The NYS Legislature has released their “one house” budget proposals for this year’s budget and the bills include the single largest increase in funding to the Library Construction Aid Program ever – a $50M addition to the program, for a total of $64M! This is in addition to both houses restoring the Governor’s proposed $4M cut to Library Aid.
Here are the details:
Assembly:
State Library Aid: +$4M over Governor’s Executive Budget – total of $95.62M, which would restore the Governor’s cut.
State Library Construction Aid: +$50M over Governor’s Executive Budget – total of $64M, which includes language to ensuring the needs of NYC libraries are addressed
Senate:
State Library Aid: +$6M over Governor’s Executive Budget – total of $97.627M, which would restore the Governor’s cut and ADD $2M in funding
State Library Construction Aid: +$50M over Governor’s Executive Budget – total of $64M
THANK YOU to Assemblywoman Didi Barrett, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Libraries, and Senator Patty Ritchie, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Libraries, for their leadership and dedication to libraries. They have fought to ensure library issues were part of every budget discussion.
In order to ensure that these proposals arrive intact in the final NYS Budget, your voice is still needed. Send a letter to your representatives.