Plugged In @ Hinman Straub

April 11, 2025

What’s Inside

Legislative Session Recap
Special Election in 22nd Senate District Announced
Governor Provides Federal Impacts by the Numbers on Infrastructure Projects
New York Attorney General Sues Trump Administration for Blocking Access to Education Funds for States
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Legislative Session Recap

The Legislature convened Monday-Thursday this week. Both Houses are adjourned until Tuesday, April 15. They weren’t initially scheduled to reconvene next week.

Besides passing a budget extender, this week, the Senate highlighted a legislative package that they passed, which promotes animal welfare in honor of Animal Advocacy Day.

The slate of bills includes measures that would prohibit insurance policy restrictions based on specific dog breeds; prevent the participation of certain wild animals in traveling acts; restrict animal devocalization to instances of medical necessity; require the prompt inspection of abandoned properties for abandoned animals; clarify the law on aggravated cruelty towards animals; expand and strengthen exotic animals’ ban; and enhance penalties for animal fighting. The full details can be found here.

NYS Budget

The deadline for the Fiscal Year 2026 New York State Budget has passed, with negotiations reportedly ongoing through the weekend. On Thursday, the Legislature passed another budget extender to maintain state funding and payroll, set to expire on Tuesday, April 15. However, no conceptual agreement has been reached.

Earlier this week, Governor Kathy Hochul proposed ending separate party primaries for governors and lieutenant governors, aligning with a 1953 constitutional amendment that mandates a shared ticket in general elections but lacks corresponding primary legislation. Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie introduced a bill allowing lawmakers to receive paychecks despite missing the April 1 budget deadline—provided the governor includes unrelated policy items in her proposal. Speaker Heastie discussed the legislation, as well as the budget process, with Susan Arbetter on Capital Tonight, which can be watched here.

Special Election in 22nd Senate District Announced

On Thursday, Governor Hochul announced that a special election to fill the vacancy in the 22nd Senate District created by the resignation of Simcha Felder will be held on Tuesday, May 20. Governor Hochul issued the proclamation on April 10 pursuant to the Public Officers Law.

Senator Felder will be returning to the New York City Council, where he previously served from 2002-2010. In the special election to fill Assembly Member Kalman Yeger’s vacant City Council seat, Felder secured 81.7% of the vote.

Governor Provides Federal Impacts by the Numbers on Infrastructure Projects

Governor Hochul shared a breakdown of how the Trump administration’s cuts to the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program will impact critical infrastructure and community resilience projects in New York State. With this action, the federal Department of Homeland Security has revoked over $325.5 million in funding for projects that have not yet begun construction. Additionally, there is another $56 million worth of projects where work has already begun, that are potentially at risk.

The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program supports states, local and territorial governments and Tribal Nations as they work to reduce their hazard risk. The program aims to support communities as they build capability and capacity. BRIC also encourages and aids innovation. It helps partnerships grow; supports infrastructure projects; and fosters flexibility and consistency.

The full breakdown by the numbers can be found in the Governor’s release here.

New York Attorney General Sues Trump Administration for Blocking Access to Education Funds for States

New York Attorney General Letitia James this week led led a coalition of 15 other attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania in suing the Trump administration to restore states’ access to critical Department of Education (ED) programs that support low-income and unhoused students and provide funding for other services to address the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 students.

On March 28, ED notified states that it was unilaterally ending access to hundreds of millions of dollars in grants from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which ED had previously determined the states could access through March 2026. The ED’s sudden change in position and arbitrary termination of states’ access to these funds has created a massive budget gap for state education departments and local school districts that will cause serious harm to students throughout the country. New York alone has lost access to $134 million in funds due to ED’s decision.

Learn more here.