NY budget deal: Free tuition, upstate Uber, raise the age
New York state will be the first in the nation to offer free college tuition to middle-class students under a new state budget deal worked out by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers.
The $153 billion proposal also includes high-profile juvenile justice reforms, allows Uber and Lyft to expand upstate and sets aside more money for public education and water infrastructure.
"You want to talk about a difference government can make? This is the difference that government can make," said Cuomo, a Democrat, when he announced the deal late Friday. The budget contains almost all of Cuomo's major proposals for the year and includes, he said, some of his proudest achievements with lawmakers.
The Democratic-led Assembly is expected to sign off on the budget Saturday. The Republican-controlled Senate hasn't said when it plans to return to Albany to take up the measure, though Senate Leader John Flanagan already has expressed his support.
http://www.fios1news.com/lowerhudsonvalley/NY-budget-deal-free-tuition-upstate-Uber-raise-the-age#.WOnNT6K1s2x
