Why Should a Dollar Given to Billionaires be the Only Dollar that Counts as an Investment?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Contact: Alex Thompson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 518-465-4650
Albany, NY – Supporters of the Fair Pay for Home Care Act recognize that the full cost of implementing the Act, which raises the home care worker minimum wage by 150% to $22.50/hour, is not inexpensive. It may cost as much as $5 billion per year, but at least half of this will be paid for by the Federal Government. These supporters understand and believe that this investment is necessary to recruit and retain the workforce necessary to deliver these life-saving services to an elderly and disabled population that continues to grow in New York. The current workforce is already hemorrhaging given the low pay and high demands of the job. There is no viable alternative to the Fair Pay for Home Care Act under consideration.
To offset the cost of these investments, these supporters have pointed to a recently updated study by the CUNY Graduate School of Labor and Urban Studies which concluded:
- Raising wages is a highly effective strategy for resolving the home care shortage. Higher wages would reduce turnover and attract new workers to the field, while creating large-scale economic benefits for New York State.
- In the upcoming budget (FY23) the state would contribute $630 million, which will yield savings, revenue, and economic activity of $1.7 billion—net state economic benefits of more than $1 billion.
- Overall, raising home care wages to the proposed target levels would generate net benefits, as the cost of doing so is greatly exceeded by the savings, revenues, and economic activity that would result. For the first full year (FY24), the state would contribute $2.5 billion, which will yield economic benefits totaling $8.8 billion and net gains of $6.3 billion.
An investment that will more than pay for itself in economic activity? Sound familiar? How about from yesterday’s press release from Governor Hochul announcing a deal to publicly finance a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills:
“The Governor will advance a $600 million proposal in the state budget, and Erie County will contribute $250 million. The economic and tax impacts generated from the team will support more than 100 percent of the public share of the new stadium cost.”
Somehow, this statement seems to be taken at face value. In contrast, the CUNY Study on Fair Pay for Home Care seems to have fallen on deaf ears. The Governor’s Office and her Division of the Budget are completely disregarding it.
Won’t paying low wage workers a fair wage both increase income tax receipts and sales taxes on the goods and services that they purchase with these wages? Won’t getting workers who are on public assistance despite their employed status off public assistance save the State money? Isn’t reducing the costs of turning over and retraining new replacement staff an economic benefit? Of course! is the answer to all of these questions.
Dollars invested in the home care workforce, which is composed overwhelmingly by low-income women of color, is frankly more important than a replacement stadium, and it will provide the home care services that New York’s families will need for their loved ones in the future. And is has equal economic impact and value, maybe more.
Why should a dollar given to billionaires be the only dollar that counts as an investment?
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Disability Community Celebrates the Signing of Landmark Legislation at Bill Signing Ceremony with Governor Hochul
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, February 14, 2022
Contact: Alex Thompson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 518-465-4650
Albany, NY – Governor Hochul is holding a bill signing ceremony this afternoon for A.3130 / S.1836, creating an Office of the Chief Disability Officer. The ceremony will be hosted by the Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley in Troy, NY, a local Independent Living Center and a member of the New York Association on Independent Living (NYAIL). Bill sponsors and longtime disability champions, Senator Skoufis and Assemblyman Steck, will also be present at the bill’s signing. Disability advocates are celebrating the landmark legislation statewide and nationally as a sign that Governor Hochul will make the needs and rights of disabled people a higher priority under her administration.
The Office of the Chief Disability Officer will serve as the state's coordinator for the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, coordinate state activities to ensure that state programs do not discriminate against and are accessible to persons with disabilities, and ensure that such programs provide services to individuals with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate. Additionally, the Office of the Chief Disability Officer will represent the interests of the Disability Community in state government by reviewing proposed legislation and regulations to determine their impact on persons with disabilities. The bill becomes effective April 1st this year and the governor will appoint a Chief Disability Officer to lead the Office.
“The disability community has waited many years for a voice in state government. We want to thank Governor Hochul for her leadership in creating this office and more importantly for recognizing the need for coordinated policies related to disability. We are eager to work together to set an example for other states to follow,” said Denise Figueroa, Executive Director at the Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley.
“We thank Governor Hochul for her leadership in creating an Office of the Chief Disability Officer. By establishing this office, Governor Hochul has already distinguished herself as more responsive to the disability community than the previous administration. We look forward to working with the Hochul administration and this office moving forward on tackling the serious issues disabled people are facing across the State,” said Meghan Parker, Director of Advocacy at NYAIL.
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Disability Community Celebrates Governor Hochul for Ensuring Better Representation for Disabled People in New York State Government
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, February 4, 2022, 6:24 PM
Contact: Alex Thompson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 518-465-4650
Albany, NY – Governor Hochul has signed bill A.3130 / S.1836 today to reinstate the Office of the Advocate for People with Disabilities, which will now be known as the Office of the Chief Disability Officer. Disability advocates are celebrating the landmark occasion as a sign that Governor Hochul will make the needs and rights of disabled people a higher priority under her administration. The bills were carried by longtime disability champions, Senator Skoufis and Assemblyman Steck, with the unanimous support of the New York State Assembly and Senate.
Governor Hochul’s signature on the bill ensures the office’s mission is in statute and its advocacy functions in state government for all disabled people is restored. For years, there has been no single office that oversees issues like ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and as a result, there is no one for people with disabilities to speak with to resolve access issues they experience with the State. Further, there is a need for the State to consider policies and procedures from a cross-disability lens. The creation of an Office of the Chief Disability Officer will fill this gap and put New York back on track to be a leader once again in providing the services and ensuring the rights to all disabled people across the State.
“This recognition by the Governor is significant to many during a pandemic that has created new challenges and emphasized ongoing problems that have not been addressed for many years. The Governor has said that she will make sure this pandemic recovery includes every New Yorker and we are willing to work with her to see that happen. We look forward to building on this positive start to the year with Governor Hochul,” said Lindsay Miller, NYAIL’s Executive Director.
“We thank Governor Hochul for her leadership in creating an Office of the Chief Disability Officer. By establishing this office, Governor Hochul has already distinguished herself as more responsive to the disability community than the previous administration. We look forward to working with the Hochul administration and this office moving forward on tackling the serious issues disabled people are facing across the State,” said Meghan Parker, Director of Advocacy for the New York Association on Independent Living.
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