CONTACT Mariah McGough, Mariah@vocal-ny.org, 203 470 9979

VOCAL-NY RESPONDS TO ONE-HOUSE BUDGET PROPOSALS

NEW YORK — In response to the New York Senate and Assembly releasing their one-house budget proposals over the weekend, VOCAL-NY released the following statement, attributable to Kim Smith, VOCAL-NY Political Director:

“The Senate and Assembly’s one-house budget proposals make progress on a down payment on our issues in critical ways. Our elected officials have made promises to prioritize the overdose crisis by adding significant funding in both budgets, and we’re excited to see major investments in ending our state’s homelessness crisis by creating pathways to permanent housing with funding for the Housing Access Voucher Program. That said, lawmakers have failed to include the $10 Million in funding we’ve called for for the Challenging Wrongful Conviction Act.

Ultimately, there’s still work left to be done on the final budget. We also urge our lawmakers to pass a host of legislation on the table to fully support low-income New Yorkers affected by HIV/AIDS, the drug war, mass incarceration, and homelessness in order to create healthy and just communities.”

BACKGROUND:
In January, VOCAL-NY launched its 2022-2023 budget and legislative platforms, laying out demands and policy priorities to create a Caring and Compassionate Infrastructure for New York. The platforms include policies from each of VOCAL-NY’s four unions that individually work on homelessness, drug policy, civil rights, and HIV/AIDS. Members and leaders in VOCAL-NY’s Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, and Syracuse chapters will continue to urge lawmakers to advance these policies this session, and give marginalized New Yorkers the support they deserve.
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