ALBANY — State Sen. Tom O’Mara is joining fellow Senate Republicans in urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to incorporate key elements of the conference’s “Save New York” agenda into her upcoming 30-day Executive Budget amendments.
In a letter sent this week, O’Mara, the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, and Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt called on the governor to revise her proposed 2026-27 budget to include measures they say would make the state more affordable and improve public safety. Hochul introduced her initial budget proposal on Jan. 20, and under state law has 30 days to submit amendments.
Senate Republicans unveiled their “Save New York” legislative agenda at the start of the session, outlining proposals focused on tax relief, regulatory reform, energy policy changes and criminal justice revisions. In their letter, conference members argued that the current executive budget does not go far enough to address the rising costs of housing, utilities, food and insurance.
Among the proposals Republicans want included in the amended budget are a $30 billion personal income tax cut they describe as the largest in state history, a return of $2 billion in unspent green energy funds to ratepayers, and a one-year utility bill tax and surcharge holiday. The conference is also calling for a three-year property tax freeze, repeal of the state’s all-electric building mandate, and changes to electric vehicle and bus requirements.
Other priorities include conducting an independent audit of state programs such as Medicaid to root out fraud, enacting regulatory reforms aimed at reducing business costs, creating a pretrial risk assessment tool under the proposed PROTECT Act, reforming parole processes and expanding access to Gifted & Talented programs in schools.
O’Mara criticized what he described as continued high state spending under Democratic leadership, saying Republicans will continue to push for lower taxes, reduced regulation and greater fiscal accountability. Ortt said the conference’s proposals are ready to be enacted and urged the governor to consider them as budget negotiations continue.
Joint Senate-Assembly hearings on the governor’s budget proposal are ongoing in Albany.
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