NYC Leaders Welcome $1.5B State Aid, Cite Major Step in Public Health Funding Reform

NEW YORK — Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, State Senator Gustavo Rivera, and Council Member Lynn Schulman welcomed the announcement of $1.5 billion in additional state operating support for New York City over the next two years, calling it a long-overdue step toward correcting inequities in public health funding.

At the center of the agreement is legislation sponsored by González-Rojas and Rivera to reform Article 6 public health funding formulas, addressing years of disparity that forced New York City to shoulder a disproportionate share of local public health costs due to outdated state reimbursement structures and prior cost shifts.

The agreement includes $510 million in recurring funding, made up of:

• About $150 million in restored sales tax revenue

• Roughly $300 million reinvested in youth programming

• $60 million for Article 6 public health programs, restoring a significant portion of the $90 million cut by the previous administration

  
  

González-Rojas praised Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani for renewing collaboration between Albany and City Hall, and recognized Council Member and Health Committee Chair Lynn Schulman for her leadership in advocating a fair and sustainable public health funding structure.

The assemblymember also thanked advocacy organizations that helped push the reforms, including the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, Housing Works, the New York Immigration Coalition, Community Service Society, the Commission on the Public’s Health System, Planned Parenthood, Callen-Lorde, the Latino Commission on AIDS, and GMHC.

“A strong New York City means a stronger New York State,” González-Rojas said. “This agreement reflects the partnership New Yorkers deserve and marks long-overdue progress in correcting inequities in Article 6 public health funding.”

Schulman described the funding as a critical step toward addressing years of imbalance that left the city paying a larger share of public health costs.

“We must now ensure these investments are implemented transparently and equitably so working families and the communities most impacted see real relief,” she said.

Rivera thanked Governor Hochul for acknowledging the city’s fiscal challenges and restoring a substantial portion of Article 6 funding.

“This investment will help protect the health and safety of New Yorkers,” he said.

Public health advocates also welcomed the agreement, saying the funding will help stabilize essential services, support vulnerable communities, and strengthen the city’s health infrastructure amid ongoing fiscal pressures and federal policy uncertainties.

Officials said the measure represents significant progress but stressed that efforts will continue to fully restore Article 6 reimbursement rates and ensure long-term, equitable public health funding for New York City.