Budget yields mixed results for Klein

Around this time last year, Bronx state Sen. Jeff Klein was something like the toast of the town. Mayor Bill de Blasio was publicly praising the senator, who was then co-majority leader, for brokering a deal with Gov. Andrew Cuomo on universal pre-k, and Mr. Klein himself could boast of wins like making more seniors eligible for exemptions for rent increases.

What a difference an election makes.

While his victories of 2014 likely helped him stave off a Democratic primary challenge, the fact that Republicans gained an outright majority apparently gave Mr. Klein less leverage during closed-door meetings with Mr. Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, both Democrats, and state Sen. Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Republican.

In a phone interview, Mr. Klein counted several successes on the budget, but voiced disappointment that one of his biggest priorities did not pass. That had to do with about $5 billion in funds the state had received in settlements with financial institutions. Mr. Klein wanted the money to go to a broad range of infrastructure and jobs programs, but Mr. Cuomo saw to it that the funds went to upstate development, the state Thruway Authority and other causes.

“I think it was an opportunity to spend the money on needed infrastructure across the state and in the process create good-paying jobs,” Mr. Klein said of the settlement funds. “I think that’s probably the greatest missed opportunity.” 

On housing, state funds did end up in two of Mr. Klein’s priority areas. Albany is establishing a $100 million fund to modernize or improve public housing. That is less than the $250 million Mr. Klein and his group of breakaway Democrats proposed near the start of the year, but the program does include an oversight mechanism for capital projects, something the senator had called for. There’s also $50 million for new or improved middle-income housing, although Mr. Klein wanted $750 million for his Mitchell Lama 2020 program to expand affordable housing in his district and elsewhere. 

The senator’s Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) proposed a slew of bills aimed at helping the middle class. While items like student loan debt relief appear to be out of the picture, the budget provides tax credits for childcare, something the IDC had called for in its “Invest New York” package of proposals.

The 2015-16 budget shied away from the issues that dominated headlines in recent weeks. There was no movement on the Dream Act to give tuition assistance to undocumented immigrants, and the minimum wage stayed the same. That, even though both Mr. Klein and the governor made different proposals for salary increases earlier this year.

What ethics reform measures the legislature did pass were criticized as full of loopholes by government watchdogs. Although Albany did not adopt Mr. Klein’s proposal for a ban on outside income for lawmakers, the senator indicated he is sticking to his promise to disinvest from his own law firm.

On local issues, Mr. Klein said he will make announcements about capital projects as legislators arrange how to spend pools of funds in the budget over the rest of the year.

“I think we were able to accomplish many things that I think have a positive impact on the Bronx,” Mr. Klein said, pointing to $250 million for four new Metro-North stops across the eastern side of the borough.