GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE - MARCH 2025

FY 2026 Executive Budget Update

NYECA Monitoring Governor’s Budget and Legislative Response

As required by law, Governor Hochul released her 30-Day Amendments to the Executive Budget on February 20, 2025. This is the Governor’s last chance to make formal changes to her budget proposal before the state Assembly and Senate formally react to her budget with their own “One-House” budget bills, which reflect legislators’ priorities, and are expected in the second week of March. After this point, three-way budget negotiations begin in earnest as state lawmakers approach the April 1 deadline for adoption. NYECA will be carefully monitoring the forthcoming One House budgets for the addition or deletion of items of interest to NYECA.

NYECA Also Monitoring New York City FY 2026 Budget

Just as the state budget process kicks into high gear, the New York City Council begins deliberating over the FY 2026 New York City budget. The Council has released its preliminary budget hearing schedule for the budget, in which City agencies and other stakeholders have the opportunity to publicly weigh in on the City budget. The Housing and Buildings Committee budget hearing is scheduled for March 25 at 2:30 pm, should NYECA wish to testify. The City budget process will then proceed towards its July 1 deadline.

TDI Update – Continued NYECA Diligence

As reported in last month’s PowerOn, this year the Governor’s controversial proposal to increase Temporary Disability Income (TDI) benefits was not included in her 2025-26 FY budget, which represented a clear win for NYECA. Nonetheless, the legislature reintroduced the legislation this year (A.84/S.172). On February 4, the Senate Labor Committee, led by Senator Jessica Ramos, passed the bill, but in a nod to NYECA’s concerns, which we have repeatedly brough to the Senator’s attention, she stated at the committee meeting that the bill still needs revisions, which is positive. Accordingly, NYECA will be meeting with Senate leadership soon to discuss the bill and continue to insist that its language address NYECA’s concerns, mainly the disproportionate impact on self-insured plans, before NYECA can lend its support to the proposal.

NYECA Priority Bill Status Update

Below please find an updated status report on priority NYECA bills over the past month.

Signed by the Governor (Chapter Amendments)

      • S.739 Ramos/A.2433 Bronson – Relates to payroll records submitted by contractors and sub-contractors for public work contracts and the establishment of an online database of electronic certified payroll records.
          • Chap .71
      • S.755 Ramos/A.1677 Reyes – Relates to claims for mental injury premised upon extraordinary work-related stress incurred at work.
          • Chap .79
      • S.787 Persaud/A.1469 Simon – Requires electric vehicle charging stations to include at least one space to accommodate wheelchair accessible electric vehicles.
          • Chap . 86

 

Passed One Chamber

      • 801 Krueger/A.4200 Burroughs – Relates to standards for electric vehicle charging stations and electric vehicle ready parking spaces in certain new buildings.
        • Passed Senate (Vote: Y: 44/N: 17)
      • 824 Krueger/A.1474 Dinowitz – Relates to the climate change adaptation cost recovery program and requirements for climate change adaptive infrastructure projects.
        • Passed Senate (Vote: Y: 36/N: 23)

 

NYS Legislature New Bill Introductions

      • 5405 (Hunter) – Relates to void provisions in construction contracts.
      • 4912 (Ryan) – This bill seeks to protect construction workers by requiring employers to provide four hours pay at the employee’s regular hourly rate when a worker comes to a job site and is sent home without cause and two hours of pay at the same rate is an employee is not given 12 hours’ notice by an employer not to report to work.
      • 4591 (Cooney) – Prohibits broad indemnification by a design professional of a state or local agency or political subdivision involving public work for contracts.
  •  
  • If you have any questions or would like additional information on any New York State or New York City legislative matter, including copies of any legislation or regulations mentioned in this article, please contact Peter Rescigno or NYECA lobbyist Perry Ochacher at (914) 319-9173.