FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2022

MEDIA CONTACT:
Sabrina Rezzy, rezzys@nyassembly.gov
718-940-0428
Historic Support for New Yorkers
$220 billion budget includes childcare funding & bonuses for frontline health care workers
(Albany, NY) - The state budget - the first passed under Governor Kathy Hochul - was voted on during the second week of April and includes relief for New Yorkers still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. The $220 billion budget, the largest in state history, provides historic support in the form of funding for child care, bonuses for frontline health care workers, middle class tax breaks, a suspension of the state's gas tax, and more.

"The budget we passed includes a tremendous amount of aid for New York families, including $7 billion over four years for child care funding, which I am proud to support," said Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. "This fiscal year, we also passed a record investment in health care, including bonuses for frontline workers and higher home care worker wages. However, our work is not over in Albany. I believe we need to continue fighting for a recovery that includes everyone, including for safety-net hospitals, which serve New York's most vulnerable, more aid for home care workers, and more affordable housing. I commend my colleagues and our governor for passing a budget that will help the people of our state get back on their feet."

New York State Fiscal Year 2022-23 Enacted Budget
Highlights
Child Care
  • $7 billion over four years - more than doubling state support for child care and expanding the number of eligible families for a total of more than $3 billion more in child care over the next three years alone.
  • The Budget increases the income eligibility threshold for child care subsidies to 300 percent of the federal poverty level ($83,250 for a family of four), extending eligibility to more than half of young children in New York.
Health Care
  • $20 billion multi-year healthcare investment including:
  • $1.2 billion dedicated to frontline healthcare worker bonuses;
  • $4.5 billion multi-year investment in payment reform
  • $2.4 billion being directed to improving healthcare infrastructure, and;
  • $3.9 billion in funding to provide aid to hospitals struggling financially from the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Another $7.7 billion will be spent over four years to increase the home care worker minimum wage by $3.
  • These groundbreaking investments will work together to improve working conditions and grow the workforce by 20 percent over the next five years, and improve the healthcare industry for all New Yorkers. 
Combating Gun Violence, Comprehensive Housing & More
Housing
  • $1.1 billion for Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) and for Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP)
  • $250 million to help New Yorkers catch up on utility bills
  • $35 million for Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP)

Education:
  • $31.2 billion in total education funding (an increase of $2.1 billion)
  • $1.5 billion increase in Foundation Aid
  • $203 million in opportunity program funding
  • $60 million increase each for SUNY and CUNY
  •  Elimination of the TAP gap
  • $4 million for mental health programs at SUNY and CUNY

Environment:
  • $4.2 billion for Environmental Bond Act
  • $100 million increase in municipal stormwater grants
  • $400 million for environmental Protection Fund (an increase of $100 million)

Gun Violence:
  • $227 million to fund bold initiatives that will strengthen the gun violence prevention efforts of law enforcement and community-based organizations.
  • Allowing judges to set bail for gun charges that were previously subject only to release;
  • The Budget also includes $90 million in new resources to support discovery reform implementation and pretrial services. This includes:
  • A $65 million investment in approaches to discovery that ensure public safety, including system-wide coordination, technology, expanded storage capabilities, and administrative support; and
  • $25 million for pretrial services, alternative to incarceration services and reentry programs. These services include reminders and monitoring of court attendance, screening, and referrals for mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Middle Class Tax Aid/Inflation
  • $2.2 billion for property tax rebate checks
  • $250 million in utility bill assistance
  • $162 million to accelerate middle-class tax cuts
  • $585 million in savings with suspension in state gas tax through end of 2022
  • $475 million for additional Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit payments

Others
  • Alcohol To Go: Authorization of restaurants and bars to sell alcohol along with takeout meals
  • Potholes: $100 million to repair potholes throughout New York State
Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn represents the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn covering Ditmas Park, Flatbush, East Flatbush and Midwood. She is currently the Chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs), Chair of the Task Force on Women's Issues and serves on the following committees: Housing, Government Operations, Education, Banks, Health, and Higher Education. She also sits on Governor Hochul's Domestic Violence Advisory Council and Mayor Adams MWBE Task Force.

As a current Assemblymember, District Leader, and Chair of Brooklyn Democratic Party, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn has been an outspoken advocate on issues concerning immigration, education, economic development, unemployment, education reform, health care access, senior citizen centers, affordable housing, school safety, women's and LGBTQ rights, as well as other issues affecting the quality of life in the community.

  
Learn more about 
Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn by visiting her websites: