SC New York News

State Senator Tom O'Mara, a Republican from Big Flats and the Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee, announced that joint Senate-Assembly hearings on Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed 2025-2026 New York State budget will proceed this Wednesday. The focus will be on Workforce Development and Economic Development.

The hearings are part of a monthlong schedule reviewing the governor's budget proposals. This week marks the conclusion of these sessions. The Workforce Development hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 AM, while the Economic Development session will start at 2:00 PM. Both hearings can be viewed online, with archived videos available for those who cannot attend live.

Throughout these hearings, members of the Legislature’s fiscal committees will listen to testimonies from top officials in Governor Hochul's administration, state agency leaders, local representatives, and various stakeholders affected by the state's annual budget.

Senator O'Mara stated, “Senate Republicans will continue to be a voice for lower taxes, less regulation, greater accountability, affordability, economic growth, job creation, and more common sense on state fiscal practices." He emphasized the importance of these budget hearings for providing direct input and critique on policy areas that influence both short-term and long-term community and economic strength.

O'Mara represents New York's 58th Senate District which includes Chemung, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Yates counties as well as part of Allegany County.