Cuomo and lawmakers reach deal
Governor’s largest-ever spending plan to include 11 percent increase for schools
A three-way deal has been reached among the Senate, Assembly and governor on how to spend $212 billion of public money for next year, the state’s top leaders said Tuesday evening.
It’s the largest budget of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s 10-year tenure and it’s significantly larger than his version of the budget proposed in January. The budget will be about an $18 billion increase from last year’s.
Progressives praised the major investments in education and other areas, while Republicans panned the largesse and direction of the spending.
It legalizes mobile sports betting — with Cuomo getting his way and the administration of the program handed to the State Gaming Commission. It contains $2.4 billion in rental relief, $1 billion of relief funding for small businesses and the arts, $2.1 billion for “excluded” workers including undocumented immigrants,
and $29.5 billion in school aid — an 11 percent increase year-to-year.
The budget’s deadline was at the end of March, and thousands of state workers already face delays in their paychecks as a result of dragging negotiations.
Among the issues that complicated talks were the fund to provide benefits to excluded workers, aid to local school districts, rental assistance and billions in increased taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers.
Cuomo has opposed significant increases in state spending and tax hikes throughout his time as governor, and he has consistently gotten his way in the budget process. The tax hikes included in this budget and the expansion of state funding represent significant concessions the Legislature wrested from the scandal-plagued Cuomo in negotiations over the past few months.
The agreement to raise taxes on high-income New Yorkers was forged over the weekend. It raises taxes for about 50,000 people in the state, state Sen. Liz
Krueger, D-manhattan, estimated in a Tuesday floor speech. It would create new tax brackets for those with more than $5 million in income and those with more than $25 million in income, and it would raise the existing tax on those making more than $1 million annually. It’s expected to raise more than $4 billion in state revenue.
“Our goal is to complete our work by the end of business (Tuesday),” said Krueger, the chair of the Senate’s Finance Committee. It was not immediately clear if she meant the Senate alone or both chambers would pass the 10 bills necessary to fund the government.
Reaction varies
Progressives spiked the football Tuesday evening.
“This year’s budget is a people’s victory — and it shows that Albany is transforming,” said Working Families Party State Director Sochie Nnaemeka in a statement. “This budget was not decided by three men in a room: It is the result of a supermajority of Democrats in Albany, a new rising crop of progressive leaders, and grassroots New Yorkers across the state demanding a budget that delivers for our communities. The budget’s new revenue, as well as major investments in education and a fund for excluded workers, are historic wins. And this victory belongs to the people.”
Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, an ardent progressive and the longesttenured member of the Legislature, said the spending plan was “really the first budget where I can say that in the health area, we are not doing anything bad.”
Others expressed concern at the plan’s cut of 200 beds in mental health treatment facilities.
“At a time of increased needs for mental health treatment, including an increase in youth suicides and mental health issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is abhorrent that the state Senate and Assembly would vote to cut inpatient beds in New York state,” said Civil Service Employees Association president Mary Sullivan.
Republicans had abundant criticisms, from funding cuts to state prisons to the fund to provide payments to undocumented immigrants living in New York.
And they pointed out the proposed tax increase is among the largest in state history.
“After passing this budget, we will be spending more annually as a state than Texas and Florida combined, and will be spending nearly as much as California’s governor has proposed to spend in his state this year, which has approximately twice as many residents as New York,” said Assemblyman Chris Tague, whose district includes Greene, Columbia and Albany counties.
Freshman Assemblyman Matt Simpson, Rhoricon, noted that the budget “will send $2 billion to undocumented immigrants and workers. This is double the amount we are sending to our small businesses. That is totally outrageous.”
More details
According to a statement from Cuomo’s office, these are some fiscal year 2022 state budget highlights from his agreement with Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.
Major legislative priorities include:
• A record $29.5 billion in aid to schools
• $29 billion in public and private green economy investments
• $2.4 billion for rent and homeowner relief
• $2.4 billion for child care
• $2.1 billion for excluded workers
• 1 billion for smallbusiness recovery
• A first-in-the-nation plan to make broadband internet affordable.