Plugged In @ Hinman Straub

Coverage of Albany and New York State government – April 15, 2016

What’s Inside 

  • High Profile Legislative Issues for the Remainder of the 2016 Legislative Session
  • Governor, Legislative Leaders Announce Temporary Commission to Review State’s Business Climate
  • Governor Signs Budget Bills, Announces Vetoes of Legislative Additions
  • Governor Signs Law Legalizing Mixed Martial Arts
  • Governor Announces Alcoholic Beverage Control Law Working Group Recommendations
  • Governor Announces RFQ for Javitz Center Expansion
  • Attorney General Announces Settlement With Goldman Sachs
  • Political Update
  • Coming Up

 

High Profile Legislative Issues for the Remainder of the 2016 Legislative Session

The Senate and Assembly held brief sessions this week, and are not scheduled to return to Albany until Tuesday, May 3rd.

Among the issues that are expected to be considered in the seven weeks remaining in the 2016 legislation session are:

  • the possible extension of Mayoral control of New York City’s schools, which is set to expire on June 30;
  • state legislation relating to transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft, which are not currently permitted to operate outside of New York City;
  • ethics reform, which good government groups continue to push, citing the corruption convictions of former Assembly speaker Silver and former Senate Majority Leader Skelos;
  • criminal justice reforms, including raising the age of criminal responsibility;
  • addressing heroin and opioid abuse;
  • affordable housing incentives for New York City;
  • the DREAM Act, which would provide tuition assistance to the undocumented; and
  • an education tax credit for those who donate to private schools.

 

Governor, Legislative Leaders Announce Temporary Commission to Review State’s Business Climate

On Thursday, Gov. Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Heastie announced the formation of a temporary Business Regulation Council that will conduct “a comprehensive review of New York State’s business climate.” The Council will make recommendations on additional ways to decrease the cost of doing business in the state while not compromising protections in place for working men and women.

The Governor’s appointments to the Council are Mario Cilento, President of the New York State AFL-CIO; Ted Potrikus, President and CEO of the Retail Council of New York State; and Kathryn Wylde – President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City. Senate Majority Leader Flanagan’s appointees are Heather Briccetti, President and CEO of the Business Council of New York State; and Dean Norton, President of the New York Farm Bureau. Assembly Speaker Heastie’s appointees are Gary LaBarbera, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York; and Robert Grey, Chair, New York Workers’ Compensation Alliance.

Among the issues the Council will consider are unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, temporary disability insurance, energy, taxes and other business related costs. It will conduct a series of forums and meetings, and will make recommendations to the Governor, the Senate Majority Leader and the Assembly Speaker by June 3rd so that they can be considered during the 2016 legislative session.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“This action builds upon the progress our administration has made to lower taxes and improve this state’s economic climate, while also ensuring workers are being treated fairly. I look forward to receiving the Council’s recommendations and I thank the members for working with us to find ways to further lower the costs of doing business and build a stronger and more prosperous New York for all.”

 

Governor Signs Budget Bills, Announces Vetoes of Legislative Additions

On Wednesday, Gov. Cuomo signed the state’s 2016-17 budget bills into law, and announced that he has issued 210 “line item” vetoes, most of them reappropriations.

The vetoes include reappropriations for items that have been fully paid out; appropriations that pertain to functions receiving adequate funding within State agency operations, reappropriations that have previously been vetoed; and vetoed on constitutional grounds such as that the purpose of the reappropriation was changed.

The list of the Governor’s vetoes is here.

 

Governor Signs Law Legalizing Mixed Martial Arts

On Thursday, Gov. Cuomo announced that he has signed legislation that authorizes professional mixed martial arts (MMA) in the state, reverses a ban that was put in place in 1997. New York is the last state in the nation to permit MMA.

At a signing ceremony, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced that it will an MMA event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Nov. 12, and another live event in Upstate New York some time before the end of the year. UFC has also said that it plans to hold at least four events annually in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“It’s time to bring mixed martial arts competitions to the New York stage. With venues like Madison Square Garden, New York truly is the international icon for great sporting events, and we’re excited to begin a new chapter of MMA in the Empire State. This legislation will make the sport a better sport for all involved, and bring new economic activity into arenas across the state, and I’m proud to sign it into law.”

 

Governor Announces Alcoholic Beverage Control Law Working Group Recommendations

On Wednesday, Gov. Cuomo announced the final report and recommendations of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law Working Group to update New York’s alcohol laws.

