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ALBANY, NY (WENY) — As legislative session approaches, advocates are urging lawmakers to prioritize programs that would help working class New Yorker’s, in the 2023 state budget.
They are asking for funding for public education, and childcare. They are also asking to drive down the cost of rent and utilities, and to expand access to public benefits and healthcare.
Genevieve Rand, Co-Chair of the Tompkins Family Working Families Party, said she continues to struggle with finding affordable housing and healthcare.
“I am a working-class person who needs our states systems to work better,” Rand said.
Rand added that she is not alone.
“I know so many people and families around me who need the same and are struggling right now more than ever to make ends meet,” she said.
Some lawmakers said the legislature will be making working class New Yorkers a priority.
“I think that there is a absolute across the board interest to create a budget that works for the working class, that stabilizes the working class,” said Assembly Member Anna Kelles.
Kelles added that it will be important for the legislature to look at both expenditures and income. She said for this year’s state budget there will be conversations about driving down the cost of rent and utilities, building new housing, re-evaluating municipal housing, and increasing the minimum wage.
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