Senator Roxanne J. Persaud & Senate Majority Pass SFY 2025-26 Budget

Contact: Christine Delius, mcdelius@nysenate.gov, (718) 649-7653

May 12, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SENATOR ROXANNE J. PERSAUD AND SENATE MAJORITY PASS SFY 2025-26 BUDGET

Brooklyn, NY – Amid significant uncertainty and looming federal cuts, Senator Persaud and the New York State Senate Majority completed passing the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2025-26 budget on Thursday evening, May 8th. The $254 billion budget funds state government services through March 31st of 2026. The budget also includes a number of the Executive’s proposed new laws, which were ultimately subject to months of negotiation.  

“While I am relieved that the process has come to a close, some 38 days late, I am disappointed that some of my and many New Yorkers’ priorities did not make it in. This year’s budget resulted from many tough conversations, which will likely continue in anticipation of reduced federal funding. As the Chair of the Social Services Committee, I will continue to work in earnest with my colleagues and the executive branch to advocate for much-needed relief for the human services sector and better lift up New Yorkers in need, ” said Senator Roxanne J. Persaud.

Senate Social Services Committee Wins:

• Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP) pilot program to provide housing vouchers to individuals experiencing homelessness or are at risk of becoming unhoused. $50 million annually.
• New York Diaper Banks. The Senate and Assembly each invested $750,000 for a total of $1.5 million for numerous diaper banks across New York City and New York State.
• Disability Advocacy Program. A continued investment of $6.72 million that will leverage local matching funds to provide legal assistance to individuals whose federal disability benefits have been denied or discontinued. 
• Nutrition Outreach & Education Program (NOEP). $5.64 million to provide outreach to individuals potentially eligible to participate in SNAP.
• Summer Youth Employment Program. $56.5 million for New York’s signature statewide program employing youth ages 14-24 in the public, private and non-profit sectors. 

Other Human Services Outcomes:

• 2.6% Targeted Inflationary Increase (previously a cost-of-living adjustment or “COLA”) for certain direct support professionals and human service workers. This falls short of the 7.8% that Senator Persaud has been advocating for and, further, the 2.6% does not apply to numerous long-excluded programs and contracts.
• $8 million to provide postpartum care packages .
• $50 million for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) and Nourish NY.
• $25 million in additional funding for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), which provides low-income New Yorkers with direct relief on their winter heating bills.

Supporting Working Families:

• Empire State Child Credit (for children 4-16). Three-year expansion providing $1,000 annually for children under age four and increasing the credit for children aged four and older from $330 in the first year to $500 in the following two years.
• Inflation Rebate Checks:
  • Married filers: $400 for incomes up to $150,000, $300 for incomes $150,000–$300,000
  • Single filers: $200 for incomes up to $75,000, $150 for incomes $75,000–$150,000
• Lowest middle-class tax rates effective from Tax Year 2026.

Childcare & Afterschool:

• $2.2 billion for the Child Care Block Grant .
• Creation of a new Child Care Substitute Pool.
• $100 million in capital funding for child care centers.
• $10 million in federal funds for family child care renovations.
• $21.6 million for youth development programs.
• $12.5 million for "Get Offline, Get Outside 2.0".
• $76.5 million for NYPLAYS (Places for Learning, Activity, and Youth Socialization) and $100 million for NYBRICKS (Building Recreational Infrastructure for Communities).

Kindergarten to Grade 12:

• A total of $26.4 million in Foundation Aid, however, due to changes in the formula, New York City will receive less Foundation Aid this year.
• Universal Free School Meals (breakfast & lunch) in K-12 schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. This covers all NYC K-12 public schools.
• New Law: bell-to-bell device ban in K-12 Schools.  Public schools, charter schools and BOCES programs are directed to adopt policies effectuating a “bell-to-bell” ban on internet-enabled devices on school grounds. Students identified as “caregivers” will have limited access to phones during the school day. 

Higher Education:

• New: New York Opportunity Promise Scholarship for New Yorkers aged 25–55 pursuing critical workforce associate degrees.
• Continued funding for Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP).

Housing Initiatives:

• $40 million for the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP).
• $20 million for eviction legal counseling.
• Doubling of state Low-Income Housing Credits.
• Over $1 billion for NYC housing initiatives, including:
  • $500 million for new affordable housing construction
  • $225 million for NYCHA
  • $110 million total for Mitchell-Lama preservation in NYC
  • $50 million total for New York Housing for the Future Homeownership and Rental Programs
  • $50 million for supportive housing in NYC
  • $50 million for lead abatement in NYC
  • $20 million for stabilization and preservation of existing affordable or supportive multifamily rental properties in NYC

Physical & Mental Health:

Expanding access to care and strengthening mental health services statewide, including:

• $20 million for Federally Qualified Health Centers
• $305 million for Hospital Operating Support
• $223 million for nursing homes and $7.5 million for assisted living programs
• $500 million restored to distressed hospitals
• $20.5 million additional funding for 200 inpatient mental health beds
• New Law: Clarified involuntary commitment standards for the purposes of delivering care to those in need, while also strengthening guardrails to ensure safe and humane transportation, along with increased training for first responders. The Senate was instrumental in providing greater discharge planning requirements for when people are released from care facilities, a meaningful step in helping connect individuals with longer term services

Public Safety & Justice:

• New: Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Division of Criminal Justice Services
• $325 million in gun violence prevention funding
• Updates to state discovery laws to ensure cases aren’t thrown out on technicalities and perpetrators are brought to justice by directing judges to assess the prosecutor’s overall efforts and the actual impact of any missing evidence, reducing case dismissals over minor oversights
• New Law: concealment of identity using head coverings or masks for the purpose of evading arrest (for a felony or Class A misdemeanor) is now a class b misdemeanor. This new law does not apply to individuals wearing face coverings for health reasons or for religious observance. 

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