Legislative Bulletin: One-House Budget Proposals Expected Over the Weekend
March 11, 2022
One-House Budget Proposals Expected Over the Weekend
As the hours tick by on this mid-March Friday afternoon, stakeholders and the public are awaiting the release and completion of both the Senate and Assembly one-house budget proposals. While we had previously heard that we might see Assembly one-house budget bills today or this evening, as time passes by, it appears as though both houses may be positioning themselves to pass their budget proposals via resolutions early next week. Resolutions do not need to age three days before being passed in the way that bills do. So, although legislative one-house budget bill amendments are due to be passed by March 15th, if done via resolution they can be printed at any point over the weekend and into next week. Last year, both chambers amended bills on Sunday, and the Senate’s proposed budget amendments continued into Monday for almost immediate passage.
Next week is a two-day session week, and it's likely that we will see at least one meeting of "The Mothership", the General Budget Conference Committee. We also expect to see a round of other joint budget subcommittee meetings for broad issue areas including health and housing. All of these meetings will be held virtually and will be posted for public viewing, however, no schedule has been released as of yet.
LeadingAge NY is awaiting the release of the one-house budget proposals and is poised to analyze the budget amendments and their potential impact on membership as soon as they become available. Once we have a general understanding on the one-houses and their impacts, we will provide an update to membership as well as any necessary advocacy action items. Stay tuned.
Keep the Pressure on State Lawmakers - Send LTC Budget Letters TODAY!
As we find ourselves in the final weeks of state budget activity, it is critical that we keep the pressure on lawmakers and remind them of the budget requests that are most critical to the sustainability of non-profit long-term care and aging services providers. Using the below links, members can easily send digital advocacy letters to their State Senator, Assembly Member, and the Governor with just a few clicks!
Please use the links below to send messages to your legislators and the Governor TODAY! If you have not already done so, please be sure to share these links with your colleagues and board members to expand our advocacy reach.
Invest in High Quality Nursing Home Care in This Year’s Budget
Invest in ACF/AL Providers and Workforce in This Year’s Budget
Provide Adequate Reimbursement and Investment to HCBS
Ensure Access to Safe and Affordable Senior Housing in this Year’s Budget
Oppose Competitive Procurement of Medicaid MLTC Plans
Support Adult Day Health Care in This Year’s Budget
LeadingAge NY Shares Compliance Tool for State Nursing Home Requirements Enacted in 2021-2022
The last two legislative sessions have been particularly active for long-term care related legislation and bill passage. Many new state requirements were enacted in 2021 and some were amended in 2022. Further, some of these new statutes are accompanied by new regulations. In an effort to help members manage their compliance with recently enacted statutory requirements, LeadingAge New York has created a reference tool reviewing laws enacted in New York in 2021 and 2022. This new state nursing home requirements tool, which is up-to-date as of March 11, 2022 is available here.
Please note that some legislation noted in this document is still pending action by the Governor. Some of the new statutes and regulations have recently taken effect or will take effect in the next few weeks. Others took effect last year or are scheduled to take effect in the coming months. This tool is intended to help track the status of new state requirements. It is an evolving document and covers only new state legislation and related regulations. It doesn’t include federal requirements, nor does it include state requirements that pre-date 2021 or that are not derived from state legislation. As always, please reach out to LeadingAge NY Policy Team with any questions.
Urge Congress to Fund Vital Aging Programs and Services
It is time for Congress to pass a long-term government funding bill that sustains and expands investments in home and community-based services, affordable housing for low-income older adults, and measures that address the aging services sector’s severe workforce challenges. Continuing resolutions do not allow for increases to key federal programs that sustain our aging services infrastructure.
CLICK HERE to send a message to your members of Congress TODAY, urging them to invest in aging services!
Right now, congressional leaders are negotiating federal investments in aging services programs for next year and we need your help! Too many older adults are struggling to access the essential services they need and funding levels must increase. Senators and Representatives must hear from constituents like you to stress the message that they can’t leave older adults behind.
Join Us for LeadingAge Leadership Summit and Lobby Days!
LeadingAge National is hosting its Leadership Summit on March 28-30, in-person, in Washington D.C. The leadership summit convenes thought leaders from across the aging services sector for mission-critical conversations. The summit is among the most valuable networking events in the field, bringing together providers, businesses and policy experts over three days of keynotes, education sessions, VIP discussions, and meetings on Capitol Hill. More information on the summit itself is available here.
LeadingAge’s Lobby Days will be held in conjunction with the summit. Although many congressional offices are staying remote and virtual at this time, LeadingAge’s goal is to organize and schedule as many in-person meetings with congressional offices as possible as part of their 2022 Lobby Day activities. If you are interested in joining us to urge Congress to properly support and fund the nation’s aging services and the care needs of older adults, please click here to register for the Leadership Summit!
Once you are registered for the summit and in-person lobbying, LeadingAge will get to work on setting up meetings with congressional offices on your behalf. If a congressional office is only offering a virtual meeting option, LeadingAge will then work with members to schedule a virtual meeting at a later date.
To ensure members are prepared for congressional meetings, LeadingAge will also be hosting a virtual “Know Before You Go” webinar with The Advocacy Guru, Stephanie Vance on Tuesday, March 22nd from 2-3pm to go over talking points, tips on how to have in-person meetings in this new environment and logistical support. Registration for the webinar will be coming soon, and it will also be recorded for member reference.
If you have questions about engaging in federal advocacy initiatives, please feel free to contact Sarah Daly (sdaly@leadingageny.org) and we can help you get the answers you may be looking for.
CMS Holds National Nursing Homes Stakeholder Call
CMS held a national nursing homes stakeholder call yesterday afternoon, during which the White House initiative to improve nursing homes was reviewed. CMS did not divulge any additional information, other than to clarify that the 21 initiatives contained in the plan include short-term, mid-range, and long-term goals. CMS states that currently, the focus is on identifying the initiatives on which CMS can take swift action. The only distinct timeline identified was restating the expectation that CMS will undertake a study within one year to determine minimum nursing home staffing standards for safer care. CMS emphasized their intentions to move forward in a deliberate manner that provides meaningful opportunities for stakeholder engagement and feedback in order to “get it right.” A recording of this stakeholder call will be posted here once available.
LeadingAge & LeadingAge New York Coronavirus Resources
LeadingAge NY continues to closely follow all COVID-19 news and we are doing our best to keep members informed of updates, recommendations and guidelines from the Department of Health (DOH).
LeadingAge NY and LeadingAge National Member resources are linked below.
LeadingAge NY Coronavirus Resources
LeadingAge NY COVID-19 Weekly Update calls – Mondays at 11 a.m. Click here to join the call from your computer, android or apple device. Or you can join the call by dialing in: 877 853 5257 (Toll Free); Webinar ID: 852 964 255.
LeadingAge National Coronavirus Resources Page
COVID-19 Group in the MyLeadingAge Member Community
LeadingAge National Coronavirus Policy Updates – Mondays and Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. Past call recordings are available here and you can register here for future calls.
Contact: Sarah Daly; 518.867.8845; sdaly@leadingageny.org