Plugged In @ Hinman Straub – January 17, 2017

Coverage of Albany and New York State government – January 17, 2017

• Governor Delivers Regional ‘State of the State’ Addresses
• Governor Announces Agreement to Close Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant
• Attorney General Releases ‘Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act’
• Health Care Issues to Watch in Albany in 2017
• Comptroller Reports on Public Authorities, Debt
• Political Update
• Coming Up

Governor Delivers Regional ‘State of the State’ Addresses

Gov. Cuomo traveled the state on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, delivering six regional ‘State of the State’ Addresses that laid out his 2017 legislative priorities.  Thematically, the Governor’s agenda focuses on middle class economic recovery and protecting New York’s progressive social values.

In most cases, specific details regarding each proposal were not provided.  Details are expected in to be released as part of the Governor’s Executive budget proposal, which is expected to be released later today.

(Read the 2017 State of the State book here.)

Highlights of the Governor’s ‘State of the State’ agenda include:

• protecting seniors from financial exploitation and foreclosure by establishing an Elder Abuse Certification Program for banks; empowering banks to place holds on potentially fraudulent transactions; and extending consumer protections that currently exist for homeowners to senior homeowners with reverse mortgages;
• banning bad actors from the Financial Services Industry for egregious conduct;
• putting in place additional wage theft enforcement measures;
• 500 new workplace electric vehicle charging stations and 69 new charging stations along the Thruway;
• voting reforms, including automatic voter registration; same day voter registration and permitting early voting;
• closing the Indian Point nuclear power plant by 2021;
• rebuilding JFK International Airport;
• enhancing and updating the state’s cybercrime and identity theft laws;
• expanding state tax credits for child care;
• providing free tuition to residents making up to $125,000 annually at all SUNY and CUNY colleges;
• enacting criminal justice reform, including overhauling the state’s bail system; raising the age of criminal responsibility; recording police interrogations for serious offenses; and a state takeover of indigent legal services costs;
• reducing greenhouse gas emissions an additional 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030;
• creating 22,000 new after-school slots in high-need areas across the state;
• a $500 million expansion of the Buffalo Billion initiative;
• investing $2 billion in water and sewer infrastructure;
• legalizing ride hailing services (such as Uber and Lyft) outside of New York City;
• developing up to 2.4 gigawatts in wind projects off the shore of Long Island;
• a second phase of the Buffalo Billion initiative;
• promoting wind energy development;
• further addressing the state’s heroin and opioid epidemic;
• ethics and campaign finance reform;
• addressing the high cost of prescription drugs; and
• a series of workforce development initiatives to provide training and education in technology-related industries.

The Governor is expected to release his Executive Budget proposal next week.

Governor Announces Agreement to Close Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant

Last Monday, Gov. Cuomo announced that the Indian Point Energy Center, a 2,000 megawatt nuclear power plant located 25 miles north of New York City, will close by April 2021.  The Governor, environmental groups and some local residents have long sought to close the facility, arguing that it is too dangerous to operate a nuclear generating facility in the New York City region.

The facility provides about 11.5% of the state’s electric energy generation.  The facility’s output will likely be made up from a number of sources, including increased transmission capacity to bring in power from other regions.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“I am proud to have secured this agreement with Entergy to responsibly close the facility 14 years ahead of schedule to protect the safety of all New Yorkers. This administration has been aggressively pursuing and incentivizing the development of clean, reliable energy, and the state is fully prepared to replace the power generated by the plant at a negligible cost​ to ratepayers.”

Westchester County leaders have expressed concerns about the impact closure will have on the facility’s nearly 1,000 employees and the approximately $30 million in annual tax payments the facility’s operators pay in county, local and school district taxes.

Attorney General Releases ‘Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act’

Citing the possible repeal of the federal Affordable Care Act, State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has proposed legislation that is intended to protect and enhance New Yorkers’ access to free contraception.

The Attorney General’s proposal would:

• require state-governed health insurance policies to provide cost-free coverage for all FDA-approved methods of birth control, including emergency contraception;
• prohibit insurance companies from “medical management” review restrictions that can limit or delay contraceptive coverage.
• cover men’s contraceptive methods, bringing their insurance coverage in line with the benefits enjoyed by women; and
• allow for the provision of a year’s worth of a contraceptive at a time.

Attorney General Schneiderman said:

“New Yorkers have a right to comprehensive, cost-free access to birth control. With the Affordable Care Act under attack in Washington, it’s all the more critical that New York act now to protect these rights.  The Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act will ensure that all New Yorkers have access to the birth control method they need to stay healthy and effectively plan for their future – no matter what happens in Congress.”

Health Care Issues to Watch in Albany in 2017

The New York State Conference of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans (NYSCOP) has released an infographic that highlights three New York issues that could dramatically affect the cost of health insurance:  increases in health insurance taxes; growing hospital inequality and rising drug costs.

Last Tuesday, Albany think-tank the Empire Center released a report which looks at the 20-year history of New York’s Health Care Reform Act (HCRA).  The report finds that HCRA taxes now total $5.5 billion annually, making it the state’s third-largest revenue source.

Comptroller Reports on Public Authorities, Debt

Last Thursday, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli released a report that looks at the state’s 1,192 public authorities.  The report finds that they have accumulated $267 billion in debt, more than 90% of which has been incurred by the Empire State Development Corporation; the Dormitory Authority or the Thruway Authority.

The reports notes that the state routinely shifts responsibility for certain costs from the state’s  budget to various authorities, which overall state spending levels and diminishes transparency, accountability and oversight.  It also notes that public authorities are authorities are exempt from many of the transparency requirements that govern state agencies and local governments.

Comptroller DiNapoli said:

“New York’s public authorities play an increasingly influential role in government yet they operate outside the traditional checks and balances that apply to state agencies.  Some of these entities are repeatedly used in a way that circumvents borrowing limits and oversight. As a result, New York is shouldering a huge debt load issued by public entities operating in the shadows that voters never approved.”

Political Update

Westchester County Executive to Run for Third Term

Republican Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said last week that he plans to run for a third term this fall.  Democrats have not settled on an opponent.  Yonkers County Legislator Ken Jenkins has announced that he is running, and Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano is reportedly considering making a county-wide run.

Astorino lost a race for Governor in 2014.  He has indicated that he may run for Governor again in 2018.

Winners & Losers

Each week, City & State New York publishes a list of the week’s political “winners” and “losers.”  Read last week’s list here.

Coming Up

The Senate and Assembly are in session on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

The Governor’s Executive Budget is expected to be submitted today.

The Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering is holding a public hearing to Consider the Future of the New York Racing Association on January 17.

The Assembly Committees on Local Governments and Cities are holding a public hearing on the Municipal Restructuring Fund and the Municipal Consolidation and Efficiency Competition on January 23.

The Public Service Commission holds its next meeting on January 24.

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) holds its next meeting on January 31.

The State Board of Regents holds its next meeting on February 13 and 14.