A New York state Senator has introduced legislation to address some of the financial concerns related to COVID-19. Democrat Pete Harckham spoke with WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne about these bills and his views on the budget due April 1. NOTE: This interview from Wednesday precedes New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget-related announcements Thursday.
State Senator Harckham’s bills are in response to potential disruption and economic loss caused by the pandemic, with schools, many businesses and other places temporarily closed. One bill raises the cap on how much retired police officers can earn during states of emergency while a similar bill would allow retired state health care workers to exceed the earnings cap during a declared state of emergency.
Another bill would ensure that school tuition is paid to special act schools.
First-term state Senator Harckham represents the 40th District, which includes parts of Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties.
