CCSM 2024 Legislative and Budget Priorities
While the federal government continues to play games with immigration reform, we have the power to change the material conditions of immigrant New Yorkers. This year CCSM is serving as the Capital Region Coordinator for several statewide campaigns. We are educating and organizing our membership to play an active role in creating meaningful change in our communities.
In 2024, CCSM’s legislative priorities in New York are:
Access to Representation (A170/S999)
The Access to Representation Act is a first-in-the-nation piece of legislation that would establish a universal right to representation in immigration proceedings. The statistics are startling. 60% of non-detained immigrants with lawyers win their cases, versus the 17% who don’t have legal representation. Detained immigrants are 10 times more likely to win their case and 7 times more likely to be released when they have legal representation. No person should have to navigate our complex legal system without representation, which is why CCSM is fighting for universal access to representation for all immigrant New Yorkers.
Unemployment Bridge Program (A4821/S3192)
The fight for the Excluded Workers Fund showed us that our safety net is filled with gaps that unjustly exclude many of New York’s most vulnerable workers, especially Black, brown, and immigrant workers in precarious low-wage industries. The Unemployment Bridge Program will create an alternative to unemployment insurance for workers who are undocumented, cash earners, self-employed, freelancers and/or recently released from incarceration. The program would cover an estimated 750,000 workers across the state.
Raise Up NY (A9093/S8154)
The cost of living in New York has sky-rocketed in recent years, eroding paychecks and leaving workers struggling to afford the basics. We must ensure that NY establishes wage parity upstate and repeals a dangerous loophole that denies workers a raise when unemployment goes up so that no workers are left behind. The Upstate Parity & Minimum Wage Protection Act would establish a statewide minimum wage of $17 by 2026 and nullify off-ramp loopholes that deny workers a raise.
Coverage for All (A3020B/S2237B)
In 2022, the Coverage for All Campaign won access to health insurance for undocumented New Yorkers 65+ and birthing parents. However, over 255,000 New Yorkers continue to be denied affordable health insurance simply because of their immigration status. Passthrough funds are extra federal dollars that a state can spend on offering coverage to groups that do not have it. Other states, like Colorado and Washington, are one step ahead and have improved the lives of thousands of immigrants in their state using the 1332 waiver. New York State should also lead the way and pass #Coverage4All in 2024!
New York for All (A02328/S03076)
We have witnessed the heart wrenching impacts of family separation in our local communities because of local police departments collusion with ICE. New York for All would prohibit law enforcement throughout the state from conspiring with ICE and CBP. This critical legislation would help alleviate the fear that many immigrants and their families live with every day and allow them to care for their families, while also making sure that local governments don’t misuse their resources to advance a federal immigration agenda. While CCSM has won non-cooperation agreements in Columbia County, Hudson and Catskill, it is a constant struggle to ensure training and accountability within departments. We need a statewide solution now!