Assemblymember Zaccaro Highlights 2024-2025 State Budget Victories

 

Dear Friends, 

A successful state budget should always include robust funding for worthwhile initiatives that power our state – schools, affordable housing, health care systems, environmental protection and more – while carefully safeguarding taxpayer dollars. The 2024-25 state budget does exactly that. 

New Enforcement Tools to Stop Illegal Smoke Shops

When I was elected to office, I made a promise to hear my community and pass legislation on issues that would benefit them. Targeting smoke shops that break the law and brazenly sell illegal cannabis has been a top priority for my office. 

Joining a bipartisan group of lawmakers and advocates from New York's cannabis industry at a rally in Albany in support of my bill A9520

I am proud to announce that New York will now have the power to revoke or suspend the tobacco, liquor, or lottery licenses of businesses that sell illegal cannabis. This new enforcement power enacted as part of the budget was first proposed in my bill A9520, gaining significant bipartisan support in the legislature and from New York's cannabis industry. Revoking tobacco, liquor, and lottery licenses for bad actors is a critical tool to stem the time of illegal and unregulated cannabis in our communities and this victory is the result of our hard work.

The state budget includes additional enforcement powers to combat the epidemic of illegal smoke shops:

• Allows the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) to padlock illegal cannabis businesses. Egregious actors would be padlocked immediately; all others would be padlocked on second inspection. 
• To be considered an egregious actor, a store would have to be engaged in one or more of the following:
• Documented sale to minors
• Unlicensed processing of cannabis
• Violent behavior toward investigators that express an intent to not comply
• Reports of hospitalization due to consumption of their products
• Close proximity to houses of worship, schools or public youth facilities
• Sales of cannabis that has not been lawfully tested.

• Increases civil penalties for refusing to allow a regulatory inspection; the first refusal increases from $4,000 to $8,000 and a second or subsequent refusal increases from $8,000 to $15,000. 
• Requires that a landlord evict a commercial tenant if they operate a business that is customarily or habitually used for illegal cannabis sales.
  • If a landlord does not in good faith bring eviction proceedings, then an enforcement agency may bring eviction proceedings.
  • The civil penalty for knowingly permitting the violation to occur is $50,000 in New York City and five times the rent charged or collected if the violation occurs outside of New York City. 
• Establishes that mutilation or removal of a posted order while it is in effect shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 or a class B misdemeanor. 
• Amends the crime of obstructing governmental administration to include if a person damages or removes a padlock or other device with the intent to violate an order issued by a government entity.
• Allows cities and counties to conduct regulatory inspections of businesses not listed on OCM's directory of licensed cannabis businesses, establish a system for receiving complaints regarding businesses engaged in selling cannabis without a license, impose civil penalties of up to $25,000 for unlawfully selling cannabis, and seize illegal cannabis from businesses operating without a license. 

These new enforcement powers will yield serious, long-term consequences for businesses that blatantly circumvent the law. It is important these powers were included in the final state budget and I will continue to champion commonsense policies like these. 

Investments in Higher Education 

Speaking in support of increasing the Tuition Assistance Program eligibility threshold and more aid for our students

I have called for raising the income threshold for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to increase college accessibility for New Yorkers. Increasing the income threshold to $125,000, raising the minimum TAP award from $500 to $1,000 and extending part-time TAP to college students is the right move to support our students. Countless New Yorkers that will lead our state for generations to come will benefit from this long-overdue investment. 

This state budget also includes $206 million in funding for educational opportunity programs that are critical for students from disadvantaged backgrounds obtain a college degree and includes $4 million to support students with disabilities.  

Keeping higher education affordable is essential, and the final state budget provides vital support to CUNY schools so invaluable institutions will continue to educate the future role models and leaders New York for generations to come! Support for CUNY means:

• $40 million in additional capital funding.
• $40 million in additional general operating aid.
• An increase of $5.3 million in funding for CUNY community colleges.
• Provides $4 million for the CUNY Medical School.
• Allocates $3 million for nursing programs.
• Provides $2 million for mental health programs. 

