Plugged In @ Hinman Straub

February 28, 2025

What’s Inside

Governor Announces Agreement Between DOCCS and NYSCOPBA
Legislative Session Recap
Governor Announces Agency Commissioner Nominees
Governor Announces Plan to Expand Empire AI Consortium
Governor Announces 2026 Campaign Manager
Lieutenant Governor Delgado Makes Re-Election Announcement
In the News
Coming Up

Governor Announces Agreement Between DOCCS and NYSCOPBA

On Thursday, Martin Scheinmann, the Mediator between DOCCS and NYSCOPBA, issued a statement announcing a consent award between both parties.

The Governor issued the following statement regarding the agreement:

My top priority is the safety of all New Yorkers, and for the past 11 days, I have deployed every possible State resource to protect the well-being of correction officers, the incarcerated population and local communities across New York. Working with a mediator, we have reached a consent award to address many of the concerns raised by correction officers, put DOCCS back on the path to safe operations, respect the rights of incarcerated individuals and prevent future unsanctioned work stoppages. I have the utmost respect and gratitude for the correction officers, civilian DOCCS employees, National Guard personnel and other staff who have done their absolute best to maintain order in our correctional facilities during this challenging period.

Legislative Session Recap

The Legislature convened Monday-Wednesday this week and wrapped up budget hearings. They will reconvene on Monday for another three-day session.

This week, the Assembly issued its 2025 Economic and Revenue Report, which can be viewed here. The Senate highlighted a package of legislation they passed to lower costs and increase pricing transparency for New Yorkers.

Legislation in the package will seek to accomplish the following:

Disclosure of Pay-for-Delay Agreements: This bill, S.488, sponsored by Senator Fernandez, would require drug manufacturers to report all pay for delay agreements to the Attorney General’s Office (AG). The AG’s office would subsequently report to other state and outside entities and post the notice in a searchable database on its website. Brand-name drug manufacturers typically use pay for delay agreements to delay the entry of lower-cost generic drugs into the market.

Making it easier to cancel subscription services through mobile apps: This bill, S.4391, sponsored by Senator Gounardes, would require mobile applications on cell phones, smart phones, and tablets that offer a subscription service to provide an option to cancel the subscription on its application.

Requires comparison of prices charged by energy service companies: This bill, S.3876, sponsored by Senator Hoylman-Sigal, would require a side-by-side comparison on the first page of ESCO customers billing statements of the price the ESCO charged during the prior billing period, compared to the price the customer would have paid if they received service from their local utility corporation or municipality.

Prescription Drug Supply Chain Transparency Act: This bill, S.438, sponsored by Senator Myrie, requires pharmacy services administrative organizations, switch companies, and rebate aggregators to register with the Department of Financial Services. These companies will have to provide certain disclosures like ownership, structure, and audited financials to the Department. The Department will post the information in a searchable database on its website.

The New York Healthy Incentive Program (NYHIP): This bill, S.1281, sponsored by Senator Persaud would establish NYHIP to allow recipients to receive earned SNAP dollars for every dollar they spend on locally grown produce and other locally grown healthy foods. The program would incentivize fresh and healthy food purchases using SNAP benefits and increase local investments in farms and farm-to-consumer entities.

Ensuring pricing transparency for online grocery delivery and pick-up services: This bill, S.4433, sponsored by Senator Skoufis, would require grocery stores, food retailers and third party platforms to clearly state and disclose on their website and or app if there is a difference in the price of a product ordered online compared to the price of the same product if it is bought in-store.

More information can be found here.

Governor Announces Agency Commissioner Nominees

This week, Governor Hochul announced the nomination of three New York State agency commissioners.

The Governor nominates Denise Miranda as Commissioner of the State Division of Human Rights, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Amanda Lefton as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, and Willow Baer as Commissioner of the State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.

Governor Hochul said:

As we work to make New York the best place to raise a family, it’s critical to have a team in place with the skills and experience to make that goal a reality. These four nominees have proven themselves to be strong leaders with a record of achievement — and they will play a pivotal role leading these state agencies.

More information on the nominees can be found here.

