NYS Budget Governor
Kathy Hochul proposed a $216 billion spending plan for legislators to approve. The budget was due by April 1st but in the end didn’t get done until the early morning hours on Saturday April 9th. The final total for the budget came in at $220 billion. There will be a new stadium built for the Buffalo Bills, to-go drinks were made legal for three years, and many other initiatives too numerous to mention. Of note to the members of NRLA-NY and many other small businesses are the following: No monies were included in the final budget to help offset the skyhigh Unemployment Insurance tax bills. The Legislature and Governor did however agree to small business tax credits and gas tax relief. They also made an adjustment to the state and local tax law that will now allow more New Yorker’s to receive the full benefit of the SALT cap workaround that passed last year.
Specific to our workforce development budget request to increase the salaries of the Career and Technical Education teachers I am sad to report that the collective efforts of many didn’t make it in the final budget.
We are still actively engaged in our construction trades workforce development initiative and will be participating in an event at the Prime at Saratoga National with Member of Assembly Carrie Woerner. The Capital Region Builders & Remodelers Association along with the Saratoga Builders Association are sponsoring the Joint Member Mixer. We are also planning a large meeting of all of the construction trades for late June.
Legislation
Session is scheduled to end on June 2nd, 2022. So we will remain active in our advocacy on our key issues and keep our eye out for bad legislation now that the budget is over. Another layer of legislative activity will occupy the legislative process too. You heard in the news that the redistrictiing lines that the Legislature drew were thrown out by the Court of Appeals so new congressional lines and NYS Senate lines are being worked on by a Special Master who is tasked with drawing up the new lines by May 20th.
Workforce Development
In addition to the CTE budget play, we will be actively engaged with all of our industry friends and stakeholders.
Retainage
Nothing new to report but I have reached out to our sponsor’s to discuss language and strategy.