Starting January 1, 2024, minimum wage will increase to $16 in New York City and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester, and to $15 in all other parts of the State. In 2025 and 2026, the minimum wage will increase by an additional $0.50 in each year, after which the State’s minimum wage would increase at a rate determined by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Northeast Region.

The New York Farm Bureau said in a statement they remain, “…deeply concerned over the additional increase of the state’s minimum wage. If a farm cannot compete in the marketplace or make ends meet, nothing else will ultimately matter. This could negatively impact our farm employees, future job creation, and local food production. We ask our leaders to look for additional ways to offset mounting labor costs as the new minimum wage will keep increasing in the coming years along with inflation.”

The Farm Bureau did celebrate the inclusion of the Refundable Investment Tax Credit in the budget, which was a priority for the agency. They said the credit will be a “boon for farms looking to expand, diversify, or upgrade their businesses over the next five years. It is one of the biggest investments the state has made into New York agriculture in years.”

Highlights in the state budget related to agriculture include $2 million for community garden programming and a $10 million grant program to support the establishment of farm markets, supermarkets, food cooperatives, and other similar retail food stores, along with supporting infrastructure in underserved communities and regions of the State.

The budget provides $50 million over five years to local school districts to support cooking facilities. The School Food Infrastructure Grant Program will provide the resources schools need to aggregate, store, process, and prepare farm products, and make it possible to cook fresh, nutritious homemade meals on-site for school children.

The Farm Bureau also said they were grateful for the additional $1 million in the Environmental Protection Fund to assist Soil and Water Conservation Districts carry out important assistance to farmers, landowners, and municipalities.

New York State Capitol

After a month and a day late, New York State finally has a 2024 budget.

The State Legislature finished passing budget bills late Tuesday night for the $229 billion spending plan.

Governor Kathy Hochul was successful in getting changes to bail reform that expands bail consideration for judges.

However, her Housing Compact plan was put on the back burner for further post-budget discussion.

The approved budget also includes more than $34 billion increase in school aid. Jamestown Public Schools will receive $9.5 million more in foundation aid, for total state aid funding of $83,706,514.

New York State of Polictics reports the budget will raise the minimum wage in Upstate New York to $16 in 2026 and index the base pay to the rate of inflation.

The budget does not raise the personal income tax.

A planned ban on natural gas hookups in new construction also passed.

State Senator George Borrello issued a statement calling the budget a “bad budget” that ignores affordability and public safety. On the bail reform change, Borrello said, “The promised changes are nothing but a shell game that will do nothing to reverse the tide of rising crime. Ninety percent of crimes are still not eligible for bail. Judges still do not have the discretion they need to hold dangerous individuals, despite rewording of the ‘least restrictive’ standard.”

Governor Kathy Hochul announces tentative deal on state budget (April 27, 2023)

Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a tentative deal on the 2024 State Budget.

According to reports by WXXI, Hochul called the news conference after Senate and Assembly members left the Capitol for the weekend, saying that there were too many unresolved issues to approve a spending plan this week.

The governor said in a release that she had reached an agreement with Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins on the budget plan

Hochul announced adjustments will be made to the state’s current bail laws. The governor said judges will have more authority to set bail and detain dangerous defendants. The agreement that has been reached removes the least restrictive means standard and gives judges discretion to hold violent criminals accountable.

The budget also includes $40 million for public defenders to retain staff and enhance their services. Assigned attorneys will receive a pay increase for the first time in two decades.

The state plans to invest in violence prevention, including $36 million to Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE), increasing stabilization units for the New York State Police, and $40 million to district attorneys.

The state would raise the minimum wage. Starting next year, the minimum wage would rise to $15 in Upstate New York, with additional 50 cent increases in 2025 and 2026 to bring it to $17 by 2027. Future increases would be tied to the rate of inflation.

The budget also appears to include a ban on natural gas in new buildings and funding for free meals for school children.

The next step in the budget process is for the bills to be printed, so that state lawmakers can vote on them. The budget was due April 1.

That’s according to Governor Kathy Hochul in comments to news media on Tuesday.

The budget was originally due April 1.

State lawmakers and Hochul are continuing to discuss issues that would enable the state to address the sale of illegal cannabis sales in the state as well as expand charter schools in New York City.

