Our state budget finally passed (nearly 3 weeks late) as my colleagues and I fought for historic wins on street safety, education and higher education, and housing. While I would have preferred an earlier budget, many details needed time for resolution. The $237 Billion budget for 2024-25 is chock full of important provisions to support New Yorkers and boost our economy. The budget provides funding to support small businesses, prevent gun violence, and fund reproductive health. This budget also provides a desperately-needed increase in funding to local governments, funding for our roads and infrastructure – and support for libraries and museums as vital community spaces, including $10 million for our very own Brooklyn Museum, and support for BRIC and the BAM. We also took measures to combat retail theft and hate crimes.

Please join me tomorrow evening over Zoom for Java with Jo Anne: Budget Edition! 5/7/2024 at 6:30PM. We will discuss key parts of the budget, like education and health care. We will also be joined by housing and climate change experts from the Legal Aid Society and 350 Brooklyn. RSVP for the Zoom link: bit.ly/DiscussTheBudget

Sincerely,

Jo Anne Simon

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NYS Budget Highlights. 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. I’m so relieved to report that we prevented the closure of SUNY Downstate Medical Center! However, I was immensely disappointed that we didn’t make more headway on climate change. Each year, we make the best budget deal we can, and rest assured, I’ll never stop fighting for our district and working to make New York the best possible state it can be.

Safer Streets: With the inclusion of Sammy's Law in the State budget, New York City will be able to set its own speed limit to keep residents safer. I've been advocating for Sammy's Law for years and I'm so glad we were finally able to pass it. Thank you to Families for Safe Streets and Amy Cohen, whose son Sammy was killed by a speeding driver in Brooklyn, who have fought relentlessly to make our roadways safer. 

New Rules to Close Stores Selling Illegal Cannabis. The budget includes new rules to make it easier to close stores selling illegal cannabis. I strongly supported marijuana legalization, but with any new major initiative like this, we have to be ready to make changes. Thanks to community members for flagging illegal stores. Two local shops have already been padlocked! One of them was called, "The Candy Store" which was a not so clever attempt to market to kids. The Office of Cannabis Management can now padlock stores that threaten health & safety. The criteria for closure include: 

• sales to minors; 
• close proximity to schools, houses of worship, or youth centers; 
• product use leads to hospitalization; 
• sale of untested cannabis, & more. 

Transit: Public transit is a climate-friendly and essential public good which our budget prioritized. This year we provided $16.3 million for service enhancements and discounts on MTA transit services, including frequency enhancements on seven express bus routes, and frequency improvements and extended operating hours on 13 local routes prioritizing those routes suffering from the most crowding, equity priority areas and bus priority lanes. We discounted LIRR trips within the City of New York. We also provided additional resiliency funding for the Metro North's Hudson line, which has experienced climate related mudslides in recent years.

Education. This budget continues our commitment to a quality education for our kids by increasing funding to schools and makes college a tangible reality for many more students by increasing eligibility for essential TAP assistance. We also took major steps toward universal after-school programming for every student and family who needs it. We increased school aid by $1.3 billion for a total of $35.9 billion, including $24.9 billion for Foundation Aid. Importantly, we fought off the Governor’s proposal to remove the hold harmless provision from Foundation Aid, which would have devastated many school districts. Recognizing that the Foundation Aid formula created in 2006 is now quite out of date, we also provided $2 million for the Rockefeller Institute of Government at SUNY to conduct a study on Foundation Aid and recommend updates to the formula. 

We extended mayoral control of NYC schools for two years, and the City committed to implementing the State’s smaller class size initiative, which I had authored. We increased the Panel for Education Policy (PEP) from 23 members to 24 members to include one independent voting member. 

We also restored and increased funding for our schools for the blind and deaf which have been woefully underfunded for years. To combat childhood hunger and food insecurity, we funded an expanded program that provides 300,000 more students with free school meals. We also ensured more young people apply for college. 

Lastly, in line with our efforts to improve literacy rates and the teaching of reading, the Commissioner of Education will now provide and update best practices for reading instruction for students in pre-k through Grade 3 by Jan. 1, 2025. By Sept. 1, 2025, school districts must verify that their reading curriculum and instructional strategies align with all of the elements of such best practices. This may seem simple, but it is enormous and will help set New York on the right path. 

Increased Funding for CUNY & SUNY. Students of all economic backgrounds should have affordable access to our public colleges and universities. The Assembly committed an additional $60 million in additional operating aid and $60 million in additional capital funds for SUNY. We provided $40 million in additional general operating aid and $40 million in additional capital to CUNY. 

Supporting Workers and Small Businesses. New York will become the first state in the nation to offer Paid Prenatal Leave! Paid leave will ensure that expecting moms receive the prenatal care that’s so essential. We also ensured that employers provide employees with 30 minutes of paid break time for breast milk expression. 

We provided funding for workforce development and manufacturing, arts stabilization grants to small and mid-sized organizations, funding for the MWBE Development & Lending Program, authorized movie theaters to sell alcoholic beverages, and extended the authorization allowing bars or restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages for takeout or delivery. 

Public Health & Health Care: In addition to saving SUNY Downstate, we’re making record investments in mental health and anti-gun violence programs. In addition, we found a way to maximize federal funds coming to New York to pay for Medicaid, which will free up nearly $4 billion for other health care needs. 

We also increased the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) to more fairly pay home health care, personal care attendants, and those serving people with disabilities in group homes and other facilities. This will allow more people to receive care in their homes as they age and avoid nursing home care. While the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Care program had exploded and become unwieldy, we consolidated that program in a way that many people, including me, were not happy with. It’s a complicated program and a complicated solution, but suffice it to say, that every effort is being made to manage this in a way that sustains the consumer directed-ness and is culturally competent for the heterogeneous vulnerable populations served. 

