Plugged In @ Hinman Straub – October 18

PluggedInMastheadCoverage of Albany and New York State government

  • Top Cuomo Administration Staffer to Leave for Health Care Advocacy Group
  • Attorney General Announces Awards for Local Governments
  • JCOPE Releases Staff Proposal of Comprehensive Lobbying Regulations
  • SUNY Poly President Steps Down in Wake of Corruption Charges
  • Good Government Groups Call for State Contracting Reforms
  • Governor Announces Funding for Clean Energy Incubators
  • Political Update
  • Coming Up

Top Cuomo Administration Staffer to Leave for Health Care Advocacy Group

The Cuomo Administration has acknowledged that Jim Malatras, the Director of State Operations, will be leaving to join the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), a trade group that represents hospitals.

Malatras has worked under Cuomo since 2007, when he served as Executive Director for State Policy and Legislative Affairs.  Before that, he worked for Assemblyman Richard Brodsky.

According to an administration spokesperson, Malatras will join HANYS in January, after the State of the State Address.

Attorney General Announces Awards for Local Governments

Last Tuesday, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced $12.6 million in grants to 76 cities, towns, and villages throughout the state to address the problem of vacant properties and so-called “zombie homes” – vacant and abandoned homes that are not maintained during a prolonged foreclosure proceeding.

The funded was provided through the Attorney General’s Zombie Remediation and Prevention Initiative, which he announced last July. Funding for the program comes from a multi-billion dollar settlement agreement with Morgan Stanley that Schneiderman negotiated as co-chair of the federal-state working group on residential-mortgage-based securities.

Attorney General Schneiderman said:

“I’m proud that the funding obtained by my office’s settlement with Morgan Stanley will now help cities and towns across the state reverse the proliferation of zombie properties, which invite crime and threaten the value of surrounding homes. These grants will help rebuild, revitalize, and stabilize communities across the state.”

JCOPE Releases Staff Proposal of Comprehensive Lobbying Regulations

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), the state’s ethics and lobbying regulator, has  released what it calls a “staff proposal of comprehensive lobbying regulations” for public review and comment.  These draft regulations are intended to “provide a ‘one-stop shop” for the rules and requirements associated with engaging in lobbying in New York.”

The staff proposal would define direct and grassroots lobbying; address lobbying through social media; and provide rules relating to procurement lobbying.  It would also put in place rules relating to a number of administrative procedures that JCOPE and its predecessor agencies have put in place over the years.

According to JCOPE:

“Designed to close loopholes that have evolved in lobbying, the regulations will capture more information about the targets of lobbying activities and the real clients of lobbyists, not just the nominal third parties and intermediaries who contract with the lobbyists. The regulations take into account the use of ever-changing technology in conducting lobbying campaigns. They also streamline reporting requirements, providing more clarity about the requirements related to consultants, grassroots lobbying, sources of funding, and the use of new media for lobbying purposes.”

JCOPE also released draft changes to its “source of funding” regulations, which issues relating to reporting by lobbying coalitions, as well as filing exemptions.

JCOPE is seeking public comment on these staff proposals through November 21st.  The agency also indicated that it plans to hold a public hearing at some point “to provide a full and open dialogue with lobbyists and other professionals in the field, good government groups, and the general public,” and it “may” then commence a formal rulemaking process.

Hinman Straub is reviewing the staff proposal, and may respond to JCOPE’s request for public comments.  If JCOPE decides to move forward with a formal rulemaking process and adopt these proposed regulations, it is not likely to do so until some time in 2017.

SUNY Poly President Steps Down in Wake of Corruption Charges

Last Tuesday, Alain Kaloyeros, the president of the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) resigned his position as president. He is seeking to retain his position as a faculty member at the school.  His resignation comes less than three weeks after he was suspended without pay by the State University of New York after his arrest on state and federal corruption charges.

Kaloyeros is one of nine people who are facing bid-rigging charges in the awarding of contracts by SUNY Polytechnic, which has been responsible for much of the Cuomo Administration’s upstate economic development efforts.

Also, state officials said this week that the state has begun taking steps to transfer the management of SUNY Poly’s economic development portfolio to the Empire State Development Corporation, the state’s primary economic development entity.

Good Government Groups Call for State Contracting Reforms

Citing the recent federal corruption charges relating to the Cuomo Administration’s upstate economic development program, a number of state government “watchdog groups” have called for a series of reforms relating to the state’s contracting processes.

The groups, which include NYPIRG, Reinvent Albany, Fiscal Policy Institute, Citizens Budget Commission, Common Cause, League of Women Voters and Citizens Union, proposed the following “contracting reforms”:

  • Requiring competitive and transparent contracting for the award of state funds by all state agencies, authorities and affiliates, and using existing agency procurement guidelines as a uniform minimum standard;
  • transferring responsibility for awarding all economic development awards to Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), and end awards by state non-profits and SUNY;
  • empowering the State Comptroller to review and approve all state contracts over $250k;
  • prohibiting state authorities, state corporations and state non-profits from doing business with their board members;
  • creating a ‘Database of Deals’ that allows the public to see the total value of all forms of subsidies awarded to a business – as six other states have done; and
  • limiting campaign contributions from anyone who has or is seeking a state contract.

 

Governor Announces Funding for Clean Energy Incubators

Last Wednesday, Gov. Cuomo announced that the state is making $10 million in funding to organizations in the state that are interested in providing incubator services to early-stage clean energy companies, particularly in the Southern Tier.  The funding will come through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and up to $2 million will be available for each incubator.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“New York is leading the way in investing in our state’s clean energy future by supporting small companies with big, innovative ideas that will reduce our carbon footprint and create jobs.  This program is one more step toward, a cleaner, greener, more prosperous New York for all.”

Political Update

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

On October 20, Columbia Law School and the Rockefeller Institute of Government are hosting an event titled “Constitutional Convention Referendum 2017 and Home Rule within the Empire State” in New York City.

On October 21, City & State Reports and New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service present a day-long conference on government ethics in New York City.

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) meets on October 26.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 8.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) holds its next meeting on November 17.