Today, Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes (R,C-Caledonia) attended the #bfair2DirectCare rally in the New York State Capitol War Room. The rally included direct-care workers and patients from across the state demanding a fair and livable wage. The Assembly Minority Conference has continuously called for an increase in direct-care wages to be included in the final budget. This year, Gov. Cuomo failed to include funding for a raise in direct-care workers’ wages in his proposed budget. The Assembly budget proposal allocated $57.4 million to direct-care workers starting on Jan. 1 2020. Following the rally, the governor vowed to restore direct-care funding that was cut from his original budget proposal. However, there is no guarantee it will be restored until the final budget is passed.

“Our direct-care workers should be compensated for their hard work and dedication to our most vulnerable populations. Caring for people with disabilities can be a strenuous job and they should be compensated more than a food-service worker,” said Byrnes. “I am proud to join the hundreds of direct-care workers and their patients to call for a deserved increase in wages. I urge the governor to include this funding in the final budget.”