Plugged In @ Hinman Straub

May 30, 2025

What’s Inside

Legislative Session Recap
Governor and Attorney General Celebrate the Blocking of the Trump Administration’s Tariffs
Governor Announces Confirmation of Three Cabinet Members
Governor Celebrates General Motors’ Plans to Invest $888 Million in Propulsion Plant
New York Wins Congestion Pricing Victory
In the News
Coming Up

Legislative Session Recap

The Legislature convened Tuesday-Thursday this week for a regular scheduled session. Both chambers are now adjourned until Wednesday, June 4, for a scheduled three-day session week.

This week, the Senate highlighted a package of legislation it passed, marking the Veterans Hall of Fame Ceremony and supporting New York veterans and service members.

The legislation passed includes:

Real property tax exemption for active-duty military personnel: This bill, S02068-A, sponsored by Senator Scarcella-Spanton, allows local municipalities to adopt a real property tax exemption for active-duty service members and military personnel who served in a combat zone.

Establishes an official state flag for honoring fallen veterans: This bill, S.02364, sponsored by Senator Scarcella-Spanton, designates the “Honor and Remember” Flag as the official state flag for recognizing armed service members who have died as a result of serving the United States in any war or conflict.

Real property tax exemption for eligible disabled veterans: This bill, S.1183, sponsored by Senator Addabbo, allows local municipalities to adopt a full real property tax exemption on primary residences of veterans with a 100 percent service-connected disability.

Veteran Family Educational Attainment Act: This bill, S.4358, sponsored by Senator Jamaal Bailey, allows a qualified veteran to transfer their unused tuition awards and benefits to their spouse or children.

Veteran Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day: This bill, S.4152-A, sponsored by Senator James Sanders Jr., establishes September twenty-second of each year as Veteran Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day in the State of New York.

More information on the Senate’s legislation can be found here.

Governor and Attorney General Celebrate the Blocking of the Trump Administration’s Tariffs

This week, the United States Court of International Trade ruled that the Trump administration’s tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) are invalid and cannot be implemented. The court ruled in favor of Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 11 other attorneys general who sued the Trump administration in April for violating the law by imposing worldwide tariffs under IEEPA.

Following the ruling, Attorney General James issued the following statement:

The law is clear: no president has the power to single-handedly raise taxes whenever they like. These tariffs are a massive tax hike on working families and American businesses that would have led to more inflation, economic damage to businesses of all sizes, and job losses across the country if allowed to continue. This decision is a major victory for our efforts to uphold the law and protect New Yorkers from illegal policies that threaten American jobs and economy.

Governor Kathy Hochul also spoke on the ruling in this statement:

Today’s decision is a resounding victory for New Yorkers, American consumers and the rule of law. These reckless and unauthorized tariffs have burdened businesses with skyrocketing costs that have been passed along to consumers and wreaked havoc on our 401Ks – all without the legal authority to do so.

This ruling affirms what I have said from the beginning: the Executive Branch does not have the power to unilaterally impose these sweeping economic measures that harm the very people we are sworn to serve. We stood up to protect the economic interests of our state, and today, justice prevailed.

I thank the court for upholding the constitution and restoring a critical check on executive overreach. New York will always lead the fight to defend working families, uphold the law, and ensure government remains accountable to the people.

Governor Announces Confirmation of Three Cabinet Members

This week, Governor Hochul announced the confirmation of three members of her cabinet.

The following Commissioners were confirmed by the New York State Senate:

Willow Baer, Office for People with Developmental Disabilities
Amanda Lefton, Department of Environmental Conservation
Denise Miranda, Division of Human Rights

Governor Hochul said:

New Yorkers deserve smart, experienced professionals at every level of government, and these leaders have distinguished themselves as public servants. Our Administration is laser focused on making New York safer and more affordable, and these three commissioners will play pivotal roles in our work to improve the lives of all New Yorkers.

More information can be found here.

Governor Celebrates General Motors’ Plans to Invest $888 Million in Propulsion Plant

This week, Governor Hochul announced that General Motors, will invest $888 million in new machinery and equipment at its Tonawanda plant to produce a next-generation small-block V-8 engine for use in GM’s line of full-size trucks and SUVs. The project will support 870 jobs at Tonawanda Propulsion, including 177 jobs that were deemed at risk.

Empire State Development will provide up to $16.96 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits in return for investment commitments to move the project forward. The project at the 2995 River Road plant includes the purchase and installation of new, state-of-the-art machinery and equipment, and facility renovations. The project is expected to start in July and be complete in 2027.

Over the past 15 years, GM has invested more than $1.5 billion into its manufacturing operations across the state, including $300 million in the last five years alone. The Tonawanda facility currently employs 870 individuals, with hourly workers represented by UAW 774.

Governor Hochul said:

General Motors has been a major manufacturer and one of the largest employers in Western New York for years. This impressive project demonstrates how public/private partnerships can help companies like General Motors expand their operations while supporting jobs in Upstate New York. Today’s $888 million investment is great news for the hundreds of workers at the plant and builds on New York’s manufacturing legacy by providing world-class products to the global market. I look forward to seeing New York’s partnership with GM bring the next generation of automotive technology to its Tonawanda plant and I thank them for their tremendous support and belief in Western New York.

More information can be found here.

New York Wins Congestion Pricing Victory

This week, New York State scored two legal victories in its ongoing dispute with U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over New York City’s Congestion Pricing Program.

First, a federal judge granted the MTA a temporary restraining order. This move prevents the federal government from taking any punitive actions against the transit agency until at least June 9, allowing the Congestion Pricing Program to continue operating in the meantime. Secretary Duffy had previously threatened to withhold federal funding for nonessential transit projects if the MTA did not shut down the tolling program, which launched in January.

Then, on Wednesday, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the Transportation Secretary. The ruling found that the MTA—the plaintiff—had demonstrated a strong likelihood of winning its case on the merits. As a result, the U.S. Department of Transportation is now barred from enforcing the “compliance measures” outlined in Duffy’s April 21, 2025, letter to Governor Kathy Hochul, which included threats to withhold approvals and funding for local transportation projects.

Following both rulings, the Governor issued a statement:

We’ve won — again.

Judge Liman’s temporary restraining order is a massive victory for New York commuters, vindicating our right as a State to make decisions regarding what’s best for our streets. New Yorkers deserve to control our own traffic patterns, keep gridlock off our streets and protect our clean air. We need to make the massive investments necessary to support our transit system and prevent it from falling into disarray and disrepair. Congestion pricing is the right solution to get us there.

So here’s the deal: Secretary Duffy can issue as many letters and social media posts as he wants, but a court has blocked the Trump Administration from retaliating against New York for reducing traffic and investing in transit.

Congestion pricing is legal, it’s working and we’re keeping the cameras on.