The Working Group’s recommendations include:

  • Reorganizing the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law to make it more coherent and customer-focused;
  • Consolidating the state’s nine licenses into three — one for beer; a second for wine and beer; and a third for establishments that serve beer, wine and liquor;
  • Modernizing the state’s “Blue Laws” to authorize more Sunday alcohol sales; and
  • Supporting craft manufacturers.

The Working Group’s complete report can be found here.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“Working collaboratively with all stakeholders, this administration has taken important steps to cut red tape, roll back burdensome recommendations and help this industry continue to grow, thrive and create jobs in New York. I thank the members of this group for their work and their recommendations on how to continue this progress and look forward to reviewing its findings.”

 

Governor Announces RFQ for Javitz Center Expansion

On Tuesday, Gov. Cuomo announced that the New York Convention Center Development Corporation, the state subsidiary that owns the Javits Center, has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from Design-Build teams interested in completing the project. The Corporation will evaluate the respondents and select up to three qualified developers, which will then receive Requests for Proposals (RFPs) in June of this year to design and build the facility’s additions.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“Javits is the busiest convention center in the nation – but we need to keep building and growing if we want to remain competitive, and that is exactly what we are doing. This is part of the most ambitious and far-reaching agenda we have ever done. We’ve set the bar very high – not just rebuilding what is, but building for what can and should be – and the massive expansion of the Javits Center is proof that we are building for the future.”

The RFQ can be viewed here. Responses are due May 10, with the selection of up to three finalists expected in late May, the RFP issued in June to the finalists, and a developer selected by the end of 2016.

 

Attorney General Announces Settlement With Goldman Sachs

On Monday, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group, a joint state and federal working group formed to investigate wrongdoing in the mortgage-backed securities market prior to the financial crisis that Schneiderman co-chairs, has entered into a $5 billion settlement with Goldman Sachs over the bank’s deceptive practices leading up to the financial crisis.

The settlement includes $670 million for New York – $480 million worth of creditable consumer relief and $190 million in cash. The settlement requires Goldman Sachs to provide resources to facilitate “a significant expansion of the New York State Mortgage Assistance Program enabling distressed homeowners to restructure their debt, as well as first-lien principal forgiveness, and funds to spur the construction of more affordable housing.” Other resources will be provided to local governments to update their code enforcement systems, and invest in land banks and land trusts.

Attorney General Schneiderman said:

“These dollars will immediately go to work funding proven programs and services to help New Yorkers keep their homes and rebuild their communities. We’ve witnessed the incredible impact these programs and services can have in helping communities recover from the financial crisis. This settlement, like those before it, ensures that these critical programs—such as mortgage assistance, principal forgiveness, and code enforcement—will continue to get funded well into the future, and will be paid for by the institutions responsible for the financial crisis.”

 

Political Update

Two Polls Show Trump, Clinton With Significant Leads in New York Primary

Two polls released this week show Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton holding substantial leads in New York’s presidential primary race.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll released on Monday has Trump holding a 33-point lead over his closest rival, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, 54% to 21%. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz is in third with 18%. Clinton holds a 55%-41% lead over U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders among likely Democratic primary voters.

A Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday shows Trump with 55% support, and Kasich with 20% and Cruz with 19%. It also shows Clinton ahead of Sanders, 53%-40%.

Preview of April 19th Special Elections

There are four special elections being held on April 19 to fill vacancies in state legislative seats.

In Nassau County’s 9th Senate District race, Democrat Todd Kaminsky and Republican Christopher McGrath face off in a race that could have implications for the future political control of the State Senate.

In Brooklyn’s 59th Assembly District, Democrat Jaime Williams faces Jeffrey Ferretti. Williams is a strong favorite, as the district has almost seven times as many Democrats as Republicans.

In Staten Island’s 62nd Assembly District, Republican Ron Castorina is running unopposed.

In Manhattan’s 65th Assembly District, the race appears to be between Alice Cancel, a Democratic district leader who works in city Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office, and Yuh-Line Niou, a member of the Working Families Party (WFP) who serves as Chief of Staff for Assemblymember Ron Kim. Also in the race are Republican Lester Chang and Dennis Levy, a member of the Green Party.

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

The Senate and Assembly are not scheduled to return to Albany until Tuesday, May 3rd.

The Board of Regents holds its next meeting on April 18 and 19.

New York’s Presidential Primary is next Tuesday, April 19, as are the special elections for the 9th Senate District (to replace Dean Skelos), the 59th Assembly District (to replace Roxanne Persaud), the 62nd AD (to replace Joe Borelli) and the 65th AD (to replace Sheldon Silver).

The Public Service Commission (PSC) holds its next meeting on April 20.

The Gaming Commission holds its next meeting on April 25.

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) holds its next meeting on Tuesday, April 26.