Albany, NY – In response to the state budget deal, Jessica Wisneski, Legislative and Campaigns Director for Citizen Action of New York, said:
“Governor Cuomo and the legislature missed their opportunity to reduce the huge economic inequality plaguing our state. Under the guise of compromise, Governor Cuomo failed to fulfill his promises to raise the minimum wage, pass the DREAM Act, create a system for public funding of campaigns, give workers paid family leave, and raise the age of criminal responsibility.
“Instead of prioritizing those critical policies that would lift up struggling working families, Governor Cuomo aggressively pursued a radical education agenda crafted by his biggest billionaire backers. Because of the organizing done by parents, teachers, and concerned New Yorkers, many of his worst education policies were blocked.
“Thanks to the strong efforts by Speaker Heastie and the Assembly Majority, public schools will receive a significant increase in funding, more upstate 4 year olds will have access to pre-K, and struggling schools will get desperately needed funding to improve. But after years of underfunding, New York is still far from giving New York’s children the education that they’re constitutionally guaranteed, and we face a teacher evaluation system that will result in less learning and more teaching to the test.
“We won’t have a state that works for everyone until we truly begin to provide opportunity. That means making sure that children of immigrants can go to college, that 16- and 17-year-olds aren’t charged as adults, that workers can earn a living wage, that workers can take time off to care for their families, and that billionaires aren’t able to dictate policy by making big campaign donations.
“We hope Governor Cuomo and the Senate Republicans take the opportunity with the remainder of the legislative session to join with the Assembly to pass these laws that will truly help New York’s families.”