Welcome to the March edition of our newsletter, Policy Matters. This month, we bring you budget advocacy updates, news about key bills we continue to watch, a new initiative in Monroe County, and information on the great work we do. We are also continuing our work to respond to policy changes and to shore up and expand safeguards for New Yorkers who need the laws’ protections the most. Updates below!
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Budget and Legislative Advocacy Updates
New York State’s budget is running slightly behind schedule this year, with lawmakers still working out key details. As we get closer to the final budget, our team continues our work on key Policy Agenda. Many of our essential budget items appear to be in a great spot, and we will keep up the fight to get them across the finish line as we start to close out this budget season.
Budget update
Funding for the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP) has been included in the Executive budget as well as the Legislative one-house budgets. We are encouraged and thank Governor Hochul for her inclusion of $40 m in the executive budget. The bill to codify HOPP in state law (S.2627 Kavanagh/A.1625 Solages) was included in both one-house bills, and we are pushing to see it adopted in the final budget, to provide stability to this important program and the people it serves.
The Disability Advocacy Program (DAP), which provides free legal advice for people whose disability benefits have been denied or cut off, has been included in both the Executive budget as well as the Legislative one-house budgets at the same level as last year. The total funding for the DAP program is $13.52 m. We look forward to seeing this through to the end.
Funding to establish the Kinship Legal Network was included in the Senate one-house budget. This Network would provide Kinship caregivers legal representation, information, and advice to navigate New York’s justice and social services systems. It would help some of New York’s most vulnerable children – and the people caring for them – access to the support they deserve.
Our one-pager, created with other statewide advocates provides additional information on the Kinship Legal Network, and the benefits it would provide for families. We are pushing for the final budget to include funding for this program.
The Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP) helps those who have student loan debt navigate their repayment options. In the one-house budgets, the Assembly allocated $250,000 and Senate allocated $500,000. This, in addition with the $3 m provided in the budget amendments last month from Governor Hochul, helps New York’s student loan borrowers keep up with burdensome debt repayments.
Managing Attorney, Sandy Budd answered questions people may have regarding their student loan repayment options with news station WNYT last week.
The Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program (MCCAP) is a statewide program that provides essential assistance to low-income seniors and people with disabilities in accessing health services and reducing their Medicare costs. The program was established in 2006 and remains vital as more New Yorkers begin to age into Medicare. $1.767 m was included in the Executive budget, with an additional $1 m included in the Senate one-house budget, as we requested in our budget testimony. This increase would be the first one since the inception of the program nearly 20 years ago. The additional funding will allow providers to reach 50,000 more New Yorkers through counseling, outreach, and direct assistance to help enroll in Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help, lowering out-of-pocket medical costs.
Legislative Update
In a press conference on March 13, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) announced the Fostering Affordability and Integrity through Reasonable (FAIR) Business Practices Act. Following up on the work on the Consumer and Small Business Protection Act (CSPA), Attorney General Letitia James announced the program bill designed to shield consumers and small businesses from unfair and abusive business practices. The new bill introduces more stringent penalties for businesses that engage in deceptive acts, charge hidden fees, or manipulate contract terms – including auto lenders, mortgage servicers, and student loan servicers, from deceptively steering people into higher cost loans. It would reduce unnecessary and hidden fees, stop unfair billing practices by health care companies, and prevent companies from taking advantage of New Yorkers with limited English proficiency.
The announcement was covered in news outlets, including Times Union, The National Law Review, Democrat and Chronicle, Newsday, City and State, and The Capitol Pressroom.
Working to Fight Childhood Poverty
The Working Families Tax Credit (S.2082 Gounardes/A.3474 Hevesi) is included in the one-house budgets, providing a tax credit of $1600 per child up to age 18. Readers of Policy Matters may remember that the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council (CPRAC) recommended $1500 per child up to age 18, with no phase-in and no minimum income requirement. This proposal puts New York in a great position to begin negotiations toward the best solution in using tax credits as an effective tool in combating childhood poverty.
Our Taxes Testimony includes a side-by-side tax proposals chart, for your convenience.
Loss of Funding for Critical Program to Protect Vulnerable Children
On Friday, March 23, the Trump Administration issued a near total termination of work on its Unaccompanied Children Program immediately ending funding for attorneys to represent the 26,000 children navigating the immigration system without a parent or guardian. Under a contract with the Acacia Center for Justice, we have been represent these children, in the Hudson Valley most of whom have survived targeted violence, abuse, abandonment, persecution, or trafficking. The loss of the critical program was the second time in approximately 30 days we were alerted to stop work on this contract – the first coming February 18, which was rescinded within days. Loss of this funding across the nation leaves children as young as two without legal representation at immigration hearings, facing deportation back to the danger they were desperate to leave.
More information can be found on our Facebook page, as well as coverage in the New York Times and Huffington Post.
