1 1 BEFORE THE NEW YORK STATE SENATE FINANCE AND ASSEMBLY WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE 2 -------------------------------------------------- 3 JOINT LEGISLATIVE HEARING 4 In the Matter of the 2021-2022 EXECUTIVE BUDGET ON 5 HUMAN SERVICES 6 ---------------------------------------------------- 7 Virtual Hearing Conducted Online via Zoom 8 February 9, 2021 9 9:39 a.m. 10 PRESIDING: 11 Senator Liz Krueger Chair, Senate Finance Committee 12 Assemblywoman Helene E. Weinstein 13 Chair, Assembly Ways & Means Committee 14 PRESENT: 15 Senator Thomas F. O'Mara Senate Finance Committee (RM) 16 Assemblyman Edward P. Ra 17 Assembly Ways & Means Committee (RM) 18 Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi Chair, Assembly Children and Families 19 Committee 20 Senator Jabari Brisport Chair, Senate Committee on Children 21 and Families 22 Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal Chair, Assembly Committee on Social Services 23 Senator Roxanne Persaud 24 Chair, Senate Committee on Social Services 2 1 2021-2022 Executive Budget Human Services 2 2-9-21 3 PRESENT: (Continued) 4 Assemblyman Ron Kim Chair, Assembly Committee on Aging 5 Senator Rachel May 6 Chair, Senate Committee on Aging 7 Assemblywoman Didi Barrett Chair, Assembly Committee on Veterans' Affairs 8 Senator John E. Brooks 9 Chair, Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs 10 Assemblyman Jeffrion L. Aubry 11 Assemblyman Khaleel M. Anderson 12 Senator John C. Liu 13 Assemblyman Harry B. Bronson 14 Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon 15 Senator Pete Harckham 16 Assemblywoman Taylor Darling 17 Assemblyman Eric M. Dilan 18 Assemblywoman Jennifer Lunsford 19 Assemblyman Demond Meeks 20 Senator Simcha Felder 21 Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara 22 Assemblywoman Rebecca A. Seawright 23 Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski 24 3 1 2021-2022 Executive Budget Human Services 2 2-9-21 3 PRESENT: (Continued) 4 Senator Patty Ritchie 5 Assemblyman Billy Jones 6 Assemblywoman Sarah Clark 7 Assemblywoman Marcela Mitaynes 8 Senator Daniel G. Stec 9 Assemblyman Jake Ashby 10 Senator Diane J. Savino 11 Senator Sue Serino 12 Assemblyman Mark Walczyk 13 Senator Brian Kavanagh 14 Senator James Tedisco 15 Senator Gustavo Rivera 16 Assemblywoman Inez E. Dickens 17 Assemblyman Matthew Simpson 18 Assemblyman Mike Lawler 19 Assemblyman Jeff Gallahan 20 Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani 21 Senator George M. Borrello 22 Assemblyman John T. McDonald III 23 Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas 24 Assemblywoman Karines Reyes 4 1 2021-2022 Executive Budget Human Services 2 2-9-21 3 PRESENT: (Continued) 4 Senator Alexis Weik 5 Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz 6 Assemblyman Kevin M. Byrne 7 Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre 8 Senator Mike Martucci 9 Assemblywoman Phara Souffrant Forrest 10 Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman 11 Assemblywoman Pamela J. Hunter 12 Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar 13 Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 5 1 2021-2022 Executive Budget Human Services 2 2-9-2021 3 LIST OF SPEAKERS 4 STATEMENT QUESTIONS 5 Sheila J. Poole Commissioner 6 NYS Office of Children and Family Services 14 22 7 Michael P. Hein 8 Commissioner NYS Office of Temporary 9 and Disability Assistance 127 136 10 Greg Olsen Acting Director 11 NYS Office for the Aging 222 231 12 Joel Evans Executive Deputy Director 13 NYS Division of Veterans' Services 288 296 14 Ryan Johnson 15 Associate Director NYS Kinship Navigator 16 -and- Paige Pierce 17 Chief Executive Officer Families Together in NYS 18 -and- William T. Gettman, Jr. 19 CEO Northern Rivers Family 20 of Services -and- 21 Trudy Morgan Policy Director 22 NYS Network for Youth Success 345 358 23 24 6 1 2021-2022 Executive Budget Human Services 2 2-9-21 3 LIST OF SPEAKERS, Continued 4 STATEMENT QUESTIONS 5 Dede Hill Policy Director 6 Schuyler Center for Analysis & Advocacy 7 -and- Kathleen Brady-Stepien 8 President and CEO Council of Family and 9 Child Caring Agencies -and- 10 Meredith Chimento Executive Director 11 Early Care & Learning Council -and- 12 Gregory Brender Director of Public Policy 13 Day Care Council of New York 367 379 14 Ariel Savransky Advocacy and Policy Advisor 15 UJA-Federation of New York -and- 16 Cynthia Dames Project Director 17 NEW Pride Agenda -and- 18 Beatriz Diaz Taveras Executive Director 19 Catholic Charities Community Services 20 -for- The Catholic Charities of 21 the Archdiocese of New York -and- 22 Gabriela Andrade Policy & Organizing 23 Strategist Human Services Council 386 399 24 7 1 2021-2022 Executive Budget Human Services 2 2-9-21 3 LIST OF SPEAKERS, Continued 4 STATEMENT QUESTIONS 5 Lt. Col. (Retired) Roy Diehl Deputy Director 6 New York State Defenders