Global Courant 2023-05-04 04:17:14
Lawmakers in Albany have approved a $229 billion spending plan that will raise the state’s minimum wage, amend bail laws and try to curb illegal and unlicensed marijuana stores.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will sign the 10 bills into law on Wednesday, according to her office.
Negotiations between the governor and her fellow Democrats who control the legislature produced a deal late Tuesday that’s riddled with compromises, including many between the left and center of the party.
THE MINIMUM WAGE IN NEW YORK CAN GET $16 UNDER HOCHUL DEAL, UP TO $17 IN NYC
According to one bill, the minimum wage would rise to $17 in New York City and its suburbs by 2026, and $16 elsewhere in the state, with future increases linked to inflation.
Opponents of the wage increase said it could hurt small businesses and family farms that were hit financially during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are asking our leaders to look for additional ways to offset rising labor costs as the new minimum wage will continue to rise in tandem with inflation for years to come,” the New York Farm Bureau, which represents farmers, said in a statement. .
Lawmakers also approved a revision to the state’s bail law, which gives judges more discretion to jail certain criminal defendants before trial unless they are able to come up with funds to guarantee their return to court.
The New York legislature has approved a $229 billion budget plan that includes an increase in the minimum wage. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, hailed these changes during a budget-related announcement with Hochul on Wednesday. He said his team met several times with the governor’s staff early in the budget process to push through the changes.
“The governor heard us, she got her team together and we were able to target those who are repeat offenders and that’s important,” he said.
Hochul pushed for the changes despite outcry from some liberal Democrats who see it as partially reversing changes passed in 2019 that eliminated pre-trial detention for most non-violent crimes.
State Senator Gustavo Rivera, a Democrat, criticized the bail changes.
“It is shortsighted, but not surprising, that the governor made another attempt to reform bail laws to further criminalize poverty rather than focus on the services and economic justice we need for safer communities,” he said in a statement. a statement.
NEW YORK LAWMAKERS START VOTING 1 MONTH AFTER DEADLINE ON A $229B BUDGET
Another budget bill gives state regulators the power to seize marijuana products from unlicensed weed shops, which have proliferated since the state legalized recreational marijuana.
The budget will also raise the state’s cigarette tax by $1 to $5.35, even though lawmakers rejected Hochul’s proposed ban on menthol cigarettes.
For New York City, funds in the budget will improve the frequency of trains for the city’s public transit system, as well as a pilot program that will give each of the five boroughs a free bus route. About $1.1 billion in annual funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will come from a payroll tax increase for the city’s largest companies.
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The votes came just over a month after the initial April 1 deadline, with budget talks postponed largely due to changes to the bail bill and other policy issues. In New York, the state budget often serves as a vessel for passing major policy legislation.
