Plugged In @ Hinman Straub – June 7, 2018
Coverage of Albany and New York State government
- Governor Announces $250 Million Initiative to Expand Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
- State Conducting Election Cybersecurity Exercises
- Gridlock in State Senate as Legislative Session Nears End
- Comptroller Pushes Social Media Firms to Protect Users
- Denny Farrell Dies at Age 86
- Political Update
- Coming Up
Governor Announces $250 Million Initiative to Expand Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
Last Thursday, Gov. Cuomo announced the launch of EVolve NY, a new $250 million electric vehicle expansion initiative to be funded by the New York Power Authority (NYPA). In addition to providing state funding to expand fast charging infrastructure, the program will also seek to create private sector partnerships to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in New York. NYPA will be launching several new innovative initiatives to co-invest with private sector partners, collaborate with partners to identify new business and ownership models, and increase awareness of electric vehicles and charging.
Gov. Cuomo said:
“New York has an incredible opportunity to move the needle on greenhouse gas reduction and get more electronic vehicles on the road by building more charging stations to ensure New Yorkers can drive them from one end of the state to the other. With the NYPA EVolve NY initiative, we are making a significant move to make driving an electric car a viable choice and an affordable option that can make significant strides in cleaning the air for all New Yorkers.”
State Conducting Election Cybersecurity Exercises
Last Wednesday, Gov. Cuomo announced that the State Board of Elections, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will hold a series of tabletop exercises throughout the state focused on protecting the integrity of New York’s electoral systems against cyber-attacks. The first exercise was held on Thursday in Albany.
Other state agencies participating include the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), the State Police and the State Intelligence Center. The exercises “will identify areas for improvement in cyber incident planning, preparedness, and response through simulation of realistic scenarios attempting to undermine voter confidence, interfere with voting operations, and affect the integrity of elections.”
Gov. Cuomo said:
“We have witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences a compromised election has had on our nation and New York will not stand idle and allow our democracy to be infiltrated once again. The people of New York deserve an open, transparent election process they can trust, and these exercises are an integral part of restoring voter confidence and the integrity of our election infrastructure.”
Additional exercises will be held:
June 6: Monroe County – Board of Elections
June 7: Onondaga County – Syracuse University, Dineen Hall
June 11: Nassau County – Morrelly Homeland Security Center
June 12: Orange County – County Department of Emergency Services
June 18: Broome County – Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena
Gridlock in State Senate as Legislative Session Nears End
The State Senate did not approve any legislation last week after a member of the Senate’s Republican Majority returned to active military duty. The Republicans, joined by Brooklyn Democrat Simcha Felder, hold a narrow 32-31 majority in the Senate.
Senator Tom Croci (R- Suffolk County) has announced that he will not seek re-election this fall, and has apparently already left for active duty. So while the GOP still has 32 seats, Croci’s absence means that they only have 31 votes, one short of the 32 required to pass legislation. With the Democrats holding 31 Senate seats, the Senate is effectively tied in Croci’s absence.
This has empowered the Senate Democrats, who hope to win an outright majority in the November elections. On Wednesday, the Democrats attempted to force a vote on the Reproductive Health Act, which would enhance abortion rights, by amending an unrelated bill. Their hope was that Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul, who can only vote in limited circumstances, would approve the motion to amend the bill. But before the vote could happen, the Republicans adjourned the session for the day.
After approving bill on Monday, the party gridlock returned yesterday with the divided chamber devolving into a stalemate with accusations of political gamesmanship levied on both sides.
So as of this writing, it is not clear that much work will get done in the Senate before the schedule end of session.
Comptroller Pushes Social Media Firms to Protect Users
Last week, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli called on Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet (Google’s parent company) to publicly report what they are doing to enforce the terms of service by which all of their platform users must abide. His goal is to use the power of the state pension fund’s investments to pressure the companies to bolster privacy and harassment protections for users as well as crack down on fraudulent news stories
Comptroller DiNapoli said:
“Billions of social media users are at risk of being exposed to fake news, hate speech and sexual harassment if these companies cannot enforce their own user agreements. Unless safeguards are in place, the companies are at risk of financial losses, lawsuits and reputational damage.”
Molinaro Calls for Reforms in State Government Contracting, Campaign Fundraising
Last Wednesday, Republican candidate for governor Marc Molinaro said that if he is elected, he will move to ban campaign contributions from businesses and individuals that do business with the state or seek to do business with the state.
“If we are to begin restoring that trust — and we must — political donations from state vendors and contract holders must be permanently outlawed,” Molinaro said in a Buffalo news conference, taking a not-so-veiled swipe at Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.
A Molinaro spokeswoman, Katherine Delgado, said the ban would apply to all statewide and legislative candidates.
Molinaro would also end the so-called “LLC loophole,” in which corporations create limited liability companies to skirt the $5,000 corporate limit for campaign contributions.
State law already prohibits conflicts of interest by those doing work with the state, although companies and individuals doing business with the state may still contribute to campaigns. Cuomo has also proposed several times to end the LLC loophole.
Molinaro said:
“Andrew Cuomo’s Albany is a cesspool of corruption, and the people of this state no longer trust their government as a result. If we are to begin restoring that trust – and we must – political donations from state vendors and contract holders must be permanently outlawed. This governor promised ethics reforms when he ran and then made a mockery of his promise, becoming the worst pay-to-play offender in state history.”
Political Update
Hudson Valley Congressman Expected to Announce Run for Attorney General
Representative Sean Maloney (D – Cold Spring) said last week that he is forming an exploratory committee to look into running for New York State Attorney General, and expects to make a final decision as soon as today.
Maloney is up for re-election to Congress in the fall, and cannot run for re-election if he decides to run for Attorney General.
He was first elected to Congress in 2012. He served in the Clinton White House, and as First Deputy Secretary to Governors Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson.
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 Legislature is in session through Thursday this week.
The state Board of Regents holds its next meeting on June 11 and 12.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) holds its next meeting on June 14.
The 2018 state legislative session is scheduled to end on June 20.
The state Board of Elections holds its next meeting on June 25.
The state’s congressional primary elections will be held on June 26.
The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) holds its next meeting on June 26.