Plugged In @ Hinman Straub – June 26, 2018

What’s Inside

  • 2018 Legislative Session Over, But Lawmakers Could Return to Albany
  • Governor Challenges Trump Administration on Border, Immigration Policies
  • Health Commissioner: DOH Report Will Recommend Legalizing Marijuana in New York
  • Senate Republicans to Investigate State Spending on Heroin and Opioid Abuse Treatment
  • Governor Announces New York Energy Storage Roadmap
  • Former Syracuse Mayor Launches Independent Run for Governor
  • Political Update
  • Coming Up

2018 Legislative Session Over, But Lawmakers Could Return to Albany

While both houses of the Legislature wrapped up their work for the year last week, they left without addressing some matters, including extending the speed camera program near schools in New York City and some local tax extenders.

On a conference call with reporters on Thursday, Gov. Cuomo said that he may call a special session that would address the extension of a speed camera program in New York City. But he did not indicate when such a session might left the time period for when it might occur wide open — potentially any time between now and when the program expires in September.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has said that he does not think the Assembly needs to return to Albany, because the Assembly approved an omnibus bill extending the local taxes that are scheduled to expire as well as a stand-alone speed camera extender.

Governor Challenges Trump Administration on Border, Immigration Policies

Last Monday, Gov. Cuomo announced that New York will not deploy National Guard units to the southern border amid the heightened controversy surrounding migrant families being separated upon entry.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“In the face of this ongoing human tragedy, let me be very clear: New York will not be party to this inhumane treatment of immigrant families.  We will not deploy National Guard to the border, and we will not be complicit in a political agenda that governs by fear and division.”

Then on Tuesday, Gov. Cuomo announced that the state will challenge the federal government’s zero-tolerance policy that has led to the separation of families and the detention of children at the United States-Mexico border. There are at least 70 children who are staying in federal shelters in New York State and that number is expected to increase.

The Governor said that he has directed the state’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), the Department of Health (DOH) and the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) to challenge the federal policies in order to protect the health and well-being of children held in New York.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“The Trump Administration’s policy to tear apart families is a moral failing and a human tragedy. We will not tolerate the constitutional rights of children and their parents being violated by our federal government. New York will act and file suit to end this callous and deliberate attack on immigrant communities, and end this heartless policy once and for all.”

Gov. Cuomo also wrote to the Secretary of Health and Human Services requesting information on immigrant children who are being housed in New York State.

Health Commissioner: DOH Report Will Recommend Legalizing Marijuana in New York

Last Monday, state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said that the Department of Health’s ongoing study on marijuana in New York is nearly finished and has concluded the state should move ahead with legalizing and regulating the drug for adult use.  It’s not clear whether Gov. Cuomo will support the report’s recommendations – he was slow to support even the medicinal use of marijuana, calling it a “gateway drug” in 2017.

A spokesperson for Marc Molinaro, the Republican candidate for governor, said the health department’s recommendation was more about Gov. Cuomo “sprinting to the left” in an election year than a serious consideration of the issue.

A spokesperson for Cynthia Nixon, who is challenging Cuomo for the Democratic nomination from the political left, said “it shouldn’t have taken Cuomo eight years” and a challenge from Ms. Nixon to support legal recreational marijuana. She also noted that Ms. Nixon has called for expunging marijuana-related offenses from people’s records.

Senate Republicans to Investigate State Spending on Heroin and Opioid Abuse Treatment

In the wake of newspaper report that questioned the state’s spending on heroin and opioid abuse treatment programs, the Senate Republicans vowed last week to investigate the state’s spending on drug prevention and treatment programs.

The report found that that despite the state’s insistence that has significantly increased spending to address heroin and opioid abuse, the state has actually redirected funding from other treatment programs.

Senator George Amedore (R-Rotterdam), co-chair of the Senate’s Heroin & Opioid Addiction Task Force said “We need transparency. We need investigations to make sure that we are investing wisely.”

Governor Announces New York Energy Storage Roadmap

On Thursday, Gov. Cuomo announced the release of the state’s comprehensive Energy Storage Roadmap “to guide New York toward its nation-leading energy storage target.”

The Roadmap, which was developed the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) “identifies short-term recommendations for how energy storage can deliver value to New York electricity consumers and cost-effectively address the needs and demands of the grid” and “provides a set of specific recommended actions to accelerate the deployment of energy storage projects in New York State and position the state as a leading national market for advanced energy storage projects.”

