Joint Legislative Public Hearings on 2025-2026 Executive Budget Proposal
This testimony touches on our work in higher education. We will discuss the positions set forth
below:
1. The need to fund the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP) at $3.5 M
in the final budget
2. The need to pass the Consumer and Small Business Protection Act (S.105 Comrie /
A.5287 Lasher).
About the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program
The Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP) is a direct consumer assistance
program for student loan borrowers which provides free, personalized, unbiased support to
federal and private loan borrowers across New York. Empire Justice Center is one of the eleven
community organizations which make up the EDCAP network. EDCAP was launched in 2019 by
the Community Service Society of New York (CSS) and is funded by New York State and overseen by the Department of Financial Services. EDCAP received funding of $3.25M in FY
2022 and has received consistent funding since.
Our full testimony is available in PDF for your convenience.
