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The New York State Senate passed the first of nine remaining budget bills on Tuesday, the Education and Local Finance Administration (ELFA) bill, by a vote of 59-2, with only Senators O'Mara and Walczyk voting in opposition. The bill, which was introduced late Monday night and passed with a message of necessity waiving the constitutional three-day waiting period, includes full funding of Foundation Aid with a minimum 2 percent increase for two-thirds of school districts, a five-year delay of the electric school bus mandate to July 1, 2032, and new evidence-based math instruction requirements for kindergarten through fifth grade. The bill also expands the J-51 housing program for 10 years and strengthens tenant harassment protections in rent-stabilized apartments. Sen. O'Mara criticized the use of the message of necessity, arguing that with eight of nine remaining budget bills not yet in print, there was no urgency to pass the bill before the constitutional waiting period expired. He also questioned why State Operating Funds are increasing 8.5 percent when revenues are projected to grow only 6 percent, and noted that the state has increased spending 21 percent over the past two years, far exceeding inflation and the 2 percent cap imposed on local governments. Sen. Borrello proposed an amendment requiring a NYSERDA study on electric school bus effectiveness, but the amendment was ruled nongermane by the chair, and an appeal of that ruling was defeated 22-0 on a show of hands. Multiple senators expressed concerns about the evidence-based math instruction mandate, noting the lack of details about what the instruction would entail and questioning whether sufficient funding would be provided for curriculum replacement and teacher retraining. However, Majority members defended the bill as a significant investment in education, highlighting the full Foundation Aid funding and the five-year delay on the EV bus mandate as victories for school districts that had complained the original timeline was unworkable.