Budget & Taxes

This bill grants Cortland County the exclusive authority to collect an additional one percent sales tax without it being overridden by state preemption laws. The legislation amends the state tax code to ensure this specific local tax rate is calculated separately from the maximum allowable tax rate set by the state. By explicitly stating that the tax is not subject to preemption, the measure protects Cortland's ability to raise revenue independently from other local governments. This change directly affects businesses and consumers in Cortland County by allowing the county to maintain its own tax rate even if the state adjusts broader tax policies.

Relates to treatment of gains from qualified opportunity zones in calculating taxable income; removes exclusion of gains on property in qualified opportunity zones in calculation of income.

Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state health and mental hygiene budget for the 2026-2027 state fiscal year; extends provisions requiring the quarterly assessment of known and projected department of health state fund Medicaid expenditures (Part A); extends certain health provisions (Part B); extends certain provisions of law relating to the health care reform act; extends provisions relating to the distribution of pool allocations and graduate medical education; extends provisions relating to health care initiative pool distributions; extends payment provisions for general hospitals; extends provisions relating to assessments on covered lives; extends the personal care services worker recruitment and retention program (Part C); relates to insurance coverage for medical malpractice paid for by funds from the hospital excess liability pool; extends portions of the New York Health Care Reform Act of 1996 (Part D); makes technical corrections to certain provisions of law relating to the New York State Dental Foundation and other provisions of law (Part F); relates to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) (Part G); extends certain provisions relating to payments from the New York state medical indemnity fund (Part I); relates to temporary health care services agencies and protecting individuals engaged to provide health care services by such agencies (Part J); restores capital rate reductions for nursing homes (Part L); limits the amount payable for certain services provided to certain eligible persons who are also beneficiaries under part B of title XVII of the federal social security act or are also qualified Medicare beneficiaries; clarifies Medicaid requirements for biomarker testing (Part M); relates to hospital and nursing home fee-for-service reimbursement rates and reductions in hospital capital rate add-ons (Part O); directs the commissioners of the office of mental health, office for people with developmental disabilities, office of addiction services and supports, office of temporary and disability assistance, office of children and family services and the director of the state office for the aging to establish a state fiscal year 2026-2027 targeted inflationary increase for projecting for the effects of inflation upon rates of payments, contracts, or any other form of reimbursement for certain programs and services; requires such commissioners and director to provide funding to support a 2.7% targeted inflationary increase for such programs and services (Part P); changes "substance use" to substance-related and addictive disorder claims for purposes of the insurance law and public health law (Part R); relates to the effectiveness of provisions of law relating to Medicaid management; removes certain provisions providing for lower minimum amounts of certain state aid for the city of New York than the rest of the state (Part T); extends certain government rates for behavioral services referencing the office of addiction services and supports and relates to the effectiveness thereof (Part U); relates to the effectiveness of certain provisions of law relating to the closure or transfer of a state-operated individualized residential alternative (Part V); extends the care demonstration program (Part W); relates to medical assistance for needy persons age sixty-five or older and who are eligible for medical assistance but for their immigration status through the fee-for-service program (Part X); provides for an amended New York managed care organization provider tax at a rate of 0.35% effective January 1, 2027 (Part Y); provides that services provided in school-based health centers shall not be provided to medical assistance recipients through managed care programs (Part Z); extends provisions of law relating to reimbursement rates for medically fragile children and pediatric diagnostic and treatment centers (Part AA); amends provisions for dispute resolution for emergency services and surprise bills; provides for benchmarking of amounts allowed for health care services provider in the same or similar specialty and provided in the same geographical area (Part BB).

Authorizes municipalities in the county of Orange to add unpaid housing code violation penalties, costs and fines to such municipalities' annual tax levy in accordance with applicable law.

Extends the authority for the town of Brookhaven to impose a real estate transfer tax with revenues therefrom to be deposited into a community preservation fund until 2045.

Authorizes the City of Newburgh to add unpaid housing code violation penalties, costs and fines to such city's annual tax levy in accordance with applicable law.

Prohibits state reimbursement of campaign and political committees, or legal defense funds, for payments made on behalf of the criminal or civil defense of a state employee.

Authorizes the assessor of Richmond county to grant the Silver Lake Foundation Inc. retroactive real property tax exempt status upon an application therefor.

Authorizes the town of Copake to establish community preservation funds and to impose a real estate transfer tax with revenues to be deposited into the community preservation fund; provides for the repeal of certain provisions upon expiration thereof.

This bill sets a 5% maximum annual increase for property tax base proportions in cities for fiscal year 2026. It directly affects cities calculating property taxes, requiring their local legislative bodies to set the exact increase (up to 5%) by December 1, 2025. If cities issued tax bills before the law took effect, they must revise those bills and reissue them with updated rates, but taxpayers remain responsible for payments due before the revision. The bill ensures cities can adjust tax calculations within this cap while maintaining prior payment obligations for existing bills.