Albany, NY — In response to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s legislative address, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York Karen Scharff issued the following statement:
“On Monday Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie laid out the Assembly’s legislative vision for the upcoming session. We applaud the Speaker’s support for Foundation Aid for our public schools and improved access to affordable child care—two priority areas that were notably missing from the Governor’s State of the State address. Citizen Action members from across the state were in Albany today to advocate for education and child care funding, and we look forward to working with the Speaker, Education Chair Cathy Nolan, and the Assembly to pass a budget that allows our children to thrive.
On taxes, Speaker Heastie didn’t mince words: we need to counter the federal tax scam with a progressive tax code that ensures the wealthy pay their fair share. We can’t allow our state to be a playground for corporations and the super rich, especially not when our communities’ education and child care needs are not being met.”
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