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Coverage of Albany and New York State government – December 4, 2015

What’s Inside

Governor Nominates DiFiore as Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals
Governor Announces Increased Security Presence at Planned Parenthood Locations
Commission Hears Support for Increasing Judicial Salaries
State Proposes Strict Anti-Money Laundering Regulations
Former Assembly Speaker Convicted
Governor Directs PSC to Begin Process of Implementing State Clean Energy Standard
Governor Announces Next Phase of the State’s Plan to End the AIDS Epidemic
Political Update
Coming Up

Governor Nominates DiFiore as Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals

On Tuesday, Gov. Cuomo announced the nomination of Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore to serve as the next Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals – the state’s highest court – as well as the head of the state’s judiciary.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“Janet DiFiore is tremendously qualified to serve as Chief Judge of the State Court of Appeals. She has served as both judge and prosecutor, and has spent her career working to ensure justice and fairness for New Yorkers. She has led crucial reform efforts to make our judicial system both more effective and more efficient, and I am confident that she would continue this leadership on the Court of Appeals.”

Ms. DiFiore has served as Westchester County D.A. since 2006; she previously served as a Westchester County Court judge and a State Supreme Court judge. She has also served as president of the New York State District Attorneys Association, on the New York State Commission on Youth, Safety and Justice, and as Chair of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE).

The Senate is not expected to return to Albany before the end of the year to consider the nomination.

Governor Announces Increased Security Presence at Planned Parenthood Locations

In the wake of last week’s shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Saturday Gov. Cuomo announced that the state is launching new security measures at Planned Parenthood locations in the state. The State Police began increase patrols at Planned Parenthood locations across the state on Friday and on Monday will visit the more than 60 Planned Parenthood clinics and locations throughout the state to assist with security and emergency planning measures.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“The State Police will be patrolling clinics across New York on Monday, and our administration is working closely with dedicated Planned Parenthood staff and our local partners to ensure the safety of these health centers throughout the state.”

Commission on Hears Support for Increasing Judicial Salaries

The New York State Commission on Legislative, Judicial, & Executive Compensation, an independent body tasked with examining, evaluating and making recommendations with respect to compensation for New York State’s judges before the end of 2015, held its first public hearing meeting on Monday. Most of those who testified before the Commission expressed support for a pay increase for members of the state’s judiciary.

Representatives from the state’s Office of Court Administration (OCA) and various legal associations were in agreement that judges should make more than the $174,000 per year that Justices of the State Supreme Court have earned since 2011. Most urged an annual salary of $203,100 per year, which is what federal district court judges will earn in 2016. OCA also urged the Commission to recommend that all state judges also receive an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) on April 1 of 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The Commission must submit its report on judicial compensation recommendations to state lawmakers by Dec. 31. It will hold two more public meetings, on Dec. 7 and 16.

The written submissions that have been provided to the Commission can be viewed here.

State Proposes Stringent Anti-Money Laundering Regulations

On Tuesday, Gov. Cuomo announced that that the state’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) will propose new anti-money laundering regulations that are intended to prevent money from flowing through Wall Street banks and into the hands of terrorist and criminals.

The proposed rules would clarify and expand the responsibility of New York State-chartered banks to prevent money laundering, including requiring a chief compliance officer to certify that a bank maintains systems to “detect, weed out and prevent illicit” money transfers, and would also require banks to maintain stringent electronic filters to weed out and flag suspicious transactions that violate U.S. economic sanctions and other rules.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“Money is the fuel that feeds the fire of international terrorism. Global terrorist networks simply cannot thrive without moving significant amounts of money throughout the world. At a time of heightened global security concerns, it is especially vital that banks and regulators do everything they can to stop that flow of illicit funds.”

DFS’s proposed regulations will be open for public comment for 45 days.

Former Assembly Speaker Convicted

On Monday, a federal jury in Manhattan convicted long time former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on seven counts of extortion, honest-services fraud and money laundering. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the seven counts when he is sentenced.

