Albany, N.Y., January 30–State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C-Big Flats) joined Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt and members of the Senate Minority Conference earlier this week to unveil a comprehensive report, “An Affordable New York,” including legislative recommendations to ease the high cost of living for New Yorkers. 

The report (see attached copy above), a central component of the conference’s overall “Save New York” legislative agenda for 2026, follows a series of roundtable discussions held late last year by the Senate Minority Conference throughout New York State that focused on the key areas driving New York’s affordability crisis. During the roundtables, the Senate Minority heard from stakeholders and community organizations about a variety of issues including taxes and regulations, energy and utility costs, childcare, housing, insurance, transportation and commuting costs, and the cost of food and groceries. Participants emphasized that while each of these components present affordability challenges on their own, together they form an unsustainable climate that makes the cost of living increasingly unaffordable for New Yorkers.

Senate Minority Leader Ortt said, “Over the past few months, members of the Senate Minority Conference heard firsthand from community members, business owners, and other stakeholders from across the state - and one thing is abundantly clear: New Yorkers are facing an unsustainable affordability crisis, and we continue to lose residents and businesses because of it. Despite the Albany majorities catching on to this buzzword, they continue to increase state spending, discuss raising taxes, and do nothing for business owners, all of which will only exacerbate affordability issues. I want to thank my colleagues for leading these discussions throughout the state, and those who joined us to provide valuable insight. I urge my colleagues across the aisle to take up our ‘Save New York’ legislative agenda this session, our constituents are depending on it.”

O’Mara, Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee, said, “New Yorkers need state government to do more than just talk about how hard it is to make ends meet or how unaffordable it is to live, work, and raise a family in New York. It's time to do something about it. It's time to address the root causes of unaffordability in this state, especially high taxes, out-of-control spending, overzealous regulations and mandates, and energy policies that lack common sense, among others. The Albany majorities in charge talk about New York State's affordability crisis but their actions continue to show that they have no real interest in turning things around. Their vision for New York remains a vision built on irresponsibly spending billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars."

The report makes a series of recommendations to help ease the burden on New Yorkers in several areas that were identified as major drivers of the high cost of living and doing business. Some highlights of the report include proposals that would:

Reduce Taxes

> Eliminate state personal income tax on the first $50,000 for single filers and $100,000 for married filing jointly. Lower the tax rate to 4% for single filers up to $250,000 and $500,000 for married filing jointly and 5% for single filers of more than $250,000 and more than $500,000 for married filing jointly that are below the millionaire tax threshold. This would provide a personal income tax cut for all New Yorkers, providing $30 billion in tax relief over its 10-year implementation without having to cut funding from vital state programs (To Be Introduced);

> Exempt tips from state income tax (S.587) 

> Exempt overtime wages from state income tax (S.3914) 

> Freeze real property taxes for three years (S.8489) 

Reduce Regulations and Government Spending

> Create a task force to review the State Administrative Procedure Act, making the regulatory process more business-friendly by ensuring state rules are consistent, efficient and not overly burdensome (S.930)

> Reduce bureaucratic red tape by requiring that when a rule is adopted that imposes a new administrative burden on a business, one or more existing rules must be amended or repealed to offset the cost (S.2371) 

> Establish the New York State Commission on Regulatory Efficiency to examine state regulations and identify unnecessary and wasteful state regulations. New York has over 300,000 regulations, the second most of any state only behind California (S.6724)

> Require the Governor to hire an independent private professional service firm to audit state agencies and public authorities for any payments, claims or expenditures that appear improper, fraudulent or abusive. Such wrongdoing would be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency (S.8661) 

Lower Costs of Basic, Everyday Necessities

Energy

> Return unused funds held by the State from the New York State Climate Investment Account to ratepayers, providing nearly one billion dollars in relief to ratepayers at a time when utility bills are skyrocketing (S.8461, sponsored by Senator O’Mara)

> Provide a one-year utility bill tax and surcharge holiday and two-year green energy tax holiday. Government taxes and fees account for between 25 to 50% of a customer’s utility bill (S.8463)

> Repeal the system benefit charge.  The system benefit charge is a fee imposed on all ratepayers that provides money to NYSERDA and the PSC. Repealing such fees would lower utility bills (S.7075)

Housing

> Establish the First-time Homebuyer Tax Credit Act (S.850)

> Repeal All-Electric Building Act, which adds approximately $20,000 to $25,000 to the construction cost of a single-family home (S.1167)

> Allow developers to comply with the less costly and less burdensome 2020 Energy Codes in lieu of the 2025 Energy Code, a $7,400 savings per single family home (S.8621)

Childcare

Ensure the Child Care Assistance Program is fully funded in the 2026-27 State Budget, so all eligible families receive proper help with childcare expenses.

Supplement the State’s existing child tax credit by providing a $1,000 “baby bonus” refundable tax credit for all parents of newborns (S.4487)

Allow the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) to grant temporary staff to child ratio flexibility during documented staffing shortages (similar to ones granted during COVID) and clarify regulations to permit directors to serve as classroom staff during shortages without penalties. Currently, directors stepping into classrooms to maintain ratios are cited. Citations have led to insurance cancellations, threatening center viability. (To Be Introduced)

In the coming weeks, Senate Republicans plan to continue rolling out key initiatives under their Save New York agenda the coming weeks.