Budget talk with Assembly Children & Families Chair Andrew Hevesi

Assembly Democrats will propose increasing taxes as part of their one-house budget proposal due later this month, according to Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi.

The Queens Democrat added that his top priority for any additional spending is an investment into the child care workforce.

Increasing state revenue generated from wealthy New Yorkers and large corporations has been a priority of both houses in recent years, so it’s no surprise that the people’s house will again propose going down this road in budget negotiations with Gov. Kathy Hochul. But it remains to be seen what sort of traction there is for increasing taxes given the governor’s staunch opposition and the recent identification of hundreds of millions of extra revenue to distribute since the release of the executive budget.

Hevesi said his chamber’s budget will also include support for a study of the true cost of delivering child care and the elimination of a minimum income threshold for accessing child care subsidies.

“So there’s things in play, but I will absolutely be rooting for, and advocating for, raising revenue so we can pay that workforce,” he said.

The full interview is available below.

The Assembly will also lay out a plan for additional funding to local child care assistance programs and rolling back language requiring counties spend down funding from previous years before they access new dollars. And while Hevesi supports the governor’s proposed use of body scanners in secured-facilities for juveniles, he anticipates the measure will be missing from the Assembly’s budget.

With regards to the implementation of Raise the Age, Hevesi said the Assembly Democrats will look to strike language restricting New York City’s access to program dollars and enable money to go directly to community groups.