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As State Budget Discussions Continue, HCANYS Members Must Stay Persistent in Advocacy

The Situation Report | April 7, 2025

As state budget negotiations continue into the second week of April, now moving well past the April 1st due date for the new 2025–26 state budget, it is essential that HCANYS members stay persistent in their advocacy outreach on HCANYS 2025-2026 State Budget Priorities.

HCANYS' prior member outreach provides members with guidance for continuing your strong grassroots budget advocacy on a daily basis. Keep contacting your local officials; keep pressing on these budget priorities, as all other stakeholders across all the major issue areas will be doing the same. Home care’s voice and priority needs have to rise to and prevail at the highest levels of legislative prioritization.

Moreover, as negotiations continue, so will opportunities as well as major risks. Also, the longer the budget discussions go on, the more the likelihood that new items will come on the table, impacting the success and the risk factors that we have been addressing to date in our advocacy process.

So, despite the fact that New York is now past its April 1st budget deadline, and in addition to HCANYS' strong advocacy and legislative presence throughout, there is no safety in letting up now.

For example, in just the past week, new federal cuts have been announced that impact state health care funding needs and resources. These changes carry the huge potential to alter the picture of the Executive’s and/or the Legislature’s priorities that they feel must be addressed in the new budget.

Until the budget is finalized and passed, home care must stay vigilant and unabated in our advocacy.

The overarching issues as of today, impacting the resolution of the budget, while not in the home care space, have the potential to impact the final budget in nearly all areas, including home and community-based services. This is because the preponderance of the time being consumed in negotiation is being devoted to these broader issues, leaving less, or perhaps no, time in the final budget timeline to resolve differences on areas of highest concern in other fields. The current, dominating budget issues include areas such as:

  • The Governor’s proposed “bell to bell” restrictions on access to cell phones in schools.
  • The Governor’s proposals for reform of pre-trial criminal discovery laws.
  • Involuntary commitment to hospitalization due to mental health conditions.

HCANYS will keep members closely advised on major progress with the budget. In the meantime, we are continuing our daily meetings, communications, budget language and funding pushes, and other areas of recommendations on behalf of our stated 2025-2026 State Budget Priorities. We encourage all members and supporters to keep up your advocacy with your local officials daily!