The budget is expected to include a ban on new natural gas hookups by 2026 in new construction in the state.

Hochul said on Tuesday the measure was necessary to address climate change.

Meanwhile, New York State Republican legislators are celebrating a Federal court ruling Tuesday in California that said Berkeley, California’s ordinance banning natural gas hookups in new buildings is preempted by the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act.

Officials have previously agreed to changes to New York’s cashless bail law that would provide judges with more discretion in setting bail for criminal case.

Hochul’s housing plan was rejected by lawmakers, but she said she wants to continue pushing elements of it after the budget is given final approval in the remaining weeks of the session.

Lawmakers and Hochul also have tentative deals for increasing the state’s minimum wage to $17 an hour in the coming years and funding universal free school meals.

Farm Bureau President David Fisher and Public Policy Director Jeff Williams said the major issues are based on member approved public policy positions.

Their first priority is asking New York State lawmakers to replenish the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Williams said this has been a big issue for Farm Bureau members who have been saddled with assessment charges on their quarterly contributions to the unemployment insurance fund.

New York State borrowed billions from the federal government during the pandemic to cover increased Unemployment Insurance costs. New York has been the only state that has not begun to make payments on the debt or interest, and instead passing those costs on to employers.

Williams said members are also concerned about efforts to raise the minimum wage once again. Minimum wage increased a dollar an hour at the end of the year for upstate New York and will possibly be raised to $15 by the end of this year. The farm overtime threshold will begin to drop as well next year.

The Farm Bureau is also looking to maintain funding for important animal health, promotion, and research programs along with full funding for the Environmental Protection Fund. Williams said the EPF is responsible for helping farms implement best management practices that include soil health and nutrient management programs that protect land and waterways. He said this also includes efforts to help farms meet the state’s climate goals.

The Bureau is also hopeful the governor’s proposal for a refundable investment tax credit is included in the final budget. They said this will incentivize investment.

Continued funding for the Nourish New York program and legislation allowing for direct-to-consumer shipping for New York produced farm beverages, including beer, cider, and distillates are also on the agenda.

Siena College Poll released polling results which show Hochul’s job approval is at 56%, up from 49% in December. Her favorability rating is 48%, up a little from 45% last month.

The poll of registered New York State voters released Monday reports six of Hochul’s State of the State proposals have strong to overwhelming support – four of them bipartisan – while her proposal to allow SUNY to increase tuition is strongly opposed.

While a majority of voters think Hochul will make progress this year on her goal of creating more jobs and opportunities, a larger majority think she will not make progress on making New York more affordable, and pluralities think she will not be successful making the state safer or fixing its mental health system.

Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said the jump in approval ratings from last month is largely thanks to independent and downstate voters.

He said, “When it comes to not raising state income taxes this year, voters overwhelmingly agree with Hochul, with no difference among Democrats, Republicans and independents. And strong majorities of voters of every partisan persuasion support three of her other proposals: guaranteeing state employees up to 12 weeks of paid family leave, basing the minimum wage on the inflation rate, and giving judges more discretion to set bail for offenders accused of serious crimes.”

Governor Kathy Hochul delivers 2023 State of the State (January 10, 2023)

Kathy Hochul delivered her first State of the State Tuesday as an elected Governor of New York.

She pledged to expand the number of available beds in psychiatric treatment facilities, address public safety concerns, and tie the minimum wage to the rate of inflation.

Hochul proposes a $1 billion investment in mental health that will include increasing the number of inpatient psychiatric treatment beds by 1,000, creating 3,500 units of housing for those with mental illness, increasing insurance coverage for mental health services, expanding outpatient services, and creating systemic accountability for hospital admissions and discharges to better address the needs of individuals suffering with mental illness.

Under public safety, Hochul plans to double funding for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination, or GIVE, program to $36 million. This will expand the use of evidence-based strategies – hot-spot policing, focused deterrence, crime prevention through environmental design, and street outreach – and result in the hiring of more than 150 police officers and prosecutors solely dedicated to combating gun violence within their communities.

She also said she will work with the State Legislature to clarify the State’s bail laws.

