Transportation Alternatives and Bike NY to ride Brooklyn’s 4th Avenue (Times Plaza to Sunset Park and back) with stops to highlight street safety issues along this corridor. RSVP: [email protected]. Ask about a free Citi Bike if you don’t have your own.
- Need Leaf Bags? If you have leftover leaves from the fall and want to do some spring cleaning, stop by our office to pick up DSNY’s brown paper lawn & leaf bags (leaves, flowers, twigs, and grass clippings can be put out for DSNY to pick up as compost).
- Phil for All: NY Philharmonic Ticket Access Program. The NY Philharmonic offers a limited quantity of $10 seats for their 2022–23 concerts, 4-8 weeks in advance, as part of their “Phil for All” program. Those who qualify for $10 seats include: Current or former US Military, Medicare / Medicaid recipient, SNAP or WIC recipient, Public housing resident. Undocumented New Yorkers. Click here to learn more and apply. Contact their Customer Relations team at (212) 875-5656 or [email protected] if you have any questions.
- Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA) Spring Into Service event on May 7. BHA has 3 different ways you can get involved! Join the BHA from 10am-12pm to help clean refuse out of tree beds, weed, cultivate soil with compost, and sweep around tree beds. Volunteers will meet at the corner of Middaugh and Willow Streets. Volunteers are also needed to collect, pack, and deliver food pantry items. To sign up, go to The Service Collective and click on “Volunteer”. There are 6 different “events” to sign up for and each will be titled “BHA Spring into Service”. The BHA will also be hosting a collection for local organizations. Please bring your donations to Pierrepont Playground from 10:30am to 1:30pm. For any questions about this event, email [email protected].
- Friends of Adams St Library Book Sale on May 6. 11am-4pm. The Friends of Adams Street Library are hosting a Book Sale to raise funds for the Adams Street Library. The Sale will be held outside on Adams Street between Plymouth Street and John Street. They are accepting donations of gently used or new books at the Library on April 15, April 22, April 29 and the week of May 1-5 during library hours.
