Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the office of State Sen. Jeff Klein.

August 14, 2018—New York, New York—Senator Jeff Klein today announced his 2018 New York State Senate budget and legislative achievements for the 34^th District, New York City and New York State.

“I am proud to have once again passed a New York State budget that protects taxpayers, and provides a record level of investments in our schools, hospitals, public housing and NYC transportation system. In 2018 we also increased aid for college students, protected the rights of immigrants and workers, and made our state more affordable for all New Yorkers. This budget is a testament to our values, and all that we can achieve for New York State.”

Senator Klein’s budget successes include securing billions of dollars in unprecedented critical funding for statewide Education, NYCHA repairs, Hospitals and Healthcare Centers, the MTA for the New York City Subway and the Environmental Protection Fund. The final 2018 New York State Budget was $168.3 billion.

Senator Klein also fought for the inclusion of life changing legislation within the budget ranging from gun violence prevention, which removes firearms from convicted domestic violence abusers and a statewide, to an opioid prevention and addiction pilot program, to state sponsored retirement plans for individuals without access to 401K or other savings.

Additionally, Senator Klein led the charge in Albany against devastating policies coming from the federal government and judiciary seeking to harm New Yorkers. To combat the Trump tax plan, Senator Kleinfought for and won the inclusion of legislation in the state budget, which decouples the federal and state tax codes, saving New Yorkers from a $1.5 billion tax hike.

Concurrently, Senator Klein introduced the SALT Relief bill (S9063), which proposes a new state deduction that will allow middle-income families earning up to $300,000 to deduct any state and local taxes that exceed the new $10,000 federal cap.  In the Bronx and in Westchester County, up to 280,000 households could benefit from Senator Klein’s solution. This legislation is the cornerstone of the Democratic Conference’s tax relief package for the 2019 legislative session.

Moreover, as a preemptive strike against the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court decision, Senator Klein supported and passed the Card Check Bill, which protects the rights of workers to join public sector unions and protects unions as a vital pathway to the middle class. In the state budget, he enforced this legislation by including language that outlines a streamlined process for collecting union dues from employees.

As Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Klein in June led the Democratic Conference in fighting Trump administration threats against women’s reproductive rights by spearheading the effort to force the Republican Majority to vote on the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act (CCCA) and the Reproductive Health Act (RHA). Throughout his tenure in the State Senate, Senator Klein has fought for this legislation, which individually codifies Roe V. Wade and eliminates barriers to contraceptive access, as well as legislation that protects state-level funding for vital women’s health services under Title X. These bills are amongst Senator Klein and the Democratic Conference’s chief priorities in the 2019 legislative session.

Among his myriad legislative achievements for 2018, Senator Klein also proudly passed 19 separate bills including reverse mortgage security for seniors who own co-ops, protections that keep children safe from sex offenders, oversight for NYCHA residents whose homes need repair and remediation, and the expansion of regional farmers markets to combat food desserts in communities facing high rates of hunger.

Senator’s Klein’s successes in the 2018 budget and legislative session were further amplified by the implementation of Paid Family Leave this year, and the $15 Minimum Wage, which will be fully implemented in New York City begin December 31, 2018. Senator Klein fought for the inclusion of these landmark laws in the 2016 and 2017 state budgets.

SENATOR KLEIN SECURED RECORD FUNDING IN THE 2018 BUDGET 

DELIVERED an unprecedented $1 billion increase to education funding totaling $26.7 billion so that our teachers and schools will have the resources they need to set students on paths to success.

INVESTED $50 million in new funding, for a total of $200 million, in community schools to expand after school programs and wrap around services for our most vulnerable students.

DESIGNATED $15 million in new funding to expand half-day and full-day Universal Pre-K throughout the state.

INCREASED State aid to SUNY and CUNY by $200 million and restored $35 million in Bundy Aid in the final budget.

ESTABLISHED a $100 million shortfall fund to protect New Yorkers against dangerous cuts to health care funding at the federal level.

PROTECTED New York City Housing Authority residents by delivering $250 million for immediate repairs and an Independent Monitor, along with design/build authorization, to ensure this work gets done quickly and efficiently.

ALLOCATED $836 million to make crucial repairs and upgrades to our dangerous and unreliable mass transit system, with New York City paying its share of the Subway Action Plan.

SAFEGUARDED $300 million for the Environmental Protection Fund and continued to invest in clean water infrastructure initiatives throughout the state.

BATTLED the scourge of opioid addiction through a record investment of $247 million in state funding for prevention, treatment and recovery services.

DEDICATED an additional $5 million in the Liberty Defense Project, which offers legal services to immigrants facing deportation and builds upon his $10 million investment in 2017 in the Immigrant Legal Defense Fund.

IMPLEMENTED the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program with $1 million, to help aspiring instructors afford college costs by encouraging them to work in high needs and underperforming school districts.

