1. CSEA-Supported Bill Signed
This week, Governor Hochul signed A.9102/S.8486, which allows Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies to be reimbursed for providing treatment at the point of response, as well for transporting patients to health care settings other than hospitals.
Under previous law, Medicaid would only reimburse EMS agencies if they transported a patient to a hospital. This means that if they treated the patient on-site or took them to another setting, such as a mental health clinic, the agency would not receive payment for services. As a result, EMS agencies were forced to absorb these costs, creating significant financial strain on local governments and nonprofit service providers. Authorizing Medicaid reimbursements for treatment in place will allow first responders to provide tailored care that is best suited to the needs of their patients without financial penalty, and will alleviate the strain on our health care system.
This law will go into effect on October 1, 2025.
2. Spending Bill Fails In U.S. House
This week, the U.S. House struck down Speaker Mike Johnson’s spending plan, which sought to link a six-month funding extension with a controversial provision requiring proof of citizenship for voting. The measure failed 202-222, with 14 House Republicans and all but three House Democrats voting no. New York’s Congressional Delegation voted along party lines, with all Democrats voting no and all Republicans voting yes, with the exception of U.S. Reps. D’Esposito, LaLota, and Malliotakis, who did not vote.
Democrats have urged Johnson to drop his funding plan and bring a clean short-term measure to the floor to keep the government open. Congress must act to pass a spending bill before October 1, or face a federal government shutdown.
3. Election Highlight: Pat Ryan
CSEA is proud to endorse Pat Ryan in his re-election for New York’s 18th Congressional District. Pat Ryan is completing his first full term as a member of Congress, where he has been an outspoken advocate on preserving reproductive rights and retirement security for middle-class Americans. Prior to this, he served as the Ulster County Executive, where he negotiated a historic CBA with CSEA that addressed severe geographic inadequacies in pay for certain county departments. He joined bipartisan lobbying efforts as County Executive to successfully convince Congress to pass the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA), which was an enormous investment into state and local governments in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, saving countless public jobs and services. He is a graduate of West Point, and a veteran who has served multiple tours overseas.
You can find all of CSEA’s endorsed candidates by region here.
4. Project 2025: Impact on Unions
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is the policy playbook that would fundamentally alter the way our government functions. This week, we’re highlighting some of the document’s proposals that would harm unions.
- “Congress should consider whether public-sector unions are appropriate in the first place.” [p.81]
- Agencies should “prioritize performance over seniority when deciding who should be retained following reductions-in-force” [p.81]
- Agencies should “prevent union representatives from…engaging in union activity on government time” [p.81]
These are just a few examples of the negative impacts that Project 2025 would have on CSEA members. In each issue, we’ll be highlighting additional areas of concern. To read the full document, click here. You can also view and share our Project 2025 fliers here.
5. 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 CSEA’s summary of the 2024-2025 Enacted Budget here.
Tier 6 Reform:
Updating Civil Service Exams:
Counting Provisional Time Toward Promotions:
Employee Notice of Records Disclosure:
Minimum Age & Education Requirements for Exams: