Gov. Hochul, reluctant lawmakers agree on new state budget with bail reform changes
NEW YORK -- Gov. Kathy Hochul finally convinced reluctant lawmakers to agree with her on bail reform in a new budget that also has a grab bag of goodies for New York City.
But Hochul had to give up on a number of pet projects after overshooting the budget deadline by nearly a month.
"It's not a race to a deadline, but a race to the right results," said Hochul, who cobbled together a $1.1 billion bailout of the MTA without having to accept controversial proposals like resident parking permits or a tax on online purchases.
There will also be a 2-year pilot program to offer free bus service on five different lines, one in each borough.
"The MTA will decide where the lucky areas are," said Hochul.
The toughest lift involved bail reform changes sought by Mayor Eric Adams and others that will make it easier for judges to use their discretion to hold repeat offenders. It was one of the top reasons the budget was nearly a month late.
"I do believe that judges should have more authority to set bail and detain dangerous defendants," said Hochul.
The budget will also:
- Allow New York City to open 14 more charter schools
- Raise the minimum wage to $17 downstate and $16 upstate
- Take action to go after illegal marijuana stores, including the estimated 1,700 in New York City
- Create 1,000 new in-patient psychiatric beds and 3,500 units of supportive housing
- Make 113,000 more families eligible for child care
- Raise the tax on cigarettes to $5.35, a $1 bump.
One thing the budget will not do is ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes.
Hochul was also unable to get lawmakers to sign off on her ambitious plan to build 800,000 units of housing through mandated zoning changes. It fell victim to strong pushback from suburban voters on Long Island and in Westchester.
"I know change can be hard, but we're not walking away from this issue, and I won't stop working hard and fighting until we make housing more affordable for New Yorkers," said Hochul.
The governor was also able to convince lawmakers to go along with a controversial environmental goal: banning natural gas in new buildings beginning at the end of 2025. It means no new gas appliances and gas heating systems.