Sen. Pamela Helming

Expressed concerns that the bill does not address safety issues or the prison crisis, does not compensate local sheriffs for holding state-ready inmates, and does not address the earnings cap for part-time corrections officers. Called for accountability at all levels and voted against the bill.

Eleven major medical organizations oppose the bill citing patient safety concerns and lack of adequate training for podiatrists to perform ankle surgeries. Suggested waiting for results of a separate study bill before passing this legislation.

Cited recent nursing home closures creating care deserts, particularly in rural areas, and argued resources should address bed shortages and staffing issues rather than mandating body storage facilities. Stated the priority should be increasing opportunities for seniors, not imposing additional regulatory burdens.

Voted in opposition to the measure.

Spoke about family experience with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and expressed concern about 18-year-old eligibility without parental involvement, optional mental health referrals, and inadequate tracking of lethal medications.

Criticized bill for not addressing organic waste (the top material in landfills per DEC study), questioned PRO audit procedures, and noted contradictions regarding Bottle Bill exemptions. Pointed to unprecedented coalition of labor, business, and farm groups opposing the bill.

The bill covers only inmates and should be expanded to include corrections officers and civilian staff who work in state facilities. Female corrections officers have been traumatized by assaults and retaliation, and their families have also been affected, yet this bill provides no protections for them.

Argued the $10 million appropriation represents misplaced priorities, noting it is nearly double the cost of proposed EMS funding that was omitted from the budget. Stated taxpayers should not fund personal legal troubles of elected officials at the expense of crucial health and safety programs.

Criticized the bill for failing to address corrections officer retirement benefits, HALT reform, contraband prevention, and pretrial detention based on dangerousness. Argued these omissions represent a missed opportunity for public safety improvements.

Criticized inadequate funding for rural EMS, FQHCs, and direct care workers; noted 2.6 percent COLA falls far short of 7.8 percent request and fails to address CDPAP crisis.

Opposed granting unilateral authority to the Governor, citing the negative consequences of similar powers granted to Governor Cuomo during COVID, and called for open public discussion of any such proposals rather than closed-door negotiations.

Called the bill hypocritical given Governor Hochul's no-rehire ban on 2,000 corrections officers who advocated for safer facilities, including the Governor's override of municipal home rule to prevent local hiring. Argued the chamber should not pick winners and losers regarding no-rehire bans.

Expressed concern that the bill will drive up food costs, eliminate consumer choice, and cause major food manufacturers to leave New York. Noted that municipalities may lose major employers and that the bill was rushed with insufficient review time.

Voted against the bill because it excludes advanced recycling from the definition of recycling, limiting technologies that could recycle foam and other mattress components into new mattresses.

Opposed the bill because emergency plans should focus on creating safe environments for incarcerated individuals and state employees rather than releasing prisoners into communities. Also criticized the advisory board for lacking sufficient representation from law enforcement and corrections officers, noting only one NYSCOPBA member versus two former inmates.

Voted in opposition to the bill.

Sen. Helming raised concerns about the bill's ambiguous language regarding unlimited employee keys, questioned why security features valued by tenants should be restricted through the biometric moratorium, and asked whether landlords could use entry system data to address criminal activity in buildings.

Extensively questioned the CDPAP transition to a single fiscal intermediary, highlighting risks to 250,000-300,000 vulnerable New Yorkers, potential job losses for 10,000 employees, and lack of guardrails compared to other states' failures with similar models.

Voted no citing inadequate support for upstate hospitals and nursing homes, lack of opioid crisis provisions, insufficient direct support professional wage increases, gutting of CDPAP, and failure to designate EMS workers as essential.

Raised accountability concerns about NYCHA spending, citing examples of $708 light bulb replacement and $4,250 for six LED bulbs. Questioned whether state oversight is adequate given systemic deficiencies noted by State Comptroller and requested more accountability measures for taxpayer dollars.

Opposed the budget due to inadequate Foundation Aid for schools and preference for directing funds to veterans, seniors, and teens on waitlists. Blamed President Biden for border security failures.

Expressed concern that good-cause eviction will discourage housing investment and hurt upstate communities. Questioned whether municipalities can opt out once opted in and warned of consequences for local landlords and property values.

Voted in the negative on the bill.

Challenged characterization of cannabis-related lawsuits as 'annoyance' cases, defending disabled veterans who brought litigation and expressing concern about prioritizing criminals over veterans.

Questioned whether RAPID Act actually strengthens municipal power, noting that ORES can still override local decisions. Raised concerns about expedited eminent domain, conservation easements, and the lack of SEQRA-level environmental review.

Opposed diversion of $1.5 million annually from Emergency Services Revolving Loan Fund and criticized lack of bail reform. Expressed concern about unfunded mandates on local governments and small businesses.

Highlighted that school districts must meet statutory deadlines for legal notices and military ballot distribution by April 26th, with some districts already laying off employees. Stated this would be her last vote for an extender.

The 6 percent energy burden cap is only a goal, not a requirement, and ignores catastrophic impacts on manufacturers and local businesses. The bill lacks transparency about costs and grid reliability, and renewable energy sources (wind, solar, batteries) are insufficient and experimental.

Stated the bill drives up costs and further burdens property owners through increased recordkeeping and compliance expenses. She argued it will jeopardize financing opportunities and make it difficult to maintain and attract investment in stabilized housing.

Voted against the measure

Questioned how continuous enrollment would work if there is a cap on enrollment based on available federal funds, asking what happens to people who apply and are determined eligible after the cap is reached.

Voted in the negative on the measure.

Argued the bill does nothing to protect the environment because the DEC commissioner can indefinitely suspend provisions if seed alternatives are unavailable—which farmers say is currently the case. Noted the bill's own referenced study acknowledges no alternatives are ready for market. Expressed concern the bill jeopardizes crops, dairy feed, and the viability of New York's agricultural industry, which includes over 200 family dairy farms in her district and is a major state employer.

Appealed the ruling that her amendment was nongermane, arguing it was necessary to protect small businesses from unemployment insurance tax increases resulting from pandemic-related job losses. Proposed using state reserves to pay unemployment insurance surcharges and create a solvency fund.

Questioned lack of new funding for the Economic Transformation Program for 12 closed correctional facilities identified by the Governor's commission, noting inflation has increased costs since original funding was determined years ago.

Expressed deep concern about inadequate funding for federally qualified health centers serving rural areas, noting proposed language had bipartisan support but was excluded from final budget.

Raised concerns about childcare providers struggling without stabilization grant funding, noting that some have closed classrooms and maxed out credit cards while waiting for the budget to pass.

Questioned whether SUNY and CUNY already provide comprehensive healthcare services; asked whether data exists showing students struggle to access medication abortion; raised concerns about medical safeguards, physical examinations, sonograms, and post-procedure support; questioned whether the bill's definition of college students would include high school students in dual-enrollment programs like P-TECH.

While supporting the intent, the bill is too open-ended as written, lacking caps on individual rebates, means-testing, and clarity on business eligibility, which could allow wealthy individuals and businesses to exploit the program without holding bikes for any period of time.

Opposed stripping decision-making authority from local officials and criticized the bill as an unfunded mandate that will ultimately burden property taxpayers when counties cannot absorb the costs. Noted that past state funding for elections has been inadequate.

Stated the current gubernatorial process works and cited the bill as poorly written because key terms—incompetence, misconduct, good cause—are undefined. Criticized the sponsor's response that removal standards are 'something you know when you see it' as insufficient legislative clarity.