[Alliance Enews] Statewide Advocates Call for Flexible 3.2% COLA in Final Budget!

[Luke Sikinyi]

Alliance Note: While we were pleased to see both the NYS Assembly and Senate include a 3.2% Cost-of-Living Adjustment in their one house bills, we are concerned with the restrictive provisions currently included in their proposals. Community agencies need a flexible COLA to provide increased salaries for staff and cover rising costs which affect their ability to provide services, such as insurance for the workforce and rent.
The Alliance joins nearly a dozen other statewide advocacy groups in calling for both the Assembly and Senate to include a 3.2% COLA without any contingency language to provide more flexibility for our agencies providing this essential service. We will continue to fight for this critical funding, with the appropriate flexibility, to guarantee our agencies can continue providing needed services while improving recruitment and retention of essential workers. See below for the groups recently released response to the COLA proposals in the one house bills. Stay on the lookout for ways you can join our advocacy efforts to pass the 3.2% COLA and other budget priorities for the year.

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