Legislative Bulletin: State Budget Talks Continue as Deadline Moves to April 20

April 17, 2026

State Budget Talks Continue as Deadline Moves to April 20

The NYS Legislature passed multiple budget extensions this week, shifting the current deadline to Monday, April 20^th. This week’s emergency budget extender bills were passed on Monday and Wednesday, and extended the deadline by two and five days, respectively. While Monday’s short extension raised hopes about a forthcoming budget agreement, those hopes were quieted by Tuesday afternoon. . The Legislature will return from spring recess and be back in session this coming Monday, the same day as our current budget deadline.

The pace of three-way budget negotiations between the Governor and Legislature continues to be slow. Major sticking points in the final budget include proposals to address affordability issues for New Yorkers, including lowering car insurance premiums, amending climate laws, and increasing the supply of new homes.

As negotiations drag on, LeadingAge New York is continuing to urge lawmakers to keep long-term care (LTC) and aging services at the forefront of state budget discussions. We need our members’ help to keep our budget requests top-of-mind!

ACTION NEEDED: Members are strongly encouraged to call State legislators’ Albany offices over the next week!

Members can find state legislators’ contact information here.
Thank legislators for their support in the NYS budget process thus far.
Use these state budget issue briefs to remind legislators of your top 3 budget requests. The general brief itemizes our budget requests for each service line. Urge legislators to ensure these actions are included in the final budget.

Please feel free to reach out to Sarah Daly at sdaly@leadingageny.org if you would like to discuss messaging and focus of your conversations with state legislators.

LeadingAge NY will continue to closely monitor state budget developments, and advocate for the funding and reforms that reflect the real needs of New York’s older adults and the mission-driven providers who care for them.

Preparing for LeadingAge Leadership Summit & Lobby Day Next Week

LeadingAge NY will be in Washington D.C. next week, from April 20 – 22, for LeadingAge National’s 2026 Leadership Summit and Lobby Day. There is still time to join us if you have not already registered! Click here to register for the Leadership Summit and/or Lobby Day, as soon as possible, and feel free to email Sarah Daly (sdaly@leadingageny.org) for more information.

The final day of the summit (Wed., April 22) will offer attendees the chance to join a coordinated lobbying effort on Capitol Hill. During the National Lobby Day, LeadingAge members will meet face-to-face with members of Congress to advocate for federal funding and policies that support long-term care and aging services for older adults.

Members of LeadingAge New York’s policy staff will join NY member advocates in their congressional meetings and help our group navigate around Capitol Hill. LeadingAge NY and LeadingAge National have prepared a great day of meetings for our members to take part in. This is an important opportunity to bring member advocacy directly to the halls of power in the Nation’s capital – and your participation is critical to the substance of these meetings.

On Monday, April 6, LeadingAge National hosted a special Policy Pulse Call, dedicated to updating members on the key policy priorities for the National Lobby Day. Members can listen to a recording from the Policy Pulse Call here. In addition, materials for LeadingAge’s April 22 Lobby Day are now available here, under “Lobby Day April 2026.” Materials include our Quick Look Talking Points, a List of Key Bills, and overviews of our asks for Affordable Senior Housing, Aging Services Workforce, Home & Community-Based Care, Hospice, Medicare Home Health, Medicare & Medicare Advantage, and Nursing Homes. These materials are designed to be handouts for congressional offices, as well as talking points to help advocates prepare for a busy day on Capitol Hill. We hope to see you there!

ACTION ALERT: Bring Your Advocacy to Social Media!

At this stage of the state budget process, much of the decision-making is with Governor Hochul and the leadership of the Senate and Assembly. A key strategy to capture the attention of policymakers during this final stretch of state budget advocacy is to leverage the power of social media. Please join us in a social media campaign, urging the State to “Stop the Crisis and Fully Fund Long-Term Care!”

To participate in this social media campaign, please follow the simple steps outlined on our website here. LeadingAge New York members are strongly encouraged to include residents and families in advocacy, and post your photos along with our suggested captions on social media over the coming days and weeks. We encourage members to post on Facebook, LinkedIn, and any other social media platforms.

In addition to participating in the “Fully Fund LTC” social media campaign, LeadingAge NY members are strongly encouraged to like & share the recent news articles posted by LeadingAge New York! Links to LeadingAge NY social media posts are available below.

Please help amplify these stories – like & share on social media!

Times Union, Nursing Home Medicaid Funding, Op-Ed

NY1, Support funding for Resident Assistance Program, featuring Selfhelp:
1. Facebook
2. LinkedIn
3. Twitter/X
Rochester Business Journal, Support Certified Medication Aides in Nursing Homes, featuring St. Ann’s Community:

If you would like to tag the Governor and Legislative leadership in the re-posting of an article, their Facebook handles are available here: @Governor Kathy Hochul, @Andrea Stewart-Cousins, @NYSAssemblyMajority Speaker @Carl E. Heastie, @Hon. Gustavo Rivera, @Assemblywoman Amy R. Paulin, @State Senator Liz Krueger

#ProtectOlderAdults #FundLongTermCare

Members are strongly encouraged to share any of our recent news articles directly with state legislative offices to assist us in maintaining the attention of state decision makers. Sharing news articles directly with your legislative contacts, and amplifying news stories on personal and professional social media platforms – while tagging state legislators – can be a meaningful way to bring our message to the right audience.

