Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, R-Jamestown, is pictured debating budget legislation on the Assembly floor this week.

New York City will get $1 billion from the state to help deal with an influx of migrants. Jamestown, which is trying to help its own small migrant population, will get nothing.

The state budget’s dichotomy between upstate and downstate New York was raised several times by Assemblyman Andrew Goodell during his floor time in more than 13 hours of budget debate on the Assembly floor. Nowhere was that difference as stark as the difference in the state’s handling of migrants making their way into the state.

“We’re about to vote on this budget,” Goodell said. “And we have $1 billion in this budget for migrant services in New York City. That’s a little over $18,000 per immigrant who’s in New York City. How much do we have for upstate? Zero. My county, by the way, we have several families that are seeking asylum that came in from Colombia. My community is struggling so that we can treat them with compassion and fairness, and we get zero support from the state of New York while New York City over $18,000 per person. Zero upstate.”

Jamestown’s New Neighbors Coalition is working to help refugees and Colombian asylum seekers, with Linnea Haskins, Jamestown Public Market director, telling The Post-Journal in April that both groups need help with transportation, clothing donations, legal assistance and help navigating social services networks. Asylum seekers are unable to work legally and can’t receive public benefits while refugee families arrive with some support from the federal government and local nonprofits.

Two Colombian families have been cooking Colombian dishes at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in exchange for donations to support their families. As of April, more families have been arriving in Jamestown, Haskins said.

One thing both Republicans and Democrats have agreed upon is the need for the federal government to do more to help. But in the aftermath of this week’s state budget deliberations, the migrant discussion remains focused on New York City.

“And we need the federal government to step up,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said during an interview Wednesday with WPIX11 in New York City. “And I’ve had this conversation countless times to say, ‘Give us the resources.’ But I put a billion dollars on the table to help with the housing shelters, to help with legal services. When you think about this, these individuals can legally start working after six months if they file the right paperwork. They need lawyers to tell them what to do. They don’t know the language, there’s a lot of barriers. When you think about all the businesses, the restaurants, the hotels, all the places where they’re looking for workers, these individuals could really help our economy, but they’re not here legally yet. So, I’m trying to help the Mayor out with what is a really challenging problem – and he’s working hard on it.”

Helping migrants wasn’t the only area where Goodell felt Upstate New York was being shortchanged in this year’s state budget. The state is budgeting $285 million statewide for economic development while spending $1 billion in film tax credits ($700 million) and theater district aid ($300 million) that Goodell said are largely focused on the New York City area. Local governments will split $600 million in state road construction aid known as CHIPs funding while the state is providing $4.1 billion to the Manhattan Transit Authority, with Goodell especially critical that the MTA hasn’t raised rates since 2017 while begging for additional state aid.

“I looked up what the prices of gas was statewide in 2017 and it was like $2.70,” Goodell said. “Now what are we doing to help all the Upstate commuters? For the MTA we’re making five free bus lines. What are we doing for Upstate? We eliminated the break we gave them on the sales tax for gas. For Upstate we raised the price of gas by 18 cents. And we raised taxes on downstate employers by nearly 50% on the payroll tax so those who ride the MTA pay the same as they did in 2017. We’ve heard a lot on a lot of different subjects on how we ought to be fair and equitable and just. Those are all great concepts. But maybe we should treat all the Upstate residents on the same, fair, equitable and just basis that we treat those who happen to ride the subway.”

Hochul was expected to sign the 10 budget bills approved in the legislature Wednesday. The budget includes an increase in the minimum wage to $17 in New York City and its suburbs, and $16 elsewhere in the state by 2026, with future hikes pegged to inflation. Lawmakers also approved a revision of the state’s bail law that will give judges more discretion to jail certain criminal defendants before trial unless they are able to come up with cash guaranteeing their return to court. Hochul insisted on the changes despite an outcry from some liberal Democrats who see it as partially rolling back changes approved in 2019 that eliminated pretrial incarceration for most nonviolent offenses.

Another bill gives state regulators power to confiscate marijuana products from unlicensed pot shops, which have proliferated since the state legalized recreational marijuana. The budget will also increase the state’s cigarette tax by $1, to $5.35, though lawmakers rejected Hochul’s proposed ban on menthol cigarettes.