1. CSEA-Supported Bills Make Progress
Hundreds of bills that passed both houses of the State Legislature were delivered to Governor Hochul for final decision this week. These include several CSEA-supported bills:
- S.7599 (Gonzalez), which protects employees of local governments, school districts, and the State University of New York (SUNY) from displacement due to use of artificial intelligence.
- A.4003 (Clark), which aligns supervision requirements for CSEA’s home-based child care providers with what is required in child care centers.
- S.8207 (Jackson), which allows court officers and peace officers employed by the Unified Court System to retire at age 55 with 30 years of service.
- A.7861 (Peoples-Stokes), which allows police officers employed by Erie County Medical Center to retire with 50% of their final average salary after 25 years of service.
Governor Hochul has 10 days to act on a bill once it is delivered. All bills passed both houses in the 2025 legislative session must be acted upon by the end of the year.
2. Blakeman Announces Run
On Tuesday, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced his candidacy for governor. Blakeman will faceoff with Rep. Elise Stefanik in a Republican primary next year. Both Blakeman and Stefanik are allies of President Trump, who has so far indicated he will remain neutral in the race. CSEA members in Nassau County have had a difficult relationship with Blakeman, who last year sought to forcibly replace the county workers’ health care plan in violation of their Collective Bargaining Agreement.
3. SUNY Hospital Construction
On Wednesday, Governor Hochul announced the start of the design phase for a $1.1 billion investment to modernize SUNY Downstate’s facilities. This funding will upgrade infrastructure, renovate inpatient rooms, expand the emergency department, and add a new hospital annex. At the same time, SUNY Upstate is moving forward with plans for a new $450 million emergency room annex.
CSEA worked with Governor Hochul and the State Legislature to secure funding for these hospitals in the FY 2026 State Budget. This achievement was made possible by the hundreds of CSEA members who called, wrote letters, and met with elected officials to highlight the importance of these investments for the hospitals and the members who work there.
4. CSEA Legislative Toolkit
We’re encouraging members to get the word out about our legislative successes. Click the icons below for informational documents that you can print, share, and post on social media to spread the news. You can also check out our summary of the 2025-2026 New York State Budget.
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