Now that she’s secured another two years representing New York’s 48th State Senate District, what are State Senator Rachel May’s priorities for the next session?
Speaking on FLX Morning with Ted Baker, May outlined three of her top goals for the next legislative session: reducing childhood poverty, creating more affordable housing, and protecting waterbodies across the state from harmful algal blooms (HABs).
On the issue of childhood poverty, May said she wants to use a multiprong approach, not only supporting direct subsidies to families with children living in poverty but also working to create safer housing, lead-free homes, and good-paying jobs. Additionally, the state senator hopes to see an increase in child tax credits during the first year of a child’s life.
“I think we’re going to try a number of different avenues and see which ones work so that we can then invest a lot more in those specific efforts.”
When it comes to housing affordability, May wants to provide subsidies for developers to build affordable housing. Another option she is exploring is the idea of public development where the municipality builds the housing.
For renters, May wants to combat price gouging, especially by absentee landlords. For example, May stated that Syracuse is debating opting into the state’s Good Cause Eviction Law that would cap how much a landlord can raise rent in a given year.
For both buyers and renters, May said the best way to reduce housing costs is to increase the housing supply.
“It’s also important that we just build more housing, so we’re trying to work at all these levels to bring the costs down by making the supply greater. That’s absolutely key.”
May has long advocated for waterbody protection, working to protect the Finger Lakes and beyond from harmful algal blooms (HABs). Earlier this year, the senator sponsored the Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring and Prevention (HABMAP) Act to consolidate HAB data across the state and help determine the best way to administer funding to combat blooms. The bill passed the state senate in May. The senator is hopeful that the bill will become law in 2025.
The 48th State Senate District contains all or part of four of the Finger Lakes – Cayuga, Owasco, Skaneateles, and Otisco.
On Monday, US Senator Chuck Schumer announced that he wants to boost federal funding to combat HABs.
Earlier this month, May beat Republican challenger Caleb Slater to continue to represent the 48th district which covers all of Cayuga County and parts of Onondaga County including Skaneateles and Syracuse.
Have all the Finger Lakes news from Finger Lakes News Radio delivered to your email every morning for FREE! Sign up by clicking here