Assn. Veterans Defense Program 7 -and- Major Gen. (Ret.) Clyde J. Tate II 8 Chief Counsel Justice for Vets 9 -and- Kirby Hannan 10 Volunteer Advocate NYS Council of Veterans' 11 Organizations 403 412 12 Gail Myers Deputy Director 13 New York StateWide Senior Action Council 14 -and- Rebecca Preve 15 Executive Director Association on Aging 16 in New York -and- 17 Melissa Sklarz Senior Government Relations 18 Strategist Services & Advocacy for Gay, 19 Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders (SAGE) 20 -and- Katelyn Andrews 21 Director of Public Policy LiveOn NY 22 -and- Raymond Wayne 23 Field Representative National Federation of the 24 Blind in New York State 423 439 8 1 2021-2022 Executive Budget Human Services 2 2-9-21 3 LIST OF SPEAKERS, Continued 4 STATEMENT QUESTIONS 5 Velvet Johnson Ross Leader 6 Neighbors Together -and- 7 Dr. Gianpaolo Baiocchi Director 8 Urban Democracy Lab at New York University 9 -and- Dr. Myra Henry 10 President and CEO YWCA of Rochester and 11 Monroe County 454 464 12 Florencio Gil Leader 13 1050-1064 Carroll Place Tenant Association 14 -and- Palmer Harvey 15 Founder Syracuse Tenant Union 474 482 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 9 1 CHAIRWOMAN WEINSTEIN: Good morning. 2 I am Helene Weinstein, chair of the New York 3 State Assembly Ways and Means Committee and 4 cochair of today's hearing. 5 Today we begin the eighth in a series 6 of hearings conducted by the joint fiscal 7 committees of the Legislature regarding the 8 Governor's proposed budget for fiscal year 9 2021-2022. The hearings are conducted 10 pursuant to New York State Constitution and 11 the Legislative Law. 12 So today the Assembly Ways and Means 13 Committee and the Senate Finance Committee 14 will hear testimony concerning the Governor's 15 budget proposal for human services. 16 So let me introduce the members from 17 the Assembly, then I'll turn it over to 18 Senator Krueger, who is the chair of the 19 Senate Finance Committee, to introduce her 20 members, and then our rankers will introduce 21 their members. 22 So from the Assembly, I see we have 23 the chair of our Social Services Committee, 24 Linda Rosenthal; chair of our Veterans 10 1 Committee, Didi Barrett; chair of our Aging 2 Committee, Ron Kim. We have members 3 Anderson, Aubry, Bronson, Buttenschon, 4 Darling, Dilan, Lunsford, Meeks, 5 Santabarbara, Seawright and Zebrowski. And I 6 am sure we will -- Assemblyman Jones. I'm 7 sure we'll have some other members. 8 Assemblywoman Rajkumar. Assemblywoman Clark. 9 And I'm sure as the hearing goes on, we'll 10 have other members join us. We have a busy 11 day in the Assembly committees and hearings, 12 as well as session. 13 So Senator Krueger, you want to 14 introduce your colleagues? 15 CHAIRWOMAN KRUEGER: Thank you very 16 much. Appreciate it. So, so far -- and 17 again, ours will be joining during the day as 18 well -- we have Senator Rachel May, Senator 19 Roxanne Persaud, Senator Diane Savino, 20 Senator Gustavo Rivera, Senator John Liu, 21 Senator Pete Harckham, Senator Simcha Felder. 22 I think that's the Dems at the moment. 23 And I will turn it over to Senator Tom 24 O'Mara, the ranker on Finance, to introduce 11 1 his colleagues today. 2 SENATOR O'MARA: Okay. Thank you, 3 Senator Krueger. 4 We are joined by Senator Ritchie, who 5 is our ranker on Veterans Affairs. We are 6 joined by Senator Dan Stec, ranker on 7 Children and Family Services. Senator Jim 8 Tedisco and Senator George Borrello. 9 Thank you, and good morning, everyone. 10 CHAIRWOMAN KRUEGER: Thank you. 11 Helene, back to you. 12 CHAIRWOMAN WEINSTEIN: Yes. So we're 13 going to go to Assemblyman Ra, our ranker on 14 Ways and Means, to introduce members of his 15 conference. 16 ASSEMBLYMAN RA: Thank you. Good 17 morning, everybody. 18 We are joined by Assemblyman Simpson, 19 who is our ranking member on the Social 20 Services Committee, as well as Assemblymen 21 Lawler, Gallahan and Walczyk. And a couple 22 of our other rankers will be joining us 23 shortly; they are in committee meetings 24 currently. Thank you. 12 1 CHAIRWOMAN KRUEGER: And we've been 2 joined by John Brooks, our Veteran Affairs 3 chair, since I last talked. Thanks. 4 CHAIRWOMAN WEINSTEIN: And I believe 5 we've been joined by Assemblyman Mamdani. 6 And let me -- just before I introduce 7 the first witness, I want to remind all of 8 the witnesses testifying today to keep their 9 statements within the allotted time limit. 10 Everybody should, both witnesses and members, 11 keep your eye on the clock. With the 12 committee hearings being conducted virtually, 13 we are going longer than we have in the past. 14 We want to make sure everybody has an 15 opportunity to testify and members have the 16 opportunity to ask questions. 17 So sort of the ground rules, the 18 governmental witnesses get 10 minutes to make 19 an oral presentation.