Here’s how New York’s $212B budget will impact Queens

Gov. Andrew Cuomo smiles as he discusses the state’s new budget — even though it includes a tax hike on the wealthy that he opposed for years. Photo via Governor’s Office

By David Brand

What a difference a year makes. 

Last April, New York faced down a significant budget deficit and cut spending at the peak of the pandemic. 

But this year, Democrats control D.C. — which means more cash for New York — and a new political calculus has emerged in the state, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo making concessions to the state’s more progressive legislators as he attempts to maintain power amid multiple scandals.

The result: Lawmakers are on the verge of enacting the biggest budget in Empire State history, and the massive funding plan is packed with money, measures and modifications for New York’s second-largest county.

Here are six ways the budget will impact Queens. 

Queens Workers Get the Money

A multi-billion-dollar fund to compensate jobless New Yorkers who did not qualify for unemployment benefits during the pandemic emerged as a sticking point in budget negotiations, but progressive lawmakers ultimately prevailed.   

The $212 billion budget will include $2.1 billion for “excluded workers,” including undocumented immigrants, who were laid off or fired as a result of the pandemic-fueled economic crisis. 

Perhaps no county will benefit more from the fund than Queens, home to the most immigrants, including undocumented residents, in the state.

Several Queens lawmakers championed the Excluded Workers Fund in response to calls from constituents and activists, like a group that staged demonstrations and a hunger striker in Albany during budget negotiations.  

“The federal government has given trillions of dollars of relief to Americans, the state of New York is getting billions of dollars, but not everybody. We’re here to fix that,” said state Sen. John Liu. “Excluded workers may not have a piece of paper, but they’re New Yorkers just as much.”

The fund won’t just benefit jobless New Yorkers, it will help revive the economy by enabling recipients to spend money.

Planes, trains and automobiles

The new budget directs an extra $36 billion to infrastructure projects across the state, including several located in and around Queens. 

During a press briefing Wednesday, Cuomo discussed funding for three Queens-related infrastructure projects: The Kew Gardens Interchange, the ongoing overhaul of LaGuardia Airport and the third track of the Long Island Rail Road.

Cuomo said the state is also moving forward with the controversial LaGuardia AirTrain project, which will create a rail link between the airport and the Mets Willets Point station.

And the budget will increase funding to the Belmont Station Redevelopment, located adjacent to the new hockey arena in Elmont, a few hundred feet from the Queens border.

Bet on the Mets — from your seats in Citi Field

A mobile sports betting proposal long backed by Queens State Sen. Joseph Addabbo made it into the budget, meaning Mets fans will soon be able wager on the Amazins from their socially distanced seats in Citi Field. 

The once-controversial proposal gained steam after New Jersey legalized sports betting in 2018 and began generating revenue at the expense of New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said that legalizing mobile sports betting on phones could generate as much as $500 million for the state. 

The budget also leaves the door open for expanded casino gambling in New York City. Addabbo has urged the state to allow Resorts World in South Ozone Park to become a full Vegas-style casino with live table games.

They really will tax the rich

The mansion-dwellers of Malba are about to feel the pinch. Despite years of opposition from Cuomo and moderate Democrats, New York lawmakers have approved a tax hike on the state’s wealthiest residents.

The tax rate will rise from 8.82 percent to 9.65 percent for individuals who earn $1 million a year and couples that make $2 million. 

The very rich will see an even bigger hit, individuals making more than $5 million will be taxed at a 10.3 percent clip. New Yorkers making more than $25 million will pay 10.9 percent.

Progressives who backed the Tax the Rich measure say it will generate more than $4 billion in revenue for the state. Opponents say it will drive the wealthy out of New York and diminish the tax base.

Let’s see who wins that debate. 

Rent relief, finally

New York now has a plan for allocating $2.3 billion in federal funding to tenants in need of assistance as a result of the pandemic. The state will also chip in another $100 million to bring the total to $2.4 billion. The state will pay for up to a year of overdue rent for tenants who earn no more than 80 percent of area median income — that’s a little less than $82,000 in New York City — and can prove they experienced financial hardship.

That’s a major relief for tens of thousands of renters at risk of losing their homes in Queens, especially as landlords and marshals gear up to execute evictions following a near-freeze over the past year.

Funding bump for Queens CUNYs

Queens’ five public colleges will see a funding boost from the state in the upcoming fiscal year, with $1 billion in new cash allocated to the City University of New York system.

The state will also increase tuition assistance and grant programs for CUNY students — good news the thousands of New Yorkers who attend the public schools while experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.