Plugged In @ Hinman Straub – August 26, 2016
Coverage of Albany and New York State government – August 26, 2016
- State Education Department Appoints Chief Privacy Officer
- Governor Announces Designation of New Brownfield Opportunity Areas
- Governor Signs Ethics/Campaign Finance Reform Bill, Over Objections of Good Government Groups
- Gaming Commission Issues Temporary Permits for DFS Operations
- State Health Department Reports on State’s Medical Marijuana Program
- Comptroller: State ITS ‘Transformation’ Has Significant Deficiencies
- Environmental Group Release Annual Legislative Scorecard
- Political Update
- Coming Up
State Education Department Appoints Chief Privacy Officer
On Wednesday, the State Education Department (SED) announced the appointment of Temitope Akinyemi as Chief Privacy Officer. Ms. Akinyemi will develop, implement and oversee the Department’s policies and procedures to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of student, teacher and principal data. She previously served as the privacy officer and as an attorney at the state Office of Information Technology Services. In that role, she was responsible for ensuring compliance with state privacy laws and regulations and investigated public inquiries and complaints. She will begin in her new position on September 22.
Board of Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa said:
“The Chief Privacy Officer is an extremely important position that helps keep child, parent and educator information secure. It is of the utmost importance that parents know that their child’s information is safe. With Ms. Akinyemi’s appointment, the Department will be able to work with parents and teachers to further its efforts to identify and implement best practices for data security.”
In 2014, the state enacted a law requiring SED to appoint a full-time chief privacy officer. She will earn $112,200 annually and will report to SED’s Acting General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner Alison Bianchi.
Governor Announces Designation of New Brownfield Opportunity Areas
On Monday, Gov. Cuomo announced that the Department of State has designated 12 new Brownfield Opportunity Areas around the state. This designations is intended to enable communities to revitalize neighborhoods affected by dormant and blighted properties by giving projects in these areas priority status for grants and tax credit incentives to project developers.
Gov. Cuomo said:
“The designation of Brownfield Opportunity Areas facilitates the restoration and development of devastated communities across the state. Each of these sites possesses tremendous potential for economic development and job creation, and these designations will equip local partners with the resources they need to implement their vision for community revitalization.”
Governor Signs Ethics/Campaign Finance Reform Bill, Over Objections of Good Government Groups
On Wednesday, Gov. Cuomo announced into law an ethics and campaign finance reform bill that was approved in the waning hours of the 2016 legislative session. Good government groups urged the Governor to veto the bill, saying that the bill contains numerous substantive and technical flaws.
The new law (Chapter 286 of 2016) defies and prohibits “coordination” by independent expenditure groups; requires political consultants who also lobby to register with the state; expands the state’s “source of funding” reporting requirement; and imposes new reporting requirements on 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) groups, among other things.
Read more about this issue in our Lobbying, Ethics and Elections Compliance blog.
Gaming Commission Issues Temporary Permits for DFS Operations
On Monday, the state Gaming Commission announced that it has issued temporary permits to five interactive fantasy sports operators, which allows them to resume operations in New York.
The ‘daily fantasy sports’ (DFS) industry stopped operating in New York last November after Attorney General Eric Schneiderman raised concerns that the game constituted illegal gambling under state law and the companies were misleading consumers.
In June, lawmakers approved a law that defines daily fantasy sports as a “game of skill,” enacted consumer protections, and also imposed an annual operating fee and a 15 percent tax on revenue.
State Health Department Reports on State’s Medical Marijuana Program
On Monday, the state Department of Health (DOH) issued a two-year report on the Compassionate Care Act, the state’s medical marijuana program. It shows that and 656 doctors statewide have registered to prescribe medical marijuana and 6,415 patients have been certified to be treated with the drug.
The report also makes a number of recommendations to expand and improve the program, including reviewing whether the drug should be used for chronic severe pain; registering five additional companies over the next two years; allowing nurse practitioners to certify patients; allowing schools to administer the drug under limited circumstances; evaluating home delivery for patients; and expanding companies’ ability to advertise their products.
Comptroller: State ITS ‘Transformation’ Has Significant Deficiencies
On Wednesday, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli released an audit that is critical of the effectiveness of the state’s “Information Technology Transformation.”
The Office of Information Technology Services (OITS) was established in late 2012 to consolidate and merge state agencies’ operations and streamline services at the recommendation of the Governor’s Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission.
The audit found “significant deficiencies in planning the execution of the state’s technology transformation, with little or no evidence that many basic planning steps were performed.” The audit notes that the state’s Office of Information Technology Services (OITS) has initially indicated that the timeline of the transformation was “three to five years,” but more recently indicated that it was “up to a decade.”
In response to the Comptroller’s criticism, state Chief Information Officer Maggie Miller defended the agency, noting the complexity of the technology transformation effort. She said “The scope and scale of such a transformation is unprecedented in the public sector and as such, there is no external comparator.”
Environmental Group Releases Annual Legislative Scorecard
On Thursday, Environmental Advocates released its annual environmental scorecard, which grades state legislators on their environmental voting records.
Peter Iwanowicz, executive director of EPL/Environmental Advocates said:
“New York is seen as a national environmental leader, and in many ways we are – however, that is often despite polluters and their allies in the Legislature trying to roll back hard fought victories. This year, however, the state Assembly passed the most aggressive and innovative climate action legislation in the country – and we now have the support of a bipartisan majority of all state senators listed as cosponsors. 2017 is going to be the year for climate action, and we urge New Yorkers to review the Scorecard before entering the voting booth this November to determine whether their elected officials are looking out for them and are up to the task.”
The organization also honored Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-East Setauket) as its Legislator of the Year, citing his sponsorship of the Child Safe Products Act, legislation that would require hazardous wastes produced from oil and natural gas activities to be treated as hazardous waste, and legislation to create a state Ocean Acidification Task Force.
Political Update
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 Gaming Commission holds its next meeting on August 30.
The Board of Regents holds its next meeting on September 12 and 13.
Primary elections for state legislative offices will be held on Tuesday, September 13.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) holds its next meeting on September 15.
The state Board of Elections holds its next meeting on September 15.
The state Commission on Legislative, Judicial, & Executive Compensation holds its next meeting on September 22.
The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) holds its next meeting on September 27.