FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 31, 2014

Statement from Speaker Silver on 2014-15 Budget Agreement


"Throughout the negotiations leading to this budget agreement, the Assembly Majority put working families first and endeavored to address the myriad challenges facing them today. We are proud that the 2014-15 state budget will make a strong commitment to the education of our children through dramatic investments in school aid and universal pre-K, and much-needed increases in TAP, community college base-aid, and higher education opportunity programs - all historic Assembly initiatives and priorities. Additionally, we take steps to safeguard and strengthen this investment by hitting the pause button on Common Core.

Equally important, this budget keeps our promise to provide working families with tax relief, to create jobs in every region of the state, to alleviate the child-care crisis, to provide long-ago promised cost of living increases to our direct care workers and to honor our longstanding obligation to provide affordable housing, to protect public health and to care for our most vulnerable citizens. In addition, this budget puts New York on the path to fair elections, a goal we have pursued for nearly 30 years.

This is a good agreement and a sound fiscal plan that will keep our state on the path to a better future."

BUDGET SUMMARY

The New York State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2014-15 budget agreement is a $137.9 billion spending plan, that when combined with federal aid for Superstorm Sandy recovery and the Affordable Care Act, totals $142.8 billion. This is an increase of $2.5 billion, or 1.8 percent, over SFY 2013-14. It is an increase in spending of $687 million over the Executive proposal.

Highlights of the SFY 2014-15 budget agreement:

Education

Health & Human Services

Jobs & Economic Investment