The elimination of $90 million in funding for disabled programs from the budget in March has been reversed by rare unanimous action in a divided Albany.
The Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved restoring the funds. A day earlier, the Assembly unanimously passed the measure. For the first time ever in the Legislature, every Assembly member signed as co-sponsors.
Democratic Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg of Long Island, who has a disabled son, joined with Republican Sen. Martin Golden of Brooklyn to celebrate after final legislative passage.
In March, an emotional, bipartisan floor fight in the Assembly challenged the total state budget deal.
Governor Andrew Cuomo supports finding a way to avoid the cut.
Golden says Weisenberg reduced skeptics to tears with his stories of how much the cut would hurt disabled children.
(c) 2013 The Associated Press
