Welcome to the March edition of our newsletter, Policy Matters. This month, we include updates on state budget advocacy, including on the one-house budgets, share additional joint budget hearing testimonies, as well as critical information on SNAP and work requirements, and news about our CASH program. More below!
New York State Budget Update: Assembly and Senate Show Strong Support for Civil Legal Services
The Legislature’s one-house budgets were released on March 9, setting the stage for negotiations between the Legislature and the Governor.
Some notable things in the one-house budgets relating to our work:
- Both chambers restored full spending authority for the Interest on Lawyers Account (IOLA), and the Senate included an additional $50m in spending authority to be allocated by the IOLA board of trustees. More on IOLA below.
- Both chambers accepted the Office of Court Administration’s proposal, including an increase in funding for civil legal services. We are grateful for the support to help address New York’s access to justice gap.
- Both chambers included full funding for the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP), and the Assembly included the codification language (S.2627/A1625) that would incorporate the program into state law. The Senate passed the bill through the chamber as well! We hope to see full funding and the codification in the final budget.
- Both chambers included the traditional legislative funding addition for the Disability Advocacy Program (DAP) and the Senate included language to make DAP eligible for a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), as we requested. We are advocating for an increase and we hope to see the COLA in the final budget.
- Both chambers accepted the Executive’s increase for the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP).
- Both chambers accepted the Executive proposal of $100 million to cover Office of Victims Services contracts through 2028; this is the third year of a three-commitment to cover the gap created by cuts from the federal level, which we advocated for with others in the Victims Services community. The Senate added an additional $10 million and the Assembly an additional $25 million to their proposals. We are grateful for the continued support for crime victims, and we will be in conversation to ensure that civil legal services are included.
- Both chambers restored the traditional Legal Services Assistance Fund (LSAF)appropriations, which we are grateful for. LSAF supports our 360-degree approach to civil legal services and is critical to our ability to continue to provide legal representation to low income marginalized New Yorkers.
- The Senate restored the Upstate Civil Legal Services funding.
The legislature and executive now move into negotiations to get to a final budget. We’re in conversations about these and other proposals to support our client communities. More to come!
Protecting Core Funding for Civil Legal Services
We, along with partners in the New York Legal Services Coalition, the private bar – including the New York State Bar Association and NYC Bar Association – and legislative champions, came together for a press conference and lobby day to advocate for full authorization of IOLA in the final budget.
As readers of Policy Matters know, the Executive budget did not include full appropriation for the Interest on Lawyers Account (IOLA), one of our core funding sources. IOLA funds are not taxpayer dollars; IOLA is a fiduciary fund generated from interest on certain attorney trust accounts, statutorily dedicated exclusively to supporting civil legal services for low-income New Yorkers. Given we are in the second year of a five-year contract, if the funding is not increased in the final budget, it would mean a cut of $500k for Empire Justice Center – which would mean cuts to services and staff.
President and CEO Kristin Brown spoke with Dave Lombardo of Capitol Pressroom about IOLA. As noted above, we are grateful for full appropriation in the Senate and Assembly one-houses. (More on IOLA in the one-houses — Queens Daily Eagle: Lawmakers propose boost to civil legal services fund.)
In addition to the New York State Bar Association and NYC Bar Association’s leadership at the press conference in Albany, a sign on letter with 66 private law firms was recently delivered to the governor.
Empire Justice Center Civil Rights Managing Attorney, Katie Blum, wrote a piece for the Gay City News, speaking to the direct services attorneys provide for clients in their time of need, including for those who are seeking legal name changes. Thanks to funding from IOLA, Katie explains how our work has meaningfully changed the lives of our clients, and how our legal services attorneys fight to protect the rights of New Yorkers, and enforce those rights under the law.
We will continue to push to ensure full funding for IOLA in the final budget. You can help by sending a message to Governor Hochul and Legislators, asking them to include IOLA in the final budget!
Legislative Advocacy Updates
We have continued to work on our Policy Priorities, providing testimony, meeting with members of the Legislature, and hosting press conferences to advocate for the most vulnerable New Yorkers.
Testimony: As we shared in February, we provided testimony regarding Public Protection, Human Services, and Health. This month, we delivered additional testimony to the Joint Legislative Budget Hearings in key areas.
- Higher Education: Our testimony for Higher Education requests that the Legislature accepts Governor Hochul’s $6 million proposal for the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP), due to the uncertainty and changes at the federal level which limit federal loan availability, as well as income-driven repayment and federal forgiveness options.
