The biggest state budget Winners & Losers
Who came out on top and who had their priorities fall by the wayside?
The state budget finally passed over the weekend after prolonged negotiations that stretched out almost three full weeks past the original April 1 deadline. It was an unusually eventful process, interrupted first by an earthquake (which was unexpected), followed by a solar eclipse (which was expected) and punctuated with a cyberattack (which was certainly unexpected). But lawmakers finished their work on 4/20, giving them enough time to celebrate a relaxing Earth Day afternoon with a different type of green stuff to kick off their spring break. Of course, some had more reason to celebrate than others.
Eric Adams -
New York City Mayor Eric Adams tends to be a “glass half-full guy” on the city’s state budget wins. He has good reason to be this year. The state budget deal delivered to some degree on all of his top budget priorities, including greater cannabis enforcement powers, a two-year mayoral control extension, $2.4 billion in migrant funding, borrowing permission and of course a landmark housing package that creates a new incentive program for developers to build affordable housing.
Melinda Person -
Melinda Person gets an A+. The New York State United Teachers chief outlined a bleak future if Gov. Kathy Hochul’s original state education funding proposal had stood, including elementary school closures, the loss of science and technology programs, the end of extracurricular activities and mass teacher firings. Luckily for New York students, Person blocked Hochul’s proposal to end the “hold harmless” provision. Person was also key to getting Tier 6 pension changes into the budget. Looks like Hochul will be seeking out extra credit.
Brad Hoylman-Sigal & Linda Rosenthal -
The fast life of New York City is about to get a bit slower, thanks to state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal. The two state lawmakers sponsored “Sammy’s Law,” legislation that will allow the city to reduce the speed limit on most streets to 20 miles per hour. Despite some opposition from Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie – who famously doesn’t like to include policy in the budget – a modified version of the law was included in the final budget.
Cea Weaver -
State leaders and lawmakers say they’ve enacted “good cause” eviction, but Housing Justice for All Campaign Coordinator Cea Weaver begs to differ. Her coalition of tenant advocates had pushed legislators to reject the final housing compromise, which included a version of the tenant protections that Weaver said was “so full of holes that landlords will drive a fleet through it.” But most staunch tenant allies bit the bullet and voted for the deal that her group says will exclude millions of tenants. And having some protections in place will make it that much harder for activists like Weaver to push for stronger “good cause” protections in the future.
Liz Krueger & Patricia Fahy -
The NY Heat Act didn’t make it into the final budget, with environmental advocates blaming the governor and Assembly Democrats. State Sen. Liz Krueger and Assembly Member Patricia Fahy, the bill sponsors, may have to push for the bill in the remaining days of the session. It would’ve removed the subsidy for new gas connections and capped residents’ energy bills. Even actor Mark Ruffalo’s advocacy wasn’t enough to Hulk smash it over the finish line.
Andrew Gounardes & Nily Rozic -
New York kids won’t be getting off TikTok anytime soon. State Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assembly Member Nily Rozic’s Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) For Kids Act and the Child Data Protection Act were left out of the budget, relegating them to the pile of leftover bills that the legislature could potentially take up or forget about in the remaining months of session. The legislation was unsurprisingly met with opposition from the tech industry, which has proven itself adept at fighting off most regulatory efforts in Congress, too.