Governor Announces Plan to Expand Empire AI Consortium

Governor Hochul has announced further details of her proposal to expand New York’s first-in-the-nation Empire AI Consortium.

The Governor’s FY26 Executive Budget includes $90 million in capital funding to substantially increase the computing power of Empire AI, expand access for SUNY researchers, and support the addition of new members. The proposal will be matched by $50 million in private funding from new members and $25 million in SUNY operating funding over ten years. This investment will make the Empire AI supercomputer more powerful, leading to more research for the public good being done faster and more efficiently compared with currently available computing power.

Furthermore, Governor Hochul’s proposed expansion will allow Empire AI to secure a future full-scale computing system that supports expanded capacity for SUNY and the addition of new members. The proposed new members of Empire AI consortium include:

University of Rochester, a leading research university and the largest health care system in Upstate New York, will vastly improve AI-powered medical research and give consortium researchers unparalleled access to medical technologies and information.
Rochester Institute of Technology, which announced the formation of its Artificial Intelligence Hub last August, has proven to be a nationwide leader developing AI solutions for teaching and learning. By joining the consortium, they are contributing academic and strategic power to Empire AI’s member schools and researchers.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, one of the top medical schools in the country, the first medical school to establish a Department of Artificial Intelligence (the Windreich Department of AI and Human Health) and is ranked as number 1 in AI according to Nature AI Index, has expressed intent to join the Empire AI consortium. The School will work collaboratively with the other healthcare and public health partners to accelerate health AI research with a focus on translation, aimed at improving New York’s health care and public health infrastructure.
SUNY will double its participation in Empire AI’s consortium, allowing more researchers and students from SUNY’s most research-intensive campuses to access the world-class computing power.

Governor Hochul said:

The United States is in a race with China and the rest of the world in the global AI revolution, and with our first-in-the-nation Empire AI Consortium, New York is leading the way in research and innovation. With Empire AI, we are setting the standard for harnessing the power of AI for the public good and ultimately creating a better future for New Yorkers.

More information can be found here.

Governor Announces 2026 Campaign Manager

On Monday, Governor Kathy Hochul’s campaign announced Preston Elliot as Campaign Manager for her 2026 re-election campaign. Governor Hochul has recently announced raising $32.5 million during the off-cycle for her campaign.

Most recently, Preston served as the Director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s Independent Expenditure and has run several Democratic gubernatorial and senate campaigns including in Michigan, North Carolina, California, Texas, and Montana. He managed Governor Whitmer’s successful re-election in 2022, Senator Tester’s 2012 Senate win, and the Nevada Coordinated Campaign for Senator Reid’s 2010 victory. He also served as the Deputy Executive Director at the DSCC in 2016, picking up two seats.

Governor Hochul said:

Preston is a top-tier campaign operative with decades of experience managing some of the toughest races in the country,” said Governor Hochul. “As I enter my 16th election, I know how critical it is to have a battle-tested campaign team that will lead Democrats across the ballot to victory next year—protecting our Democratic House seats and positioning Hakeem Jeffries as the next Speaker. Preston’s strategic vision, expertise, and proven track record will be invaluable as we engage voters statewide and hit the ground running for 2026.

The full press release can be found here.

Lieutenant Governor Delgado Makes Re-Election Announcement

On Monday, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado announced, via X, that he has decided not to run for re-election with Governor Hochul in 2026. The Lieutenant Governor stated that he remains deeply committed to finishing his full term. His full statement can be read here. According to reports, on Tuesday, Lieutenant Governor Delgado registered an “undeclared campaign” with the New York State Board of Elections. He also participated in an interview on Thursday with Spectrum News to discuss his political future, which can be watched here.

Governor Hochul weighed in on the Lieutenant Governor’s decision, issuing the following statement through her Communications Director:

Today, Antonio Delgado finally said out loud what has been obvious for quite some time: he is simply not interested in doing the job of the Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York. Governor Hochul had already begun taking steps to identify a new running mate for 2026. We will also be reallocating responsibilities within the administration to ensure that important initiatives that had been within the Lieutenant Governor’s office are no longer neglected. Governor Hochul wishes him the best in his future endeavors.