SOURCE:
https://libn.com/2024/02/27/long-island-coalition-lobbies-state-officials-in-push-for-funding/
By David Winzelberg - February 27, 2024
A coalition of Long Island small business owners, civic leaders, downtown planners, labor, environment and transportation advocates headed to Albany Tuesday to lobby state officials for more support for critical infrastructure and human needs.
For the 16th annual Long Island Lobby Day, the coalition will meet with the region’s elected officials in the State Senate and Assembly, as well as representatives from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office to secure funding for transportation, sewage and infrastructure projects, housing, human services, environmental programs and to support legislation to benefit small business and encourage economic development, according to a Long Island Lobby Coalition statement.
This year’s coalition agenda includes advocating for funding for buses, pedestrian safety and complete streets bills; small business savings accounts; shop local campaigns; MWBE reauthorization; funding for downtowns; wastewater funding, offshore wind; affordable housing planned locally with incentives; childcare; mental health; nutrition; increased support for social work staff; and major infrastructure projects for Long Island communities.
“Long Island is a major contributor to the New York State budget with an over $14 billion budget gap that is sent to Albany and not returned,” Eric Alexander, director of the Long Island Main Street Alliance, Vision Long Island and co-chair of the Long Island Lobby Coalition, said in the statement. “It is time to close that gap with investments in Long Island’s sewers, traffic calming road improvements, affordable housing, small business assistance, environment and many needed human services.”
The Long Island Lobby Coalition is made up of dozens of organizations, including Vision Long Island, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Long Island Federation of Labor, Island Harvest, Family and Children’s Association, Long Island Main Street Alliance, Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, Suffolk County Chamber of Commerce, Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Long Island African American Chambers of Commerce and many more.
“We are thrilled to be heading back to Albany with our coalition partners to advocate for issues critical to Long Islanders, including clean water, renewable energy, sewer infrastructure funding needs and more,” Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment and co-chair of the Long Island Lobby Coalition, said in the statement. “We are proud to be part of such a diverse coalition with a strong record of accomplishments over the last 15 years. The success of the Long Island Lobby Coalition shows that when Long Island speaks with a unified voice, our policy makers listen. We are excited to meet face-to-face with our Long Island elected officials and fight for the types of programs to help Long Island families and communities.”
Jeffrey Reynolds, CEO of Family and Childrens Association and a lobby coalition member said focusing on Long Island’s people is critical and so many Long Islanders are caring for our neediest residents without fair and adequate compensation.
“We need to make sure that folks working in group homes, counseling rooms and in our communities helping kids with mental health issues, adults with addiction and people with disabilities are paid a fair wage with annual COLA increases that reflects the value of their work,” Reynolds said in the statement.
Founded in 2009 as an alliance of Long Island communities to address issues impacting the region, the coalition has since had 20 bills on its agenda enacted into law. Since the Lobby Day effort began, more than 25 budget and regulatory proposals have been approved with key Long Island infrastructure projects funded, according to the coalition.