Housing. A new, comprehensive housing plan will increase development of affordable housing while providing robust tenant protections to help New Yorkers stay in their homes. This was one of the sources of the budget delay, and while the final plan certainly did not come close to including everything that many of my colleagues and I had been fighting for in order to protect tenants and boost affordable housing, we took a major step forward. 

We passed a new framework to protect tenants called good cause eviction, which prohibits the removal of a tenant by eviction or refusal to renew a lease without good cause. It exempts small landlords who own no more than 10 units in the state, or an owner-occupied premise with no more than 10 units, exempts luxury units that rent for more than 245% of the FMR, and it exempts buildings built after January 1, 2009 for 30 years.
 
Unfortunately, we made some rollbacks to Individual Apartment Improvements (IAIs) for rent stabilized units that I had fought against, though we ended up in a better place than we started. We created a new 485-x property tax incentives program to encourage the new construction of multiple dwellings that include affordable units.

We also established new real property tax incentives for office conversions in New York City (with 25% of total units required to be permanently affordable at a weighted average of 80% of the Area Median Income). We extended 421-a projects’ completion date to June 15, 2031, for projects that commenced construction on or before June 15, 2022. 

We authorized NYC to adopt a local law establishing a five-year pilot program providing building owners with amnesty to legalize basement and cellar apartments (the City would have to address health and safety, including flood protections). We also required NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) to create a new statewide limited equity cooperative program to provide affordable homeownership and rental opportunities to low- and middle-income families with incomes up to 130% AMI. 

We provided $140 million for NYCHA, $80 million for Mitchell-Lama Preservation and Home Ownership, $40 million for the Homeowner Protection Program, $15 million in additional funding for Eviction Prevention Legal Services, and funding for other funding initiatives. We also included additional protections on sources of income discrimination (ex. government subsidies or domestic violence vouchers) and we included sorely-needed deed theft protections. 

Missed Opportunity to fight Climate Change: We missed the opportunity to pass three key initiatives to protect our planet, generate revenue from the fossil fuel industry, and to reduce consumer expenses. I have been a strong supporter of passing the NY HEAT Act, which would systematically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and would also reduce consumers’ heating bills. I have also been a strong supporter of the Climate Superfund Act, which would establish a climate change adaptation cost recovery program, whereby companies that have contributed significantly to the buildup of climate-warming greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere would be responsible for a share of the needed infrastructure costs to adapt to climate change. In addition, my Stop Polluter Handouts Act would eliminate tax credits and waivers for the most heavily polluting fuels thus restoring nearly $300 million annually to the state’s coffers. We will keep fighting for these as stand-alone bills.

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Paper Shredder Event, Saturday, 5/18/2024. My office is partnering with Council Member Lincoln Restler and Senator Andrew Gounardes for Shred Fest! Stop by the Borough Hall Greenmarket between 9am and noon on Saturday, May 18th, to shred or recycle your documents. We have a three box limit per person. 

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Suitcases & Strollers Needed for GMA. Gowanus Mutual Aid is collecting suitcases for migrant families facing shelter evictions. Families and single people are being forced to leave shelters after 60 and 30 days, respectively, and must bring all their belongings with them. Please consider donating large suitcases that are new or in very good condition. I recently donated several suitcases and encourage others to do so as well. Please check the updated drop-off sites here, including sites in Clinton Hill, Crown Heights & Bushwick. The local drop-off is in Gowanus: Dancewave, 182 4th Ave, Monday-Friday, 9am-7pm. 

The NYCDOT will continue to close one lane on the Staten Island-bound BQE from the Vine Street entrance ramp to Atlantic Avenue during the early morning hours until May 17th: Monday-Friday 1am-5am; Saturday 1am-6am; and Sunday 1am-9am. The closures are required for core extraction and testing along the BQE. 

If you have any questions, please contact DOT community Liaison Anita Navalurkar at (347) 647-0876 or [email protected].

• Electric School Bus Webinar, 5/6/24: Join Mothers Out Front for an webinar on May 6th, 5:30pm - 6:30pm about how to advocate for electric school buses in your community. RSVP here.  
• Free Leaf Bags! Stop by our office at 341 Smith St. for free leaf and yard waste bags, Monday - Friday, 9am-5pm.
• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music Open Stages, Sat. 5/11/24, 3-7pm. Join your neighbors at Park Slope for Open Stages 2024, BKCM’s free spring music festival! Artists will be performing from stoops, schoolyards, parks and local cafes throughout the community. Learn more here.
• Atlantic Avenue Day of Design, Sat. May 18. The NYCxDESIGN Festival is an annual citywide celebration featuring hundreds of design events, from exhibits and trade shows to talks and tours. During the Atlantic Avenue Day of Design attendees can visit participating businesses for workshops, meet designers, and hear from experts in the design field. See the map! 
• Brooklyn Heights Association Dog Show, Sun. May 19, 1:30pm. The BHA Dog Show is coming back to Montague Street! In addition to our friendly competition, Montague Open Streets will boast doggie pools, dog portrait artists, training and agility experts and treats from local businesses for a paw-fect afternoon in the neighborhood. Please be sure that your dog is currently on immunizations and license. All dogs must be on a leash. Learn more here.
• Healthcare Free Virtual Workshop with Heights & Hills, Tues. May 21. You’re ready for a home health aide—now what? Whether you already have professional help in the home, or are thinking about it for the future, you’ll want to know how to make the most of homecare. Learn about different types of homecare, overcoming challenges, and setting everyone up for homecare success. Register here or call 718-596-8789 ext. 307.