Assembly Budget Includes Critical Funding for Legal Support for New Yorkers & Programs to Combat Gun Violence

Speaker Carl Heastie and Code Committee Chair Jeffrey Dinowitz announced today that the Assembly’s State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2023-24 Budget includes important investments in legal support services for New Yorkers, discovery in court proceedings, and statewide anti-gun violence programs.

“The Assembly majority is committed to ensuring that all New Yorkers can seek the justice they deserve and protect our communities from the scourge of gun violence,” Speaker Histi explain. “Our budget reflects this, with major investments in programs that help New Yorkers navigate the courts and address the root causes of gun violence in our communities.”

“This budget makes important investments in legal aid programs and the Attorney’s Office to help ensure that all New Yorkers have a voice in our justice system,” MP Dinowitz explain. “It also invests in important programs to help protect our communities from gun violence, and we will continue to work to ensure our criminal justice system can operate effectively, fairly, and in a manner that respects the constitutional rights of all New Yorkers, while staying true to our core philosophy of public safety.”

The convention is dedicated to combating the scourge of gun violence in New York’s communities and has committed a total of $69.3 million to anti-gun violence initiatives. This includes:

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  An additional $10 million for the SNUG program, for a total funding of $31 million;
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  $36.4 million for the GIVE program; and
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  $11.9 million for community stabilization units.

The SFY 2023-24 Assembly provides $275 million in critical funding for discovery within the court system, including:

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  $100 million in total discovery defense funding;
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  A total of $100 million in prosecutorial discovery funding;
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  $50 million in discovery capital in New York City; and
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  $25 million in discovery capital for the rest of New York State.

The Assembly budget includes $198 million to allocate to counties to cover costs associated with increasing attorney rates to improve the quality of representation for those entitled to representation but financially unable to do so.

The Parliamentary Budget provides $40 million in funding for defense aid and restores $2.83 million in the Legal Services Assistance Fund (LSAF) to support civil and criminal legal services grants. It also restores:

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  $5 million to support criminal justice programs, including reintegration programs, community dispute resolution centers, community organizations, transitional housing, civil or criminal legal services, and crime prevention programs;
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  $2.1 million for the New York State Defenders Association;
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  $1.2 million for legal services for prisoners;
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  $609,000 for civil and criminal legal services support related to domestic violence;
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  $600,000 for immigration legal services; and
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  $147,000 for rape crisis centers, for a total of $6.5 million.

Also included in the spending plan is $5 million to establish the Office of the Civil Representative. The office will provide eviction prevention legal services statewide to provide legal assistance in eviction proceedings and will complement existing New York City programs.