- Housing: Our testimony in Housing requests full funding and codification for the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP) by passing (S.2627 Kavanagh/A.1625 Solages) which would write HOPP into state law. The testimony also called for an increase for eviction prevention representation, an increase in benefits for housing expenses to households eligible for public assistance, and funding for a voucher or rental supplement program for those who are experiencing housing instability.
- Economic Development: Our testimony in Economic Development echoed the EDCAP funding request and noted the need to reform New York’s Nonprofit Contracting and Payment Processes to ensure timely contracts and repayment for New York’s nonprofits and legal services organizations.
- Taxes: Our Taxes testimony asks the Legislature to include $400,000 to preserve and expand our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program at CASH (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope) and Tax Advocacy Program in Rochester. We also look to the Legislature to build upon last year’s expansion and continue to strengthen New York’s child tax credit by increasing the maximum credit amount, making it more inclusive, and indexing it to inflation. We are asking for an investment in a significant expansion of free tax preparation assistance and a public awareness campaign to ensure that eligible filers claim the Empire State Child Credit. More information on the Empire State Child Credit and our press event with the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) is below!
Legislative Advocacy: In addition to testimony, we are engaging with legislators to support funding and causes that affect New Yorkers.
- Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP) Advocacy: Empire Justice Center’s HOPP team joined partners from across the state for the second advocacy day of this session, meeting with legislators and their teams to advocate for full funding in the final budget, as well as ensuring the HOPP program is written into state law. On March 5, sponsors for the HOPP bill and champions of the program, Senator Kavanagh, Assemblymember Rosenthal and Assemblymember Solages joined lawmakers and HOPP advocates for a press conference to rally for the continued funding as well as speak to the importance of the bill. In addition to the advocacy day, Empire Justice Center co-hosted the third annual “Connect at the Capital” conference bringing together over 200 advocates, practitioners, and policymakers to advance the objectives of our HOPP Building Equity Initiative. Thank you to Center for New York City Neighborhoods for co-hosting the event again this year!
- Ensuring Privacy in Name Changes Court-ordered name changes do not offer the same categorical privacy that other types of name changes do, such as marriage, divorce, immigration, or adoption. This creates a safety and privacy concern for all applicants seeking a name change. Information that is Confidential Private Information in other court contexts is part of the court record for name changes, so identifying information such as birth certificates, photo IDs, full birthdates, financial records, and the like, are all part of a name change record. To make matters worse, online filings are now being scraped and data republished online, which there are easy to find. This not good for anyone but the risk is particularly acute for transgender, nonbinary people, and those who are victims of domestic violence. A bill (S.XXXX /A.3925 Lavine) will solve this by creating a privacy category for name changes akin to family court proceedings, where only parties or those who have a reason to access the name change can see the court filing – the public cannot.
- Lettie Dickerson, LGBTQ Rights Senior Attorney, was recently interviewed by the Times Union regarding a decision by the New York State Appellate Division, 3rd Department, which unanimously struck down a lower court’s decision that denied a request to seal the records of a transgender man who changed his name. Lettie expressed concern for the safety of those who change their name if records remain unsealed. The privacy bill would remove the discretion used by judges to make determinations in sealing records, helping to keep people safe from online data misuse.
CASH in the News
Empire Justice Center’s CASH Program (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope) hosted a press conference on March 19 with key stakeholders from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), the Rochester-Monroe Antipoverty Initiative (RMAPI), the Monroe County Department of Human Services, and CASH Client Candace Cabral to raise awareness about the 2026 Empire State Child Credit (ESCC). This expanded credit is new for 2026 (tax filing year 2025). Many New York families can get up to $1,000 per child by filing a New York State income tax return by April 15. You can file and get this money even if you don’t have income, don’t normally file taxes, or haven’t filed taxes for a while.
Getting money from the Empire State Child Credit will not impact your Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), cash assistance or housing assistance. If you save the money you get back, it will not count against asset limits for 12 months.
Check out media coverage of the event:
Spectrum News: Officials Urge Rochester Families to Sign Up for Expanded Empire State Child Credit
WHEC News 10: Empire Justice emphasizes its free tax help for Rochester families, as child tax credit expands
As the April 15 filing deadline draws near, CASH has limited appointments with volunteers remaining, but there are do-it-yourself options as well, with an expert available to answer all of your questions. If you are in Monroe County, you can make your appointment online. Read more about the CASH program from Yversha Roman, the Director of CASH and Strategic Partnerships, in her interview with Rochester First.