The corruption charges were first made in January; they arose out of what prosecutors said where two separate corruption schemes. In one, he was accused of directing $500,000 in state research grants for mesothelioma research to a doctor at Columbia University, who in return referred cases to a law firm that Silver was associated with. In the second, he was accused of tilting real estate legislation on rent-control and tax breaks toward two developers. In turn, the developers took their tax cases to a Manhattan lawyer who secretly shared fees with Silver.

The seat that he held since 1977, which includes Lower Manhattan and the Lower East Side, is now vacant as a result of his conviction. Unless Gov. Cuomo calls a special session sooner, it will be filled in November 2016.

Governor Directs PSC to Begin Process of Implementing State Clean Energy Standard

On Wednesday, Gov. Cuomo announced that he has directed the Department of Public Service to (DPS) “design and enact a new Clean Energy Standard mandating that 50 percent of all electricity consumed in New York by 2030 result from clean and renewable energy sources” by July 2016.

By putting in place a Clean Energy Standard, the state’s goal is for a “cost-effective, efficient, and enforceable mandate to meet the goal of ensuring clean, resilient, and affordable energy for all New Yorkers.” It is intended to result in lower cost for renewable energy, while also creating “new opportunities to scale large renewable energy projects.”

Gov. Cuomo said:

“…we are taking real, enforceable actions in New York to lay the foundation for a thriving clean energy economy. With one of the most aggressive renewable energy goals of any state in the nation, we are leading by example to ensure the possibility of a bright future for generations to come.”

Governor Announces Next Phase of the State’s Plan to End the AIDS Epidemic

On Monday, in recognition of World AIDS Day, Gov. Cuomo said that the state will commit $200 million in new funding toward ending HIV/AIDS. He also said that he plans to outline other components to the State’s plan to End AIDS in the Governor’s State of the State address and executive budget early next year.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“New York was once the epicenter of the AIDS crisis – but now we are showing the nation how to fight back and make this epidemic a thing of the past. We are making rapid progress toward a future where more people know their status, medication is easily accessible, and new cases are more and more rare. As we mark World AIDS Day, we remember all those we have lost, and we recommit ourselves to ending this epidemic once and for all.”

Political Update

Governor May Call Special Election in April 2016

Gov. Cuomo told a reporter this week that he may call a special election for the three vacant Assembly seats for April 19, which is the day of the state’s presidential primary election.

The three vacant Assembly seats are Assembly District 59 in Brooklyn, which became vacant when Democrat Roxanne Persaud was elected to the State Senate; AD 62 in Staten Island, which became vacant when Republican Joe Borelli was elected to the New York City Council; and AD 65, which became vacant when Democrat Sheldon Silver was convicted of corruption charges.

Queens State Senator May be Preparing to Run for Congress

According to a news report, State Senator James Sanders (D-Queens) filed has paperwork indicating that he plans to challenge incumbent Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-Queens).

Should he enter the race, the primary will be in June 2016. If he were to lose the primary, he could still run for re-election to his Senate seat.

Winners & Losers

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

Coming Up

On Monday, December 7, the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee and Climate Change Work Group will hold a round table “to examine the ecological and societal implications of New York’s changing climate.”

On Tuesday, December 8, the Assembly committees on Racing and Wagering and Consumer Affairs and Protection and the Legislative Commission on Administrative Regulations Review are holding a public hearing on “daily fantasy sports games in New York State and their impact on New York consumers and the State.”

Also on December 8, the Assembly committees on Codes, Judiciary and Governmental Operations are holding a public hearing in Manhattan on the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement officials.

On Thursday, December 10, The Regional Economic Development awards and the Upstate Revitalization Initiative awards will be announced on Thursday, December 10.

The state Board of Regents holds its next meeting on December 14 and 15.

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) holds its next meeting on December 15.

Also on December 15, the Assembly Higher Education Committee will hold a public hearing in Albany “to examine the changing demographics of students in higher education and explore potential ways in which colleges and universities could better serve New York State students.”

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

The 2016 Legislative session will commence on Wednesday, January 6, 2016.

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