Plugged In @ Hinman Straub

February 7, 2024

What’s Inside

Legislative Session Recap
States Sue to Block Climate Change Superfund Act
New Siena Poll Released
Governor Announces Three New Locations Selected for ON-RAMP Program
In the News
Coming Up

Legislative Session Recap

The Legislature convened Monday-Wednesday of this week continuing to work through budget hearing. They will reconvene on Monday for another three-day session.

This week the Senate highlighted a package of legislation they passed to further ensure access to affordable housing for all. The legislative package works to address the needs of both homeowners and renters.

Legislation in the package will seek to establish and implement the following:

New York State First Home Savings Program: 1157, sponsored by Senator Jeremy Cooney, would establish a program to allow first time homebuyers to establish tax-exempt/deductible savings accounts to buy their first home.
Establish a study on real property tax saturation: 265, sponsored by Senator Pete Harckham, would direct the state Board of Real Property Tax Services to conduct a study on real property tax saturation.
Transfer Tax Credits for Rehabilitation of Historic Properties: 2124, sponsored by Senator Brian Kavanagh, would amend the state tax law to authorize the pass-through or transfer of the credits for the rehabilitation of historic properties.
Ensure Availability of Services through The Homeownership Protection Program: 2627, sponsored by Senator Brian Kavanagh, will help support the continued availability of free housing counseling and legal services to homeowners through The State Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP).
Expand eligibility for the Low Interest Rate Program (LIRP): 3190, sponsored by Senator Brian Kavanagh, would expand eligibility for the Low Interest Rate Program (LIRP) of the State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA) to recent college or apprenticeship graduates and workforce training program graduates for the purchase of mortgages in economically depressed areas.
Implement an up to two-year look-back period for SCRIE and DRIE: 2534, sponsored by Senator James Sanders, would provide a lookback period of up to two years to the original date of eligibility for the senior citizen rent increase exemption (SCRIE) and the Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE).
Require written justifications for rent increases by home park owners: 228, sponsored by Senator James Skoufis, requires manufactured home park owners to provide a written justification for any rent increases in excess of three percent.

More information can be found here.

Joint Budget Hearings

Joint budget hearings continue to take place until February 27. This week, the Legislature held three budget hearings: Local Government/General Government, Mental Hygiene, and Transportation. The schedule moving forward is as follows:

Health/Medicaid: Tuesday, February 11 at 9:30 a.m.
Human Services: Wednesday, February 12 at 9:30 a.m.
Public Protection: Thursday, February 13 at 9:30 a.m.
Higher Education: Tuesday, February 25 at 9:30 a.m.
Labor/Workforce Development: Wednesday, February 26 at 9:30 a.m.
Economic Development/Arts: Wednesday, February 26 at 2:00 p.m.
Housing: Thursday, February 27 at 9:30 a.m.
Taxes: Thursday, February 27 at 2:00 p.m.

Please note, that requests to testify must be made by submitting a Hearing Request Form.

States Sue to Block Climate Change Superfund Act

According to reports, 22 states, led by West Virginia, are suing New York State to block its controversial Climate Change Superfund Act. The Climate Change Superfund Act, signed by Governor Hochul in December, would go into effect in 2028 and require some of the world’s largest producers of fossil fuels between 2000 and 2024 to pay a combined total of $3 billion annually for the next 25 years.

The funds would be used to help repair and upgrade some of the state’s infrastructure damaged by extreme weather. Some projects could include restoring coastal wetlands, improving stormwater drainage systems, and installing energy-efficient cooling systems in buildings.

On Thursday, John B. McCuskey, Attorney General of West Virginia, stated that the Climate Change Superfund Act legislation overreached by seeking to hold energy companies liable in New York no matter where they are based.

In a statement, Attorney General McCuskey said:

This lawsuit is to ensure that these misguided policies, being forced from one state onto the entire nation, will not lead America into the doldrums of an energy crisis, allowing China, India and Russia to overtake our energy independence.

New Siena Poll Released

The Siena College Research Institute issued a poll this week that, among other data points, analyzed Governor Kathy Hochul’s approval and re-election ratings, as well as what voters think about her 2025 State of the State proposals.

Governor Hochul has received a 39-47% favorability rating and a 44-48% job approval rating, both changed very little from the December 2024 Siena Poll. While 31% of voters say they would re-elect Hochul, 57% prefer “someone else.” By 52-22% margin voters say Hochul has not improved the fiscal condition of the state in the last year. However, according to Siena, all ten of Governor Hochul’s State of the State proposals that were polled received broad support, eight by large majorities.

President Trump received his best ever favorability rating in any New York specific Siena Poll with a 41-56%. According to these results, President Trump outpaces Governor Hochul with a percentage of New Yorkers that view him favorably, however, he also has a higher percentage of New Yorkers that view him unfavorably.

When it comes to specific proposals from the President, New Yorkers overwhelming support deporting undocumented persons who have been convicted of a crime. A fairly sizable plurality of New Yorkers also support federal policies that recognize only two genders. Republicans and a plurality of independent voters agree with deporting undocumented persons with no criminal record and taking back control of the Panama Canal, with a plurality of Democrats opposing such. A large majority of Democrats, joined by a slight plurality of independents, oppose imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Renaming the Gulf of Mexico receives strong opposition from both Democrats and independents alike.

More information on the most recent Siena Poll can be found here.

Governor Announces Three New Locations Selected for ON-RAMP Program

The Governor announced that the Capital Region, Finger Lakes and Mohawk Valley have been selected to advance to the planning stage of the $200 million One Network for Regional Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships (ON-RAMP) program. The regions join Central New York with their selection for the program and will create a network of workforce development centers to connect New Yorkers with careers in advanced manufacturing industries.

First proposed in Governor Hochul’s 2024 State of the State, ON-RAMP, which is managed by Empire State Development, was included in the FY 2024-25 Enacted Budget with the goal of establishing four new advanced manufacturing workforce development centers. The three new regions announced will receive up to $300,000 in planning grants to develop detailed road maps to establish the new ON-RAMP centers. Upon completion of a business plan, each center will receive up to $40 million in implementation funding.

Governor Hochul said:

Too many communities in Upstate New York have been left out and left behind for generations – and I’m fighting to bring them back. These new ON-RAMP centers will be critical parts of the new I-90 advanced manufacturing corridor, giving New Yorkers the skills and training necessary for a good-paying job. New Yorkers are already seeing the benefits of our economic development strategy: good-paying jobs, revitalized communities and more money in their pockets.