Protecting Affordable Housing
Empire Justice Center, in partnership with Father Tracy Center, the Latinx Roundtable, and Legal Assistance of Western New York, recently advocated for wrongfully displaced tenants in Rochester. After extensive work done to identify affected tenants, investigate the facts, and evaluate the legal issues, the matter was referred to the Attorney General’s office which had the power to fully investigate and hold Landsman Real Estate Services and Landsman Development Corp. accountable.
On March 4, 2026, the New York State Attorney General’s Office announced a settlement with Landsman regarding their failure to sufficiently notify and compensate 25 low-income tenants who were displaced due to the demolition and renovation of their apartments in Los Flamboyes – the affordable housing complex the tenants were forced to move from.
The settlement resulted in Landsman paying more than $270,000 to the relocated tenants, in the form of Replacement Housing Payments to compensate for out-of-pocket costs such as increased rent and utility expenses. The settlement resulted in greater transparency insofar as Landsman was required to notify the tenants of their right to return to the affordable housing units once the renovations are complete.
The outcome protects affordable housing in Rochester at a time when costs and rents are on the rise and finding an affordable place to live is increasingly difficult.
Important Changes to SNAP Benefits Coming
Beginning March 1, 2026, many recipients of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as “food stamps”) will be required to work or participate in work activities as a condition of receiving their benefits. This requirement, imposed on the states by federal law, is called the Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents (ABAWD) rule.
What you should know:
- This rule only applies to SNAP recipients if they are between the ages of 18-64 who are not living with children under the age of 14, and who are able to work.
- Work requirements can be met by working, volunteering, attending a training program, or looking for work.
- Many people are exempt from the work rules. Examples are those who are unable to work because of a health condition or taking care of another person with physical or mental health needs. More information on the SNAP ABAWD rules and exemptions is available on the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance website. You can also find more information on the Time Limit Checklist, which includes suggestions of how to document exemptions and hours of work participation.
- SNAP recipients should contact their local department of social services immediately if they meet one of the work exemptions.
- A person who is not exempt and who does not meet the work requirements is only eligible for three months of SNAP benefits every three years.
If you, or someone you know is in need of assistance with accessing the food they need, Hunger Solutions has resources available to help, including information on SNAP, WIC – which helps moms, moms-to-be, and their families – Summer Meals, and Food Pantries.
Comments Submitted for Housing for the Unhoused
On January 28, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) proposed a new Part 902 to the regulations governing the placement of homeless individuals and families in hotels and motels. These regulations are long overdue as large numbers of homeless individuals are placed in hotels and motels when shelters are full. On March 19, Empire Justice Center submitted extensive comments requesting that several amendments be made to strengthen the protections provided to the homeless placed in hotels and motels. We recommend that the proposed regulations provide accessible accommodations for those with disabilities, provide transportation to such activities as health appointments, permanent housing searches, and employment related activities, to address language access concerns, and for an increase to the restaurant allowance for those instances when a resident does not have a place to cook meals in the hotel or motel. OTDA will be reviewing and responding to comments received and will make a determination to adopt the proposed regulations as they are, amend the proposed regulations and re-issue them for comment, or withdraw them. You can find the full text of our comments on our website.
Trans Day of Visibility/Name Change Clinic
In honoring this year’s Trans Day of Visibility, community partners are coming together to turn visibility into action. Empire Justice Center is proud to partner with Next Generation Men Of Transition and JustCause – formerly known as Volunteer Legal Services Project to host two events designed to support trans and gender-diverse community members in understanding and accessing the legal name change process in New York State.
On Wednesday, March 25 from 5:30-6:30PM, we hosted a virtual training: Know Your Rights Legal Name Change in New York State. On Tuesday, March 31 from 10 AM-1 PM, we will host a Name Change clinic at our Telesca Center for Justice Rochester office, offering 1:1 support to prepare name change paperwork.
Be sure to watch our social media channels for future registration information as dates become available.
Employee Recognition
We are so happy to announce that Lettie Dickerson, LGBTQ Rights Senior Attorney, was recognized by his alma mater, Albany Law School, on March 9, 2026, with his inclusion in the “We Are Albany Law Installation” at Albany Law School. This honor was awarded by the Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and The Schaffer Law Library following nomination by students from the OUTlaw affinity group. A recipient of this honor is an alumnus whose career, character, and service embody the mission of law school affinity groups and whose example continues to motivate current students. Lettie was recognized as someone whose impact extends beyond their time on campus.
Thank You For Reading
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You can contact our offices directly if you need civil legal help.
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The Empire Justice Policy Team