It suggests providing $350 million in “market acceleration incentives” to kick start the energy storage market, aligning market incentives with the Department of Environmental Conservation’s “clean peak” guidelines to potentially replace fossil fuel peakers with storage, and enable storage to participate in the wholesale and distribution level market.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“Clean energy is the future of our planet, and New York will continue to lead the nation in this technology to fight climate change and conserve resources for generations to come.  This Roadmap is the next step to not only grow our clean energy economy and create jobs, but to improve the resiliency of the grid to keep our power running in the face of extreme weather and other emergency situations.”

Former Syracuse Mayor Launches Independent Run for Governor

Stephanie Miner, the former mayor of Syracuse and a former top official in the New York Democratic Party, has launched an independent run for governor. Ms. Miner, whom the Governor once designated to serve as Co-Chair of the state Democratic Committee, later became a vocal critic of the Governor and his policies, particularly relating to support for local governments and economic development.

She said that she plans to run on a new, independently created ballot line, the Save America Party (SAM). According to its web site, SAM’s goal is “to build a new political party for a new American majority, from the ground up.”

Via Twitter, Ms. Miner said:

“The price of politics as usual and the cost of corruption is weighing us all down. That’s why I’m running for Governor—not as a Democrat, not as a Republican, but as a citizen of New York. Join me and let’s build a better NY together.”

It’s not clear what impact her candidacy will have. She could either take votes from the governor, or she could split the anti-Cuomo vote.

Political Update

High Profile Congressional Primaries

New York State holds its federal primaries today. The following races are expected to be the state’s most competitive:

11th Congressional District (Staten Island/Brooklyn)

Incumbent Republican primary, Rep. Dan Donovan is being challenged by former Rep. Michael Grimm.  Grimm left Congress in 2014 when he pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges; he spent seven months in prison.

Grimm, a former FBI agent and Marine, says that his conviction was a political witch hunt by then-President Obama’s Justice Department.

Both candidates are running on their support for President Trump’s agenda.

14th Congressional District (Queens/Bronx)

In the Democratic primary, incumbent Rep. Joseph Crowley is being challenged by first-time candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  Crowley, who was first elected to Congress in 1999 and chairs the House Democratic Caucus, has a huge fundraising lead over Ocasio-Cortez.

This race can be characterized as a contest between establishment and outsider.  Ocasio-Cortez represents the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, while Crowley has the support of the Queens Democratic Party (which he leads) as well as labor unions and the national Democratic Party.

19th Congressional District (Hudson Valley/Catskills)

Seven Democrats are competing to challenge first-term Republican Rep. John Faso in this seat, where voters supported Barack Obama in 2012 and Donald Trump in 2016.

The candidates are Gareth Rhodes, who worked for the Cuomo administration; Antonio Delgado, who practices law in New York City; Brian Flynn, an entrepreneur who became an activist after his brother was killed aboard Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988; Patrick Ryan, a Kingston native, Iraq War veteran and small-business owner; David Clegg, a trial lawyer and member of several social-justice organizations; and Jeff Beals, a high school teacher who was a CIA intelligence officer and a diplomat.

The 19th CD includes 141,000 registered Democrats, 138,000 Republicans and 115,000 independents.

21st Congressional District (North Country)

Five Democrats are competing to challenge Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, who was first elected in 2014.

The field includes business management consultant Tedra Cobb; Patrick Nelson; businesswoman Katie Wilson; former MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan; and economic development professional Emily Martz.

The 21st CD includes 12 counties in northern New York, from Lake Ontario in the west to Lake Champlain in the east.

24th Congressional District (Central New York)

Democrats see this seat, which Hillary Clinton won in 2016, as one they can flip in November. Two Democrats are competing to challenge incumbent Republican Rep. John Katko in a race that pits the national party against the grass roots.

Local Democrats had rallied around Dana Balter, a professor at Syracuse University. But in May, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) persuaded Juanita Perez Williams, a military veteran, to run for the seat.

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

With the 2018 legislative session complete, lawmakers are not scheduled to return to Albany until next January.

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) holds its next meeting on June 26.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) holds its next meeting on July 12.

The state Board of Regents holds its next meeting on July 16 and 17.

The state Board of Elections holds its next meeting on August 8.