Raising the Minimum Wage

As demonstrated by years past, the IDC has always been at the forefront of
advocating for raising the minimum wage. Thanks in large part to the IDC, New York
was only among a handful of states that agreed to raise the minimum wage in the
2013 budget. Going forward, the IDC believes we can go further and supports giving
cities and counties throughout the State the power to decide whether they want to
increase the minimum wage in their respective localities. Under legislation originally
introduced in 2014 by Senator Savino (S7743A), which will shortly be reintroduced
in the 2015 session, cities and counties would be given the power to increase their
own local minimum wages by up to 30% higher than the State minimum wage. That
means that by 2016, a locality could decide to raise their own minimum wage up to
$11.70 per hour, based on the $9 per hour statewide minimum wage.

Establishing Paid Family Leave and Raising Temporary Disability Insurance

As other states like New Jersey and California have already done, the IDC continues
to advocate for the adoption of a meaningful paid family leave program in New York
that truly meets the needs of working families. The IDC proposal would allow
workers to claim a weekly benefit for up to six weeks per year equal to half their
weekly wage to care for a new child or take care of a sick loved one. This plan
extends to both public and private sector employees and ensures that businesses
do not bear any direct out of pocket costs.

In addition, under a bill sponsored by Senator Tony Avella (S.7752), families would
be able to secure greater flexibility by allowing workers to use accrued sick time
benefits for the purpose of taking care of ill members of ones family.
In order to meet the rise in cost of living, the IDC proposes increasing the weekly
TDI benefit for workers through a gradual yearly phased-in process. Through a small
increase in employee contributions and with the assistance of a State subsidy,
working families will gain expanded financial benefits of up to a $250 a week
maximum in order to accommodate their time away from work. Under the plan, New
Yorkers would still be able to claim the benefit at the current maximum duration of
26 weeks per year.

Agricultural Resurgency Program

The IDC recognizes that agriculture has traditionally been a leading industry in New
York State, but could be on the radical decline as the current population of farmers
ages and there are no newcomers to fill the gap. Therefore, the IDC envisions the
creation of a Agricultural Resurgency Program (ARP), a matching grant program
which would be developed to assist new and beginning farm businesses with startup or expansion costs. Funding would be used to purchase equipment, seed and/or
stock, infrastructure, or other expensive capital improvements that present a barrier
to opening or expanding a farm in New York and making it a viable business option.
This program would ensure that high initial capital costs would no longer be a major
impediment, especially to young entrepreneurs who want to open farms or expand
existing family farms.

Investing in Educational Excellence

Student Loan Debt Relief and Prepaid College Tuition

With the cost of student tuition skyrocketing faster than inflation and drowning
students in debt, the IDC proposes a grant program that would compensate
students who graduated from an undergraduate or graduate school based in New
York and are employed in public service in the state. A grant of up to $2,000 per
individual would be applied towards the outstanding student loan balance.
Additionally, New York would create a state tax deduction for interest paid on an
undergraduate loan to match the federal deduction at 100%.

In addition, the IDC proposes strengthening tuition affordability in New York State by
enabling parents and students to pre-pay college tuition. This would be
accomplished by locking-in present day tuition rates at public and private colleges
statewide. Already other states like Florida and Texas have implemented similar
programs, and in doing so, will ensure that parents get a head start on financial
planning for decades to come. This will ultimately save working families thousands
of dollars of their own hard earned money.

Creating an Education Investment Tax Credit (EITC) for Public and Private
Schools

When it comes to effectively educating our children, New Yorks schools need every
dollar they can get. The IDC believes in rewarding New Yorkers which opt to
voluntarily donate to their local public or private school by finally making these
donations tax deductible. In order to make sure every dollar is spent fairly and
effectively, tax deductible donations made to private schools must be used to fund
scholarship opportunities that qualify.

School Construction Trust Fund

The IDC proposes $400 million for the creation of a School Construction Trust Fund
that would be a dedicated revenue stream for school improvements and
expansions. The fund would address downstate issues of overcrowding in
classrooms and accommodate upstate issues with regards to aging infrastructure of
schools.

