Welcome to the May edition of our newsletter, Policy Matters. This month, we bring you an overview of the 2025-26 Budget, legislative updates, highlights from press conferences and celebrations. We continue our work to respond to policy changes and to shore up and expand safeguards for New Yorkers who need the laws’ protection the most. Updates below!
2025-26 Budget Overview
Despite a late budget and a lot of uncertainty at the federal level, this was a strong budget for civil legal services. Some highlights are below.
- There was a significant increase in funding through the Office of Court Administration – which we and the New York Legal Services Coalition have been advocating for, to help address the recruiting and retention issues in the civil legal services. While it remains to be determined how the money is allocated, this is a positive step in addressing New York’s $1 billion access to justice gap.
- The Homeowner Protection Program was fully funded at $40 million; this was the first time it was fully funded at $40 million in the Executive budget.
- A significant increase for Community Health Advocates which helps New Yorkers navigate today’s complex health care system.
- There was a modest increase in Eviction Prevention legal funding.
- There was level funding for critical programs including: the Disability Advocacy Program (DAP), which provides legal assistance to low-income disabled New Yorkers seeking Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits; Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP), which provides free, unbiased assistance to student loan borrowers struggling to manage their debt; Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program (MCCAP), which provides essential assistance to low-income seniors and people with disabilities; and Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Legal Services Assistance Fund and Domestic Violence State Support.
- The multiyear state funding to support Victims of Crime that began last year was continued, which we are grateful for.
- We were also grateful to see funding for a pilot of the Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP), as well as an expansion of the child tax credit, and funding for school meals.
In addition to the outstanding bills to we seek to get passed before the end of session – more below—and responding to cuts at the federal level, we will be pushing in next year’s budget to support the lowest income New Yorkers, such as the recommendations from the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council.
The Crisis in Nonprofit Contracting in New York State
In an effort to address issues with New York State’s contracting process, nonprofit organizations recently came together to produce a white paper speaking to the need for the Contracting Bill (S.7001 Mayer/A.7616 Paulin); you can also read the press release. The bill is in the Assembly Ways and Means committee and is on the floor calendar in the Senate, as of this writing. As discussed in previous issues of Policy Matters, this bill would help address inefficiencies in the current contracting system, streamlining contract approvals and payment, increasing financial stability for New York’s nonprofits, and improve delivery of services to the communities they serve. The issue was recently spotlighted in an issue of the Times Union.
We are thrilled to see the fast momentum of this bill; it is a top priority to get this bill passed this session.
To add your voice, you can sign on to the sign on letter!
Our Memo of Support is available on our website.
Protecting New Yorkers from Unfair Business Practices
This month saw Attorney General Letitia James lead a rally with consumers’ rights advocates, labor representatives, small business advocates, and impacted people – and Jordan Daniels, Student Loan Manager – at a May 21 press conference in support of the Fostering Affordability and Integrity through Reasonable (FAIR) Business Practices Act (A.8427 Lasher/S.XXX Comrie). This legislation will update New York State law to strengthen protections for consumers and small businesses, as New York is one of only eight states that does not ban unfair or abusive business practices. In response to consumer protection rollbacks at the federal level, New York lawmakers are advancing the FAIR Business Practices Act – aimed at curbing unfair and abusive practices by businesses.
Two former employees from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published an op-ed in the Syracuse Post Standard on the importance of the bill, particularly in the face of federal rollbacks of consumer protections.
Pending Priority Bills
In addition to Contracting (S.7001 Mayer/A.7616 Paulin) and the FAIR Business Practices (A.8427 Lasher/S.XXX Comrie), we are also working hard to pass the following bills before the end of session:
- Codifying the Homeowner Preservation Program, or “HOPP” (S.2627A Kavanagh/A.1625 Solages), which will enshrine the Homeowner Protection Program into law, ensuring free housing counseling and legal services for people to avoid foreclosure. The bill is currently with Assembly Ways and Means, and while recently passed the Senate, was reintroduced with amendments, and is on the floor calendar.
- Ensuring Privacy in court-ordered name changes (S.2431 Hoylman-Sigal/A.3925 Lavine), which will ensure that people who change their names through the court have similar privacy protections as every other type of name changes – such as for marriage, divorce, or adoption.
- The SHIELD Bill (S.4914 Hoylman-Sigal/A.5480C Bronson), which will expand New York’s current Shield Law, protecting those who seek medically necessary care in New York State, without being punished. This bill has passed the Senate and will soon be on the Assembly floor.
Rebuilding Communities with Public Banks
On May 8, Empire Justice Center, along with Genesee Co-op Federal Credit Union and the Rochester Public Banking Coalition, hosted an In-Person Public Banking Forum. The Forum included speakers Steve Dusek, CEO of Dakota Business Lending, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in the Upper Midwest, and Oscar Perry Abello, Senior Economic Justice Correspondent of NextCity.org and author of The Banks We Deserve – Reclaiming Community Banking for a Just Economy (2025). The discussion centered on how a public municipal bank in Rochester would partner with local financial institutions, such as credit unions, to expand lending capacity. This partnership would finance ventures such as affordable housing, small businesses, and infrastructure projects and would work in tandem with other local banks. In funneling money directly to communities such as Rochester, a public bank would help address historical financial injustice, empower the local community, and foster economic development in the region.
A Panel on Allyship
LGBTQ Rights Senior Attorney, Lettie Dickerson spoke on a panel hosted by Skidmore College focused on trans allyship, aiming to foster better understanding and support for transgender and non-binary community members. The event featured a wide range of panelists, each sharing their perspective on how allies can effectively support people who are trans or non-binary. Some discussions centered on legal and social issues, with Lettie explaining the importance of being vocal, calling out policies, and speaking to lawmakers regarding policies that could be harmful to the community.
CASH Volunteer Appreciation Day!
On Sunday, May 4th, the CASH team gathered at Innovative Field for our annual Volunteer Celebration to commemorate the end of another tax season. Despite the rain and chilly weather, our team showed up and out! The afternoon was filled with laughter, meaningful connections, and heartfelt goodbyes. Thanks to their collective efforts, the CASH Coalition helped bring over $5 million in federal and New York State refunds back into Monroe County this tax season, while saving our clients nearly $1 million in paid preparer fees. We’re deeply grateful for our continued partnership with the Rochester Red Wings, who have hosted our celebration for the past three years.
More information about our tax preparation program – CASH (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) is available on our website.
Interested in learning more about volunteering with CASH? Check out our FAQs and the interest form for more information.
Family Friendly Employer Award!
Empire Justice Center was proud to receive the “Family Friendly Employer Award” from the Greater Rochester Association of Women Attorneys (GRAWA) for 2025!
From the GRAWA website: This award recognizes a legal employer in Rochester that has distinguished itself by establishing employment policies that enable employees to balance their work and family commitments. Consideration for the award is given to employers’ policies on part-time employment, flexible work schedules, maternity/paternity leave, sick and vacation leave, telecommuting, and partnership opportunities, where applicable.
We want to thank GRAWA for this astounding honor!
Thank You For Reading
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