How Backroom Deals in Albany Will Impact New Yorkers

Gov. Hochul recently signed this year’s state budget, the result of a messy process in which a lot of policy actually gets made each year.

At a time when New Yorkers are demanding bold and responsive leadership to protect our democratic values, the Governor and lawmakers shut out the public, spent months horse-trading this deal in secret, and ignored some of our biggest needs.

Yes, for years, the state budget has been called “the big ugly” for a reason – it’s a slurry of pet priorities and dealmaking – but this year’s process was longer, later, and worse than in recent memory. This is no way to run New York, especially at a moment like this.

Worse yet, this year’s negotiations were based on fear and not facts, and several harmful changes made it into the final budget. But the NYCLU and our supporters stepped up and helped stop some of the worst ideas – and because we all spoke up, there were some bright spots too.

Criminalizing Masks

After months of advocacy, the NYCLU and our supporters successfully beat back an all-out statewide mask ban. Gov. Hochul did manage to create a new crime if someone commits a felony or certain misdemeanors while masking to conceal their identity. But it is a significant victory for civil rights, public health, and free expression that masking in and of itself will not become a crime in New York.

Expanding Involuntary Commitments

The Governor has made it easier to forcefully lock up people with mental illness who appear to be unable to provide for their own basic needs – even if they pose no threat to themselves or others.

The status quo response to homelessness and serious mental health issues is untenable. But locking people away instead of providing for much needed treatment and housing is not the answer. It raises so many concerns about people’s rights and well-being. The change we need is not simply to lock more people away; we need supportive housing, mental health services, and other real solutions.

Rolling Back Discovery Reform

Thanks to years of our advocacy for basic fairness, a few years ago New York reformed the rules so anyone facing criminal charges gets to see the evidence against them before facing trial. The ink was barely dry before the fear-mongering began.

This year, the Governor embraced the misleading data and fearmongering and fought hard to roll back the reforms we won. Thanks to supporters like you who fought back, the legislature rejected the Governor’s worst ideas, but put through totally unnecessary changes that have chipped away at some of the progress we made.

Undermining Education Standards

The State Education Department must have the authority to ensure all schools, no matter public or private, deliver a sound, basic education to New York’s children. But a provision in this year’s budget undermines that authority and makes it easier for private religious schools to skirt their responsibilities to their students.

At a time when democratic education is more important than ever, the Governor played politics with children’s futures.

Funding for Immigrant Defense and Abortion Care

One of the best ways to fight against Trump’s cruelty is to make sure New Yorkers facing deportation – including unaccompanied children – have a lawyer by their side to fight for them. While the budget includes new funding for immigrant defense, it’s far from what we need in this dangerous moment.

With abortion access under existential threat, lawmakers took important steps to ensure care is more accessible and protected in New York. In addition to more funding for abortion services, the legislature eliminated barriers to care that have blocked New Yorkers from accessing abortion for years.

Where we go from here

In the remaining weeks of this year’s legislative session, lawmakers must pass legislation that displays the humane values, courage, and commitment to open government that New Yorkers should expect. Stay tuned. With the help of supporters like you, we will continue to push state leaders to step up to protect the rights of all New Yorkers.