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Legislature Begins Budget Voting as First Bill Reveals Major School and Policy Changes

The ELFA bill sets school aid increases, extends mayoral control for two years, delays school bus zero‑emission rules and leaves appropriations, pensions and Essential Plan remedies unresolved.

Overview

  • The Assembly passed the Education, Labor and Family Assistance bill by 110-34 on May 20, marking the first substantive budget vote after a late May 7 “general agreement.”
  • The printed ELFA text guarantees a baseline 2% Foundation Aid boost for all districts and grants New York City a two‑year extension of mayoral control over schools.
  • The bill lets Mayor Zohran Mamdani disband charter review commissions created by prior mayors and delays the zero‑emission school‑bus mandate for five years.
  • Gov. Hochul’s office has updated the budget topline to roughly $268.5 billion while reports say negotiators are still haggling over major pension changes that could shift costs onto local governments.
  • Most of the remaining budget bills and the final appropriations are still unprinted or unresolved, leaving the fate of a remedy for roughly 450,000 New Yorkers losing Essential Plan coverage and other key tradeoffs to be decided after the Memorial Day recess.