FUNDED the second phase of the Excelsior Scholarship, providing free tuition to SUNY and CUNY schools for families with incomes now up to $110,000.

EXTENDED Tuition Assistance Awards through the Excelsior Scholarship to students attending proprietary colleges.

FORTIFIED the New York City & Hudson Valley English Language Learner Class with a $500,000 allocation to reduce class sizes and increase the number of certified ELL teachers.

SENATOR KLEIN SECURED CRUCIAL LEGISLATION IN THE 2018 BUDGET 

STOOD UP FOR our labor brothers and sisters by passing a new law that protects the rights of public unions to collectively bargain and streamlines the collection of dues.

BOLSTERED background checks for gun purchases and closed a dangerous loophole – now making it easier to confiscate deadly firearms from convicted domestic violence perpetrators.

CREATED the state-run Secure Choice Savings Program, allowing seniors without 401ks or pensions to save for the future and live their golden years in comfort and dignity.

SUPPORTED Charitable Contribution Funds for education and health care that allow residents to donate the amount of tax above the federal $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions that they will lose, and in the following year’s filing write it off for a return on the state level.

REDESIGNED children’s Medicaid to allow even more of New York’s youngest and most vulnerable to qualify for a new array of support and skills services.

ENSURED healthy and locally-sourced school meals through the No Student Goes Hungry program so that all students are nourished, regardless of family income or ability to pay.

LEAD THE CHARGE on fair CENSUS representation with the creation of a 2020 Census Commission.

SENATOR KLEIN 2018 BILLS PASSED

• S1784 – Prohibits placing of level 2 or 3 sex offenders in any temporary emergency housing or homeless shelters used to house families with children.
• S1787 – Prohibits sex offenders whose victim was a child and level 3 sex offenders from knowingly being within 1,000 feet of a facility where pre-kindergarten or kindergarten instruction is provided.
• S1953A – Requires the commissioner of education to make recommendations to the board of regents relating to instruction on preventing child sexual exploitation and abuse in grades K – 8.
• S1954 – Establishes offense for the electronic stalking of minors in order to combat to cyberbullying.
• S1987A – As an alternative to another penalty, the SLA would at their discretion imposes the duty to buy and use an identification scanner upon alcoholic beverage licensee found to have given such a beverage to a person under 21.
• S1988 – Strengthens defenses for those retailers that employ best practices, including having an operating scanner, requiring employees to use scanners, holding a valid certificate of completion of a licensed alcohol awareness program and having a clean record with no violations for at least two years.
• S1989 – Authorizes the New York city council to oversee the activities of the New York City housing authority (NYCHA).
• S2078 – Enacts “Ildefonso Romero’s law”, which would create a new felony charge for an aggravated assault that results in serious injury or death. This is also known as the “One-Punch” law.
• S2651- Prohibits an augmented reality game developer from developing any augmented reality game that causes or allows any in-game objective to be located at, or accessible within a one hundred foot radius of the digital location corresponding with the recorded place of residence of a sex offender.
• S3665 – Grants the superintendent of financial services authority to investigate fraudulent activities, such as motor vehicle operators who drive with no insurance coverage, and those who misrepresent their principal place of residence or where their motor vehicle is principally garaged and operated; authorizes such superintendent to accept reports of suspected fraudulent insurance actions.
• S4712 – Permits reverse mortgages for persons aged 70 and over to be secured by a cooperative unit or “co-op”.
• S5788 – Establishes an office of independent monitor for the New York city housing authority (NYCHA), within the division of housing and community renewal, to oversee such authority.
• S5970 – Authorizes the superintendent of financial services to investigate fraudulent activities relating to uninsured drivers and drivers who misrepresent their principal place of residence.  The purpose of this bill is reduce the incidence of auto insurance fraud including fraud committed by those who misrepresent where they live, operate their automobile, and garage such vehicle for insurance coverage purposes.
• S6735 – Directs the office of general services to conduct a study relating to the establishment of an office of risk assessment and management study and/or expanding the powers and duties of the state chief risk officer.
• S6953A – Imposes higher civil penalties upon motor carriers who fail to report to the commissioner of motor vehicles certain disqualifying violations by bus drivers.
• CHAPTER AMENDMENT S7301 – Repeals chapter 501 of the laws of 2017; directs the commissioner of tax and finance to submit a report relating to public utility mass real property.
• CHAPTER AMENDMENT S7324 – Makes technical amendments to the theatrical employment agencies legislation.
• S7544 – Requires reimbursement to litigants of costs and fees incurred from vehicle and traffic related violations in which liability is overturned on appeal in favor of the litigant and requiring annual updates for police officers on local traffic laws.
• S7674 – This legislation will encourage the Department of Agriculture and Markets to help facilitate the establishment and expansion of regional farmers’ markets. These regional markets could help to promote the sale of whole-some locally grown fruits and vegetables.  This will help bring fresh fruits and vegetables to communities and help and address the issues of food deserts.

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