Legislative Bulletin: LeadingAge NY Advocacy Day and Ongoing State Budget Work
February 2, 2024
NEXT STEPS: LeadingAge NY Advocacy Day and Ongoing State Budget Work
Thank you to all members and advocates that joined us for our 2024 Advocacy Day in Albany this week! The day was a great success, with nearly 100 advocates coming together to attend over 90 meetings with state legislators in just one day. This level of participation surpasses that of any previous in-person advocacy day, and we could not have done it without the dedicated advocacy of our members. Key legislative offices we met with on Tuesday include Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Secretary to the Assembly Speaker Jen Best, Assembly Health Chair Paulin, Senate Health Chair Rivera, Senate Finance Chair Krueger, Senate Aging Chair Cleare, Assembly Aging Chair Kim, and many more. Thank you for lending your voices to our unified efforts!!
We saw first-hand how impactful your stories were with these offices, and having you be a part of this early component of budget advocacy was critical. However, there are still two months left until a final budget for State Fiscal Year 2024-25 is due. Additionally, the Senate and Assembly are expected to put forth their one-house budget proposals some time in mid-March. It is vital that we use these next two months to keep the pressure on state legislators and urge them to provide INVESTMENTS in their one-house budget proposals, rather than the CUTS that have been proposed by the Governor.
Early next week, LeadingAge NY plans to launch a new round of social media tools and resources, as well as updated digital advocacy letters for members to use and share with your network of advocates. Additionally, LeadingAge New York’s Advocacy Day website will remain active over the coming weeks. We encourage members to continue to share our Budget Issue Briefs with legislative offices, and, if you haven’t already watched the recording of our Advocacy Day Prep Call, the messaging and focus of our advocacy that we reviewed on the second part of the call remains relevant.
Thank you for your budget advocacy, and stay tuned for new resources to come next week!
ACTION ALERT: Amplify Member Social Media Messages!
On Wednesday, Jan. 31st, LeadingAge NY led a digital day of action, asking ALL LeadingAge NY members to post on social media, tag local legislators, and urge for more adequate funding and support of long-term care and aging services providers. The digital day of action also served as an opportunity for advocacy day attendees to post any photos from our 2024 Advocacy Day on social media.
Fortunately, LeadingAge NY members showed up on social media in a big way! Now, we encourage members to “Like” the posts that were shared by partner organizations. The more “likes” a post has, the more support for our budget initiatives!
Please take a moment to click the below links, and “LIKE” the Facebook posts! It only takes a few clicks and will drive social media traffic to your posts!
- Senator Cooney & Rochester Member Facebook Post – LIKE!
- Gurwin Jewish Facebook Post – LIKE!
- Community Wellness Partners Facebook Post – LIKE!
- Brookmeade Community Facebook Post – LIKE!
- United Methodist Homes Facebook Post – LIKE!
- Andrus on Hudson Facebook Post – LIKE!
- Loretto Op-Ed Post – LIKE!
- Heritage Green Facebook Post – LIKE!
Not seeing your social media post here? When you post, be sure to “tag” your local legislators and use our current hashtag #NYHealthBudgetGap!
Thank you for joining us in digital advocacy!
Next Public Affairs Council Meeting Scheduled for Feb. 8th!
Members are reminded that LeadingAge NY will be hosting our February Public Affairs Council meeting on Thurs., Feb. 8th at 3 p.m. During this month’s meeting, the Council will review the latest budget advocacy resources and press/advocacy activities. We plan to debrief our 2024 Advocacy Day that took place on Jan. 30th and discuss immediate next steps and updated messaging in light of the Governor’s Executive Budget Proposal.
As has been discussed at previous Public Affairs Council meetings and other forums, the focus of the Council's work changes as we progress through the year and different phases of the state legislative cycle. This February discussion will be focused on 2024 budget advocacy and ensuring that all members understand what they can be doing NOW to ensure that we have a unified, boisterous message to fight against proposed cuts and advocate for better funding of long-term care. The Public Affairs Council is a prime opportunity for members to weigh in on our materials and strategies, and we use your feedback to refine and capitalize on our work together.
If you have not already done so, you can sign up for the Public Affairs Council here! All Public Affairs Council meetings are held over Zoom. Please reach out to Sarah Daly at sdaly@leadingageny.org with any questions about the Council or PR/advocacy resources.
Emergency Evacuation Plan Chapter Amendments Pass Both Houses
In December 2023, Governor Hochul signed legislation relating to emergency evacuation planning requirements for individuals with disabilities living in high-rise buildings. Fortunately, the Governor’s approval of the bill was accompanied by critical amendments secured by LeadingAge NY to protect the privacy and safety of older adult residents of these properties, and to exclude providers already subject to competing evacuation requirements.
The bill as originally written and passed by the Legislature in 2023 would have required high-rise property owners – or owners of properties of about seven stories or more – to develop emergency evacuation plans for residents with disabilities. In analysis of the bill, LeadingAge NY identified concerns about the potential impact on high-rise senior housing providers who have already established specialized evacuation plans under the advisement of local emergency response teams. We also raised concerns regarding resident privacy, given the bill’s public posting requirement. Lastly, the bill as originally written did nothing to exclude nursing home, adult care facility (ACF), and assisted living providers who are already subject to extensive evacuation plan and emergency preparedness requirements, creating duplicative and potentially conflicting requirements.
Thanks to our advocacy, the final law and it’s corresponding chapter amendments will allow specialized evacuation plans that have been developed by senior housing providers and their local emergency response teams to satisfy planning mandates; exempt high-rise nursing home, ACF, and assisted living providers from duplicative requirements; and limit sharing of residents’ personally identifiable information.
Last week, the chapter amendments were passed by the Senate. This week, the amendments were passed by the Assembly. Once the Governor formally approves the chapters, the law will be fully amended to reflect our advocacy and the concerns of LeadingAge NY membership.
Contact: Sarah Daly; 518.867.8845; sdaly@leadingageny.org