Novakhov Comments on Human Services Budget Conference Committee
March 19, 2026
Assemblyman Michael Novakhov (R,C-Brooklyn) took part in the Human Services Budget Conference Committee, which begins the budget negotiations between the Legislature and the governor. Novakhov says he is honored to represent the Republican Conference but has concerns about the upcoming state budget.
“I first want to thank Leader Ra for the confidence he placed in me to represent the Minority Conference on this committee. As we are moving toward a final budget, I am urging our Majority colleagues to include our Conference in negotiations, so all perspectives are represented and valued. While I am glad to see both the governor and the Majority include things such as child tax credit expansion and reducing burdens on providers, I am concerned that the expansion of childcare eligibility was done without appropriate funding, so families and counties are now shouldering the cost burden. We must also address why New York has a higher-than-average number of SNAP payment errors that cause us to pay millions to the federal government. The state is also failing by delaying the implementation of chip-enabled EBT cards, which would prevent money being stolen from the most vulnerable as we have seen in recent years.I look forward to working with my colleagues to finalize a fiscally responsible budget, and I hope negotiations are done with transparency,” said Novakhov.