ALBANY, NY – State Senator Kristen Gonzalez secures funding for Senate District 59 in the 26-27 New York State Budget, and commits to continuing to fight to raise revenue by taxing the rich. Senator Kristen Gonzalez (D59) lauds the $268 Billion for New Yorkers, including the sustainability funding for Western Queens, immigration rights for families, and an increase in funding to put young people in this state first. 

The three-county representative (Western Queens, Northern Brooklyn, and the East side of Manhattan) advocated for investments in climate resiliency and green energy including $1 Billion for the Sustainable Futures fund which includes $100 million for public renewables, $50 million for sustainability in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments, and $7 million for green space and resiliency projects in Western Queens near Ravenswood Power Plant. 

As the Governor pushed to weaken New York’s signature climate law, 2019’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, Senator Gonzalez fought for funding that will help the state transition to a clean energy future and bring relief to residents who are most impacted by the fossil-fuel burning Ravenswood Power Plant. The $7 million in sustainability projects for Western Queens includes $4 million for waterfront resiliency in Rainey Park and $1 million for the Queens Greenway. 

Astoria is known as Asthma Alley because the many public housing residents who live in close proximity to the Ravenswood Power Plant experience higher rates of asthma. For the first time, NYCHA will be eligible for funding through the Sustainable Futures Fund, and Senator Gonzalez, working closely with Senators Brian Kavanagh, Chair of the Committee on Housing, and Pete Harckham, Chair of the Committee on Environmental Conservation, secured $50 million for sustainability in NYCHA developments. 

Additionally, Senator Gonzalez was able to secure an additional $1 million for her pilot program for a green affordable pre-electrification pilot (GAP) program, bringing the total to $3 million, which was first included in last year’s budget. The “GAP Fund” assists owners and tenants in residential properties in curing structural and building code defects which render the properties ineligible for climate change adaptation and resiliency project grants. 

Senator Gonzalez applauds the inclusion of comprehensive immigration policies to protect our immigrant communities from federal overreach and the threats of ICE. Among the policies included is Senator Gonzalez’s bill to restrict civil immigration enforcement on non-public areas of school property. The bill provides clear protocol for public schools when ICE detains a student’s family member, ensures that children will not be transferred into the custody of immigration officials in the absence of a judicial warrant, and that the foster care placements for these children will recognize the distinct circumstances that bring them into the system when a parent or caretaker becomes unavailable as a result of immigration enforcement. 

Through Senate funding, Bellevue Hospital’s Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, which operates the only 24/7 Children’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) in New York City, will receive $5 million. Senator Gonzalez hosted state legislators earlier this year on a tour of Bellevue’s psychiatric department to emphasize the need for funding to upgrade and renovate their behavioral health units. This funding will  improve and expand behavioral health care for the most vulnerable New Yorkers, including children and adolescents in crisis.

As a strong advocate of the Tax the Rich Campaign, and the sponsor of the Corporate Fair Share Act, which made it into the Senate One-House Budget, Senator Gonzalez fought for a budget that puts the needs of working-class New Yorkers over the profits of Big Tech and the ultra wealthy.

Senator Kristen Gonzalez, (D- Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn) said, “The State Budget is a reflection of our legislature’s values. I’m proud of the work the Senate has done to protect our immigrant neighbors by passing a comprehensive immigration package. This budget also delivers for everyday New Yorkers by addressing utility bills through a utility package, funding public housing, funding childcare, and funding millions for community based organizations and legal services. However, without taxing the richest New Yorkers and corporations, we have fallen short of addressing federal budget cuts and the affordability crisis that has burdened working New Yorkers. This year we passed a budget to bring $268 Billion to our communities, but the fight for a New York that works for all of us doesn’t end here. I’m committed to continue fighting for taxes on the rich, and for more protections for New York’s most vulnerable.”