ACTION ALERT: Oppose Electronic Monitoring Legislation and Protect Patient Privacy!

Proposed electronic monitoring legislation, A.1967-B (Paulin)/S.7190 (Scarcella-Spanton), would give residents of nursing homes and assisted living residences the right to install electronic monitoring devices – like video cameras and/or listening devices – in their rooms.

While well-intentioned, these bills raise serious concerns about privacy, dignity, and autonomy of a resident and/or their roommate. It is important to recognize that the interests of family members and residents are not always aligned. Further, the interests of roommates must also be safeguarded and may not be aligned with the interests of the resident who chooses electronic monitoring. The bill is overly simplistic in its approach to the complex issues raised by electronic monitoring, overlooking many of the legal, ethical, and operational challenges that are addressed in other states’ laws. LeadingAge NY memo of opposition is available here.

The bill is currently “laid-aside” on the Assembly floor and is referred to the Senate Aging Committee. Take action now- click here to send an email to legislators opposing A.1967-B/S.7190! Demand a more thoughtful solution that protects resident privacy, dignity, and safety.

Continue to Send Budget Letters and Engage Others in Advocacy

With New York State budget work now extended through April 20^th, we have extra time to advocate for the inclusion of LeadingAge NY’s top priorities in the final SFY 2026-27 budget. It is crucial that we maintain the urgency and frequency of our message to ensure that these priorities do not fall off the negotiating table.

Please continue to push for the investments and restorations that long-term care providers need, and the funding that the people you serve deserve!

Please use the links below to send emails to elected officials! It only takes a few minutes.

Resident Assistant in Affordable Senior Housing Budget Letter
Adult Care Facility/Assisted Living Budget Letter
Home and Community-Based Services Budget Letter
Adult Day Health Care Budget Letter
Nursing Home Budget Letters:

Provider Leadership (Executives, Administrators, Directors, etc.)
Board Members
Staff
Family Members
Volunteers/Constituents
Resident letter available upon request

After you send your letters, please share these links with colleagues, board members and volunteers. This is a simple and easy way to strengthen our unified message at this critical time.

In addition, nursing home members can share this Advocacy Flyer with family members to help expand our advocacy reach and remind legislators of the families and residents who are impacted by inadequate Medicaid funding. Affordable senior housing members can share this Advocacy Flyer with residents, volunteers and other providers to help advocate for the Senate one-house budget proposal which would fund and establish the Resident Assistance in Affordable Senior Housing.

Thank you for your budget advocacy and for staying engaged with us throughout this process!

Continue to Call Assembly Members in Support of Resident Assistance!

LeadingAge NY has long advocated for New York State to fund and establish an Affordable Senior Housing Resident Assistance Program. This year, we have a chance to secure this funding in the final NYS Budget – but we need your help!

The Senate included the funding for Resident Assistance (RAs) in their one-house budget proposal. But now, we need to urge the Assembly and Governor to support this investment and include it in the final budget.

Please take a moment to call your Assembly Member on Monday, April 20, and urge them to support Resident Assistance in Affordable Senior Housing!

1. Find your State Assembly Member information here.
  - Call the Albany Office and ask to speak with or leave a message for the Assembly Member.
2. Talking Points:
  - My name is ______, and I work at [ORGANIZATION]
  - I’m calling to ask the Assemblymember to please support Resident Assistance for affordable senior housing in this year’s final state budget agreement.
  - The $2 million investment necessary for this program is in the Senate One-House proposal, and I am asking that the Assembly endorse this investment and include it in the final budget.
  - Through this modest investment, low-income older adults living in affordable senior housing would be provided on-site and on-request assistance with navigating aging services, such as help enrolling in essential benefits, connecting with preventive services, arranging for transportation assistance, and arranging for social and wellness programming in the building that help build community and prevent social isolation.
  - Resident Assistance would make an immediate impact in affordable housing by improving quality of life and reducing reliance on Medicaid-funded healthcare and long-term care for the older adults who live there.
  - Again, the Senate has included the $2 million investment, and language in the Education, Labor, and Family Assistance (ELFA) budget bill (Part R) to create the program, but we need the Assembly to vocalize their support to make it a reality.
  - Please urge Assembly leadership – Speaker Carl Heastie, Housing Chair Linda Rosenthal, Aging Chair Rebecca Seawright and Health Chair Amy Paulin – to support the Senate’s investment in Affordable Senior Housing Resident Assistance in the final budget agreement, and consider signing on to bill number A.1948 (Rosenthal).

After you place your phone calls, we strongly encourage you to send a letter to your legislators! It only takes a few clicks! In addition, senior housing members can share this Advocacy Flyer with residents, volunteers and other providers to help us advocate during this critical moment of the state budget process.

Lastly, if members would like to call additional Assembly offices in support of this program, members may consider calling Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Housing Chair Linda Rosenthal, Aging Chair Rebecca Seawright and Health Chair Amy Paulin’s offices.

Please reach out to the LeadingAge NY Policy & Advocacy Team with any questions. Thank you for your advocacy!

SFY 2026-27 State Budget Advocacy Resources from LeadingAge New York

Contact: Sarah Daly; 518.867.8845; sdaly@leadingageny.org