QUEENS! GETTING WHAT IT DESERVE
By: C. Harrison/April 8, 2014
Queens, NY According to letters that were sent out in October 2013, It outlined priorities for the 2014 budget that Senator Malcolm Smith pursued. The items included: housing, foreclosures mitigation and assistance, anti-gun and gang violence programs, technology upgrades, schools and capital investments in healthcare. Smith said, “In the coming months I will be reporting on how my seniority, years of experience and relationships in the legislature has and will benefit constituents through these budget accomplishment.”
The budget was caped at 2% or less for the fourth year in a row. Schools got a 5% increase in school aid, it established Universal pre-K, it protects charter schools and makes important investment in healthcare, the environment and infrastructure.
Key accomplishments included: 613 million from the JPMorgan settlement to help mitigate areas impacted by foreclosure, thanks to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Queens was ground zero for the foreclosure crisis. “It will go a long way toward mitigating the negative impact foreclosures have had on our community,” said Smith.
$3million is going to Operation SNUG Anti-Gun Gang Violence Program, a program started in 2009, that made a direct impact on gangs and gun violence in Southeast Queens
$30million will be going to York College–for construction of the Academic Village and Conference Center. ” I have been fighting to make York a focal point of Southeast Queens and this $30 million in funding will go a long way towards its progress in becoming a central economic and academic institution, serving the entire community,” Smith said.
Other priorities for this budget in the 14 district are as follows:
$ 1 million for Affordable Housing
$ 2 billion for Smart School Technology Program
$ 55 million for Health Information Network
$ 1.2 billion for healthcare capital projects
$ 1.5 billion for Universal Pre-K ($300 million each year for five years)
$ 150, 000 for Local Development Corporations-Laurelton, Rosedale, Springfield Gardens
$ 7.6 million for four nursing homes (including St Albans VA)
$ 32 million for charter school stimulus
$ 8 million for after school programs
$1.1 billion for New York City public schools (foundation aid)
$ 1.6 million Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP)