Hochul’s proposal for increasing the State’s minimum wage would be based on the growth in the year-over-year Consumer Price Index for Wage Earners (CPI-W) for the Northeast Region. To ensure that no single-year increase would threaten employment, annual increases would be capped. In addition, the proposal would also allow for an “off-ramp” in the event of certain economic or budget conditions.

Seventeen other states either currently tie their minimum wage to inflation or some other economic formula or are slated to do so, including three states which have minimum wages at or above $15 in 2023.

Hochul also introduced the New York Housing Compact’s plan to deal with housing shortages that will require all cities, towns, and villages to achieve new home creation targets on a three-year cycle. She said the proposals, if adopted by lawmakers, could spur the creation of 800,000 new homes over the next decade.

View Governor Hochul’s complete State of the State address here:

Workers outside of New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County will see an increase by $1.00 per hour, from $13.20 to $14.20. Additionally, the minimum wage for home care aides, which took effect on October 1, 2022, will also increase by $1.00 to $16.20 per hour in counties in upstate New York.

Governor Kathy Hochul said, “With inflation and a national labor shortage impacting our state’s economy, my team is doing everything possible to put money in New Yorkers’ pockets and address the rising cost of living.”

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, “By raising the minimum wage, we are helping to lift up our neighbors across New York State. Advancing the multi-year increases has helped businesses adjust to the steady changes while providing low-wage workers the ability to better support themselves and their families.”

Reardon issued an Order calling for the minimum wage rate increase in counties outside of New York City, Long Island, and Westchester following a statutorily required economic analysis conducted by the New York State Division of the Budget.

An estimated 200,000 New Yorkers in these upstate counties will benefit from this wage increase, 44% of which are full time workers and of those, nearly 25% are supporting children below age 18. In addition, this increase will help to close the gender pay gap, providing an estimated 110,000 women with greater financial stability.

To learn more about the minimum wage for home care aides, read the Home Care Aides Fact Sheet at https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/10/p105-home-health-aide-10-5-22.pdf

Workers who are not getting paid what they are entitled to under New York State’s new minimum wage laws, should report it to the State Department of Labor’s Division of Labor Standards by calling 1-888-469-7365.

Home care aides

The State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) announced that effective October 1, 2022, the minimum wage for home care aides has been increased to $17.00 per hour in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, and $15.20 per hour for the remainder of New York State.

This follows an order by the Commissioner and State Budget Director raising the general minimum wage to $14.20 for counties outside of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, beginning on December 31, 2022, leading to an additional $1.00 increase an hour for Home Care Aides in those locations.

Home care aides may be owed extra pay in addition to minimum wage rates for overtime, call-in pay, spread of hours, and uniform maintenance. The only time an employer may reduce wages below minimum wage is to claim a limited allowance for meals and lodging, provided they do not charge for those services.

Minimum wage

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon issued the order calling for the increase for counties outside of New York City, Long Island, and Westchester to rise by $1 per hour. The current rate is $13.20.

The decision comes following a required economic analysis by the State Division of Budget which found evidence of pressure for wages to rise in the midst of a continued pandemic-driven labor shortage.

Key findings from the DOB’s report include that regional unemployment rates outside of New York City are at historic lows. The 3.1 percent rate for this area for the four months from April through July 2022 is the lowest in the history of the data going back to 1976 and is lower than the national 3.5 percent rate for the same month.

Also, low-wage industries are over-represented among the State’s remaining job losses due to the early impact of the pandemic. Although the minimum wage workers’ share is likely to rise as the low-wage sector recovery proceeds, the size of the minimum wage workforce is likely to continue to be constrained by a rise in entry-level wages as firms compete for workers.

The report also found that New York is experiencing a job gap of 351,000 relative to its pre-pandemic peak. Anecdotal evidence combined with alternative data sources argue that labor shortages could account for much of New York’s remaining job gap, particularly Upstate.

Like the rest of the nation, the New York labor market is expected to continue to slow in the coming months, with employment growth projected to slow from 4.3 percent in 2022 to 0.8 percent in 2023. State employment is not expected to reach its pre-pandemic level until 2026

A wage increase would affect about 200,000 workers, 44% of whom are full-time employees. About 25% support children under the age of 18.

A public comment period is now open on the order. Feedback may be e-mailed to regulations@labor.ny.gov by December 11, 2022.

If accepted, the wage increase would take effect on December 31, 2022.