Social Security Office Closures
Our Disability Advocacy Program (DAP) team remains committed to advocating for our clients as we monitor news of drastic cuts to staffing, office closures, and other changes by Social Security Administration (SSA). Staffing at SSA was already at a 50-year low, and these recent cuts to services will cause many disabled and elderly New Yorkers to face even worse delays and difficulty accessing benefits and services. In New York, SSA’s White Plains hearing office is closing, forcing some claimants to travel as far as New Haven, CT for in-person hearing. SSA has also reverted to a draconian policy of withholding 100 percent of a person’s monthly Social Security benefit to recover an overpayment, even when the overpayment was not the fault of the beneficiary. Recent press has focused on some of the chaos that these changes have caused. Advocates have continued to express concern, and SSA recently announced a partial roll-back of its plans to cut phone services and require more people to verify their identity in person. These cuts in staffing ultimately equate to cuts to benefits as people will not be able to access to the benefits they are entitled to.
Deaf Equity Council Established in Monroe County
Monroe County has established the Deaf Equity Council (DEC), an initiative that places deaf advocates at the forefront of addressing systemic barriers faced by the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind communities. As a founding member of the Monroe County Language Access Coalition, Empire Justice Center played a crucial role in the establishment of the initiative, which emerged as a need from the critical accessibility challenges revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The establishment of the Deaf Equity Council marks a significant step forward in ensuring that deaf and hard-of-hearing community members have direct representation in policy decisions that affect their lives. The council is seeking members. If you are interested, please use the sign-up form to get involved!
The advocacy efforts that led to the creation of the Deaf Equity Council align closely with ongoing work at the Monroe County Language Access Coalition, where collaboration between LEP and Deaf communities has led to enhanced outcomes for the community at large. Ray Kenney serves as co-chair of the Coalition alongside Marlene Cortés, Senior Manager of Community Outreach, and Yversha Roman, Director of CASH and Strategic Partnerships at Empire Justice Center.
Monroe County recently hosted a press conference on the initiative’s launch, with more information available on YouTube.
National Crime Victims Week
In honor of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, Managing Attorney Susan Antos will be presenting, “How Public Benefits May Help Victims of Domestic Violence and Other Crimes” with Supervising Staff Attorney, Haley Kulakowski on 4/9/25 from 11-12:30.
We Do Good Work – Spotlight on Civil Rights
- Our Chief Strategy Officer, Jill Paperno gave a presentation to the End the New Jim Crow Action Network, an organization that seeks to remove the structural injustices inflicted on the incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, their families and their communities.
- Chief Strategy Officer, Jill Paperno also hosted a meeting of the Safe and Fair Traffic Enforcement Coalition in which there was a presentation by attorney Andrew Case on a Suffolk County lawsuit relating to stops for traffic violations and the settlement agreement that was reached in that case.
- Lettie Dickerson, Senior Attorney attended The New Pride Agenda 2nd annual LGBTQ+ Advocacy Convening last week and delivered a presentation on Executive Orders and NYS Rights, and co-presented with Allie Bohm from NYCLU and Belkys Garcia from Legal Aid Society NYC
- Amos Hart, Staff Attorney and Lettie Dickerson, Senior Attorney also recently hosted another name change clinic at the Washington Avenue branch of the Albany Public Library, co-hosted with The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern NY
- Amos Hart, Staff Attorney and Lettie Dickerson, Senior Attorney delivered a presentation to folks at Skidmore College, entitled, “What is an Executive Order, Anyway?”
- Managing Attorney, Katie Blum and Lettie Dickerson, Senior Attorney gave a presentation to the AIDS Institute called, “An Overview of Name Change and Anti-Discrimination Protections for TGNCNB New Yorkers.”
Tax Season Updates
CASH (Creating Assets, Savings, and HOPE) – our Monroe County free tax preparation service – has limited appointments available for previous years’ unfiled tax returns. While they are currently unable to accept appointments to file for the 2024 tax season, our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) may be able to help if you have lingering unfiled tax returns or questions, as they remain open year-round. Our CASH site is prioritizing those who still have to file returns from 2021, as the deadline to claim a refund is April 18, 2025, and there is still $1 billion in unclaimed funds.
Also in Monroe County, if you are facing challenges with your taxes, our Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) is here to help! This free service assists low-income individuals and families with tax issues, from navigating complex tax forms to resolving IRS disputes. On March 11, our LITC program hosted its first “Problem-Solving Day” to answer questions for clients, primarily pertaining to collection concerns.
Celebrating Women’s History Month
This Women’s History Month, we celebrate the remarkable achievements and enduring strength of women throughout history and in our communities today. We honor their contributions to justice, innovation, and progress. Yet, we also recognize that the fight for true equality continues.
At Empire Justice Center, we are committed to upholding the promise of equal justice under the law. We believe in the power of the law to protect fundamental rights and address systemic inequalities. We stand with those working to ensure that all women have the opportunity to thrive, free from discrimination and barriers to opportunity. Join us in supporting policies that defend and advance equity and opportunity for women and for all communities.
Employee Spotlight!
We are excited to share the fourth Empire Justice Center Employee Spotlight! This edition highlights Paola A. Rengifo, a bilingual senior paralegal in the housing unit. She assists clients, particularly immigrants with limited English proficiency, with various housing issues, including evictions. We’re grateful to have Paola on our team, making a difference every day!
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