Coming on the heels of his 2020 State of the State Message, Governor Cuomo delivered his proposed budget this week. The $178.6 billion plan includes new spending and the Governor’s response to a projected $6.1 billion budget gap. The Governor’s budget proposes to close the gap with a combination of stronger-than-anticipated tax revenues this fiscal year with adjustments to the state’s Medicaid program. He plans to reconvene a Medicaid Redesign Team of government, business and health leaders to find what he anticipates would be roughly $2.5 billion in Medicaid “savings.”
The Governor’s budget address, titled “Making Progress Happen,” also included several progressive plans previewed in his State of the State address. Among the budget highlights are:
- $33 billion five-year plan to combat climate change, including a new plan to “streamline government bureaucracy to deliver renewable energy faster.” The Governor also proposed a $3 billion Restore Mother Nature Bond Act;
- An increase in school aid by $826 million for total spending of $28.5 billion while reforming funding formulas to support poorer schools;
- A proposal to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes;
- An investment in state infrastructure including funding for mass transit, environmental facilities and green energy;
- Establishing paid sick leave for working New Yorkers;
- Banning single use and packaging of Styrofoam products;
- Enacting comprehensive E-bike and E-scooter legislation;
- Continuing the State’s investment in regional
economic development projects including:
- Creating a comprehensive education and training center in Syracuse
- Transforming Buffalo Canalside North Aud Block
- Expanding high technology companies in Rochester
- Expanding New York’s Drone Corridor
- Legalizing cannabis, including creating a new Office of Cannabis Management to specialize in cannabis regulation;
- Investing an additional $10 million in this year’s census to make certain that every New Yorker will be counted; and
- A task force of stakeholders to recommend changes to protect “gig economy” workers.
Leave a Reply