New York state lawmakers are setting their priorities ahead of the April 1st budget deadline.
In the coming days, one-house versions of the budget will be released. Republican Assemblyman Matt Simpson of the 114th district says he’ll be pushing for an increase in the Environmental Protection Fund.
“I think it’s important to work on these resiliency projects that we need in the face of the weather that we’re getting. Our infrastructure is inadequately supported right now. And we’re going to see bigger losses down the road if we don’t spend the money now, it’s going to be more costly down the road when we do have the funds to address these issues. You know, there’s no more important investment than infrastructure. Clean water and waste water, and that’s part of the EPF,” said Simpson.
Hochul’s proposed budget centers her so-called “affordability agenda.” The Democrat proposed increasing the State Child Tax Credit to nearly $1,000 per child under the age of 4 and tax rebate checks.
112th district Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh, a Republican, says she’s concerned with ballooning spending.
“I think that’s really risky when you look at the whole picture, federal plus state, and how that’s all going to work out. So, I’m just calling for austerity. She, the governor, may want to make points to say ‘I recognize the affordability crisis, and I want to give you money back,’ but a one-off like that may not be a smart move. So, I hope that they’re going to factor that discussion in as they come up with a final budget,” said Walsh.
Republican State Senator Dan Stec represents the 45th district. He’s concerned with the size and priorities of the proposal, which will ultimately be hashed out by the governor and Democrats who control the legislature.
“We’re spending five times as much money on the MTA as we are on our local roads, and 87% of our state highways are local- and county-controlled roads. The public sees that, business owners see that, the people that are paying the taxes see that and then we wonder why we’re having an outmigration problem. Until we get back to the basics, and what are the basics? We need to have good physical infrastructure, of course we need to make sure we have a good education system and we need to have good healthcare,” said Stec.
Stec is one Republican seeking the nomination to run in the special election for Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s 21st district seat. Democrats already nominate farmer Blake Gendebien to run in the special election when Stefanik becomes UN Ambassador.
Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner supports the governor’s rebate checks. But the Democrat from the 113th district adds she’d like to state to be “more analytical” in its approach to affordability.
“I’m looking for things like paying down the remaining unemployment insurance debt that comes out of the pandemic. No more surcharges for our small businesses. This is one of those systemic things that if we pay off that debt, which I think is like $6.8 billion remaining at this point, that frees up businesses to lower their prices or pay their employees better or hire that next person. And that’s how we generate economic activity,” said Woerner.
A spokesperson for the governor says she is committed to putting forward “a balanced budget that will bring costs down while continuing to make smart investments in the services and programs New Yorkers depend on.”