March 27, 2025

CALL TO ACTION: Raise Your Voice in the Final Budget Push!

Governor Hochul, the Senate and the Assembly have each put forward their budget proposals and are currently negotiating the final NYS Enacted Budget. We shared more details about these proposals in our March 13 update. In these final days, we must be laser-focused on specific actions that will help achieve our advocacy goals.

We developed a new resource sheet In partnership with New York Disability Advocates (NYDA), which gives greater detail on how to best target key decision makers during this critical time. The resource sheet includes talking points, specific actions requested, and a list of direct emails, social media handles, and phone numbers, so please read it all the way through to make the maximum impact!

The Ask

Between now and April 1 (and beyond, as we expect the budget to be late), reach out to the Senate and Assembly members that represent your provider agency with the following message:

• Thank them for including a 7.8% targeted inflationary increase (TII) in their One-House Budget proposals.
• Urge them to support the flexible 7.8% TII proposed in the Assembly bill, and the Direct Support Wage Enhancement (DSWE) proposed in the Senate bill in the final budget! This combination of funding will best support New Yorkers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Encourage them to speak out in conference to ensure this critical funding remains a priority for state Leadership.

Take Action Today!

1. Email state leadership, your electeds and the Governor’s office. You can use the one-click campaigns from NYDA and The Arc New York to quickly send a pre-drafted email to your legislators.
2. Call both the district offices and Albany offices of the same electeds. Find your legislators here.
3. Post on social media, tag the same electeds, and use the hashtags #InvestInUs and #InvestInMe.

Sample Post: [tag electeds] We need a flexible 7.8% targeted inflationary increase in the final budget! It's time to ensure people with disabilities get the support they need to thrive. #InvestInMe #InvestInUs

This is the time to double down on our budget request and ensure the robust proposals for funding are included in the final budget. We are calling on you to act now and to share with others to make this happen!

This and all advocacy updates are archived on The Arc New York website for future reference. Please contact us if you have questions regarding any of this information.