Today, the Senate Democratic Majority passed their One House Senate Budget Resolution to make New York State and the Rochester area more equitable, affordable and a better place to live for individuals and working families. 

While the federal government rolls back support for critical services and programs, the Senate’s One House Budget focused on protecting investments in health and safety, supporting children and families, and uplifting our communities. 

Senator Brouk commends her constituents for offering feedback on the Governor’s Executive Budget during our 6th Annual Rochester Area Budget Forum in January. The office of Senator Brouk was also grateful for phone calls, meetings, and email exchanges with our community members throughout this legislative session as they highlighted their most pressing concerns for the state budget. 

This Senate One House Budget is a result of collective advocacy through its commitments to proposals that protect impactful progress in New York State, including funding for Daniel’s Law (S3670), education, and healthcare.  

“We secured significant wins for our district and state in this year’s New York State Senate One House Budget. Building on our historic progress, the Senate included $15 million for the expansion of Daniel’s Law pilot programs to ensure individuals experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis receive the compassionate care they deserve,” said Senator Samra Brouk. “In spite of the federal administration’s devastating cuts to critical programs that impact every single New Yorker, the Senate prioritized the health, education, and financial security of our residents. Now, we begin negotiations with the Assembly and the Governor to deliver a final budget to help our neighbors thrive."

Funding Daniel’s Law

The centerpiece of Senator Brouk’s legislative work on Mental Health is Daniel’s Law (S3670). In 2021, newly elected Senator Samra Brouk introduced Daniel’s Law in Albany to honor Daniel Prude and ensure that the right first responders answer calls for a mental health or substance use crisis. Senator Brouk successfully fought to fund the Daniel’s Law Task Force to study the best way to implement a statewide crisis response system, and in December 2024, the Task Force released its findings, a year ahead of schedule, with recommendations for how to enact Daniel’s Law in New York State. In 2025, Senator Brouk incorporated both recommendations from the Task Force in the reintroduction of Daniel’s Law (S3670). In the final FY25-26 budget, New York State made a historic investment of $8 million to fund new and existing Daniel’s Law pilot programs and the creation of a Behavioral Health Crisis and Technical Assistance Center. In early 2026, the first Daniel’s Law pilot program funding recipients were announced, including the City of Rochester’s Person-in-Crisis (PIC) team which received $2 million. Now, the Senate One House Budget includes:
 

• $15 million for the implementation of Daniel’s Law to expand community crisis prevention pilot programs 

Prioritizing Health and Safety

As Chair of the Senate Mental Health Committee and member of the Senate Health Committee, Senator Brouk remains committed to protecting the health and wellbeing of her community. Access and equity are keys to improving health outcomes for our residents and this year’s Senate One House budget includes:
 

• A 4% cost of living increase for the mental health and human services workforce, ensuring our workforce earns a living wage 
• Protections for the 340B Drug Pricing Program to support Rochester’s hospitals and help lower the cost of prescription drugs for patients
• $10 million for State Operated Assertive Community Treatments (ACT) teams to aid individuals with severe mental illness
• $270 million in additional funding for State-Share Healthcare Stability Fund, which includes support for Upstate CINERGY for nursing homes to improve coordinated care for older adults in the Rochester area
• Expansion of Medicaid coverage for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists (LCATs), in alignment with Senator Brouk’s legislation, S6025, which authorizes LCATs to bill Medicaid directly for their services
• $300 million for Healthcare Facility Capital Projects Grants

• $350,000 funding for the Veterans Mental Health Training Initiative (VMHTI)

   

Caring for Children and Working Families

As a mother, Senator Brouk understands the challenges facing everyday families in New York State. To uplift working families, The Senate One House Budget includes:
 

• Increasing Foundation Aid by a minimum of 2% for all local schools
• A pathway toward universal child care in New York State and $500 million for the Child Care Worker Retention Program to support the childcare workforce 
• $105 million to support Community Schools like the Rochester City School District.
• Additional $180 million statewide Learning and Enrichment After-School Program Supports (LEAPS) to address Monroe County’s estimated loss of 1000+ afterschool slots.
• $18.5 million to support diaper access for families 
• An additional $15 million for Special Nutrition Women, Infants and Children (WIC) 
• $14.1 million for Library Materials Aid and $10 million for Library Operating Aid
   

Investing in Upstate Communities

Senator Brouk recognizes that our communities cannot thrive without significant investments and a commitment to advancing the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). This means helping more New Yorkers keep money in their pockets while also protecting our water, soil and air quality with sustained revenue. The Senate One House Budget includes:
 

• $40 million in new aid for the City of Rochester
• Modifies the $225 million appropriation for the Monroe-Rochester Initiative to include language to cover costs of public safety and security equipment
• $200 million for the Energy Affordability Program to lower utility costs for residents and S1012A to prohibit public utilities from using funds from consumers for political activities like lobbying
• Additional $75 million for the Environmental Protection Fund
• Advances policies to facilitate CLCPA compliance, including the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act and continued support for the implementation of cap and invest to meet our energy goals
• Strengthens environmental safeguards with measures to protect against per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAs) forever chemicals and removing them from our water
• $22 million for emergency food programs, including Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance and Nourish NY to help families stay healthy and grow 
• $3 million for Double Up Food Bucks
• $100 million for lead pipe remediation in line with the work the City of Rochester is already doing
• Increases the volunteer firefighters and ambulance worker tax credit to $600 and allow volunteers to claim both the credit and a property tax exemption
• Revenue raisers on wealthy corporations, luxury industries, and the wealthiest individuals to ensure they pay their fair share
  • Increase the top corporate tax rate from 7.25% to 9% for large corporations with business income over $5 million
• $8 million for public broadcasting like WXXI to be split between public TV and radio
• Restores funding for Interest on Lawyer Account Fund to provide civil legal services to help low-income New Yorkers facing immigration challenges, eviction, and domestic violence and provides an additional $50 million investment in civil legal services