Investing in Vibrant and Sustainable Communities

The Sustainable Communities Program

In order to combat the effects of sprawl and decaying urban infrastructure, the IDC
proposes the creation of a $150 million fund that would provide matching grants for
smart-growth investments that create communities that are more pedestrian
focused, use environmentally friendly construction techniques and revitalize
waterfront property.

Green Homes Tax Credit

In order to spur development of environmentally efficient and green friendly homes

Zombie Property Act

The Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act of 2014 would expand the 2009
signature law requiring lenders to maintain foreclosed properties from falling into
disrepair. It would now require lenders to frequently inspect delinquent properties to
determine if they are abandoned, while also requiring to maintain them regardless if
a foreclosure judgment has been issued.

Investing in New York Housing

Enhance funding for Mitchell-Lama 2020 & Middle Income Housing Tax
Credit

The IDC continues to believe that a cornerstone plank to making New York more
affordable is through the availability of affordable middle class housing. That said,
the IDC proposes investing $675 million in middle income housing: $650 million in
the Mitchell Lama 2020 program that would provide capital subsidies of up to
$125,000 per unit for the construction of middle class housing that remains
affordable for 30 years; and $25 million for the Middle Income Housing Tax Credit
which would provide tax credits for developers financing the construction of middle
class units.

Public Housing Revitalization Plan

A significant portion New York City Housing Authority units are in vital need of an
upgrade. The IDC proposes a three-point plan that will provide much needed funds
for NYCHA to repair and maintain current units. This includes (1) $500 million
through a Public Housing Revitalization Fund for repairs, rehabilitation and upgrades
(2) a restoration of $12 million in annual State operating subsidies for NYCHA, and
(3) a long-term revenue generating strategy that will ensure NYCHAs long-term
viability through redevelopment of underused NYCHA land for affordable housing
and mixed use. The IDC also supports giving preferences to disabled veterans
(S.1702, sponsored by Senator Avella) and victims of domestic violence who meet
all other requirements to apply for a public housing unit.

Making Housing Available for Our Vulnerable Populations

In order to ensure that those who are physically challenged, have mental health
issues and our seniors have a safe and comfortable place to call home, the IDC calls
for: (1) a $40 million fund dedicated to providing a direct subsidy for developers to
incentivize housing for middle and low income seniors; (2) a REPAIR 2015 tax credit
of up to $7,500 for repairs to seniors homes where the resident cannot afford the
cost of the project; (3) the creation of a $25 million housing disability fund that
would be used to leverage up to $180 million in private financing to be used to
develop or retrofit up to 1,400 housing units for people with disabilities.

Investing in New York Families & Seniors

Dependent Tax Credit

The IDC understands that todays economy requires both parents to work to make
ends meet. Critical to both working parents and single parent families is affordable
child care. Therefore, the IDC proposes continuing New York States effort to aid
these families in their child care costs by increasing the Child and Dependent Care
Credit by approximately 50 percent.

Senior Support Package

New York senior citizens face rising costs, yet most have to survive on a fixed
income, therefore the IDC proposes reducing their financial burden through a senior
utility circuit breaker program. This refundable tax credit would be available starting
tax year 2015 and allow senior filers to be able to claim a credit equal to 50% of
out-of-pocket utility expenses, over 7% of their income.

The IDC is also proposing providing a 10% discount on senior DMV transactions
since one must pay registration and reregistration fees to drive in New York.

Child Care Subsidies

The IDC believes strongly in the importance of affordable child care and is calling for
not only a full restoration of funding for the block grant back to 2010 funding levels,
but an increase beyond that level to take into account rising needs. The IDC
supports spending $100 million more in child care subsidies than we spent in the
2014 budget. The IDC also proposes an expansion of Facilitated Enrollment subsidy
to $25 million within the NYS Child Care Block Grant into those cities that have
demonstrated both need and momentum.