Cracking Down on Retail Theft and Hate Crimes

When I meet with business owners in the Bronx and I ask them what are their top concerns and how lawmakers can help I hear the same response – stop retail theft. Small and large businesses have experienced a rise in retail theft and retail workers should not find themselves put in a dangerous situation yet sadly far too many are. The final state budget:

• Creates a new crime of Assault on a Retail Worker, a Class E felony and creates a new crime of fostering the sale of stolen goods, a Class A misdemeanor. 
• Provides $25.2 million in new funding to deploy a dedicated State Police team to build cases against organized retail theft rings and create a new State Police enforcement unit.
• Allocates $10 million in additional funding to district attorneys to prosecute property crime cases and $5 million in funding to build the capacity of local law enforcement efforts to combat retail theft.
• Establishes the Commercial Security Tax Credit Program that provides a $3,000 tax credit for small businesses with 50 or fewer employees whose retail theft prevention expenses exceed $12,000. 

Speaking in support of an Assembly resolution recognizing Holocaust Remembrance Day

We must do within our power so no New Yorker ever lives in fear of persecution, hatred, or bigotry on the basis of their religion – or for any reason. Offenders who commit crimes motivated by the hatred of one's race, religion, sexual orientation, or nationality must be held accountable. The final state budget expands the number that offenses that can be charged as hate crimes and allocates $35 million in funding that will be used for the safety of organizations at risk of hate crimes. 

Helping New Yorkers Afford a Place to Live and Call Home

New York must continue to enact policies that provide assistance to tenants facing eviction and provide support to homeowners who face foreclosure. We must also fund programs and initiatives that encourage more housing. The final state budget:

• Includes $140 million for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
• Provides $80 million for Mitchell-Lama Preservation and Home Ownership.
• Secures $40 million for the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP)
• Allocates $15 million in additional funding for Eviction Prevention Legal Services. 
• Provides $10 million for land bank operations and $40 million for the capital needs of land banks.

Enhancing Medicaid and Investing in Health Facilities of the Future

If we truly believe that our health is the most important thing in our lives then we must ensure not only that a patient's needs are met, but that the needs of New York's healthcare workers are met too. I have stood shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with these dedicated professionals since before I came to Albany and I have no intention of stopping anytime soon!

The final state budget will:

• Provides $800 million for financially distressed hospitals.
• Provides $350 million in funding for Hospital Medicaid repayment rates by an increase of roughly 3.5% as well as per diem increases for Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Programs.
• Secures up to $400 million to keep SUNY's Downstate Medical Center operating through at least April 1, 2025 and establishes a 9-member advisory board, appointed by state and local leaders, that would set up long-term plans for the hospital.

The budget will also:

• Expands the Hospital Financial Assistance Law, which provides assistance to those who are unable to fully pay co-pays and deductible amounts.
• Secures $73.8 million for the improvement of Patient Centered Medical Homes
• Provides $19.9 million to expand access to primary care.

Addressing Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis

We all know someone in our lives who is impacted by the trauma of addiction, whether we are aware of it or not. This state budget will:

• Authorize $22 million in substance abuse disorder federal funding.
• Provides $3 million to restore vocational, rehabilitation, and job placement services for those recovering from and dealing with addiction.
• Includes $2.5 million for various Office of Addiction and Support Services (OASAS)
• Secures $2 million for Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialists (SAPIS)
• Provides $1.2 million for various programs treating co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.

Investing in New York Families and the Next Generation

As a husband and father nothing is more important to me than my family. Keeping them safe, healthy and knowing all their needs are met are traits all parents carry. As a lawmaker I never forget the challenges faced by families and am unwavering in my support of commonsense policies and funding that will foster enduring familial bonds to last a lifetime. The final state budget will:

• Create a supplemental $350 million Empire State Child Tax Credit.
• Provides $280 million for workforce funding for the recruitment and retention of child care providers.
• Secures $60.2 million for various family's and children's services programs.
• Allocates $13.7 million to expand children's access to healthcare and includes an additional $13.6 million for the Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) program.
• Secures $7.6 million to guarantee continuous Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility for children ages 6 and up. Such children can also remain enrolled in Medicaid and Child Health Plus regardless of changes of family income.
• Requires the new Family Child Care Networks Pilot Program (FCCNs) to make recruitment and expansion efforts in child care deserts a priority. 

There's never been a state budget where everyone got everything they wanted, and there's no exception here. But this is a strong, fiscally responsible budget that will do a lot of good for our families. As we move forward from here, I will never stop working to make New York the best state for the people I am honored to represent.