In response to Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’ assertion that rent regulations should not be part of the budget, Senator Adriano Espaillat (D – Manhattan/Bronx) released the following statement:
“We must extend and strengthen rent regulations and we must do so as part of the budget. Because the budget is intended to deal with the state’s fiscal realities, it is both appropriate and timely that rent regulations be included in it. Allowing rent regulations – which expire on June 15 – to go down to the wire is irresponsible; putting millions of New Yorkers in jeopardy of losing their homes.
“When excluding rent regulations from the budget, Senate Republicans argued they did so because Governor Cuomo was not in favor of extending rent regulations as part of the budget. Now that Governor Cuomo has come out in favor of including rent regulations in the budget, Republicans are shifting their rationale. This smoke and mirrors strategy is not only disingenuous, it’s harmful to the more than 1 million New York families who live in rent stabilized apartments and need rent regulations to be extended and strengthened.
“I urge Senate Republicans to stop playing games with the lives of millions of New Yorkers. Let’s strengthen and extend rent regulations in this year’s budget.”
