By State Senator Pete Harckham
The best way to ensure New Yorkers have an opportunity to prosper and make progress in their lives is by enacting a state budget that addresses their needs while strengthening our communities statewide.
That’s what we accomplished when the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 State Budget was passed on April 20. We didn’t get everything we wanted, but we successfully fought to restore the Executive’s proposed steep cuts to vital programs and initiatives.
This year we made prudent investments for today and tomorrow that will help children succeed in school and keep school taxes down, keep our roadways as safe as possible and protect our environment. Additionally, these investments and policies address concerns residents have regarding affordability and public safety.
These investments, substantial as they are, are possible even as the budget delivers the lowest personal income tax rate for residents in over 70 years for New York’s middle class, which the state began to phase in six years ago. These tax savings simply mean New York’s hard-working families keep more of what they earn.
The total spending for the FY2024-2025 State Budget is roughly $237 billion, and many of the initiatives in the new budget will have a strong and positive impact on the 40th Senate District (SD40), particularly in public safety, veterans, domestic violence and job creation.
Our commitment to education in New York lifts students up while easing the burden on local taxpayers; it is an investment in the future health and well-being of more than our students—it supports our communities and our economy. Increasing state aid to local schools, helping to ensure a quality education regardless of zip code, benefits all of us.
Since I first began to serve in the State Senate in 2019, state aid to SD40 schools has increased $208 million annually. In the new budget, the total amount of school aid in SD40 is $543.9 million, up $17.2 million (3.28%) from last year. Also, the budget includes a Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) award increase—the first since 2000—from $500 to $1,000 and expanded eligibility.
The budget investments in our roadways and public transportation prioritize the safety of commuters and residents statewide, as well as keep our avenues of commerce open for the delivery of goods and services.
The State Legislature restored the Executive’s cuts to the Consolidated Local Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) for a total of $598.1 million, which includes $100 million in funding for local roadways. Also in the budget was a $50 million increase in Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM), including a $362K increase in SD40 to a total of $4.08 million, a 9.75% increase from the previous year. These funds will help maintain our infrastructure and support local vital services.
Similarly, New York’s budget investments in environmental conservation will continue our work in protecting the environment and fighting climate change in the new state budget, which contains important funding for infrastructure to deliver drinking water to our communities. This year we restored clean water infrastructure funding to $500 million, included $400 million for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and directed $7.5 million to the Hudson River Estuary Management Program. There is more work to be done, and residents should know that we simply cannot put off making these necessary investments that will lead to a cleaner, more sustainable future for all of us.
Our communities deserve the utmost support for their public safety professionals and programs. Protecting our residents day and night is perhaps the most important aspect of responsible governance, and the investments we made along these lines in this budget are key to upholding the law and fighting crime. Locally, this meant $3 million for Westchester County Parkway police initiative; statewide, there is funding to reduce and prevent gun violence, prosecute crimes of domestic violence and provide mental health services for school-aged children.
This new budget acknowledges the challenges we are facing, and the importance of safeguarding our residents as they seek opportunities to better their lives. New York State continues to prepare itself for the years ahead by making smart investments and finding solutions to support our residents and business owners.
Pete Harckham represents the 40th Senate District, which includes the towns of Carmel, Kent, Patterson and Southeast, and the village of Brewster in Putnam County; the town of Stony Point in Rockland County; and the city of Peekskill, the towns of Bedford, Cortlandt, Lewisboro, New Castle, North Salem, Ossining, Somers and Yorktown, the town/village of Mount Kisco, and the villages of Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan, Croton-on-Hudson and Ossining in Westchester County. He is chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee.
