Plugged In @ Hinman Straub

May 23, 2025

What’s Inside

Legislative Session Recap
Senate Special Election
Governor Announces Launch of Regional Economic Development Council Initiative
Governor Announces Open Applications for Pro-Housing Supply Fund
NYS Comptroller Releases Guide to Federal Funding in New York
In the News
Coming Up

Legislative Session Recap

Governor Hochul vetoed 24 line-items in accordance with Article VII of the State Constitution. According to the Governor’s office, the line-item vetoes are duplicative of prior-year funding items that were fully expended and, therefore, not necessary. The full list of vetoes can be found here.

The Legislature convened Monday-Thursday this week for a regular scheduled session. Both chambers are now adjourned until Tuesday, May 27, for a scheduled three-day session week.

This week, the Senate highlighted a package of legislation it passed to make prescription drugs and healthcare more affordable and accessible.

The legislation passed includes:

New York State Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act: This bill, S.1618, sponsored by Senator Rivera, would authorize the NYS Department of Health and its Commissioner to establish partnerships directly with drug manufacturers to help significantly lower the cost of drugs for consumers by helping secure more generic alternatives to prescription medications.

Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance coverage (EPIC): This bill, S.355A, sponsored by Senator Rivera, would allow individuals who have comparable coverage to a Medicare Part D plan to also be eligible for EPIC if they otherwise qualify.

Hospital Closure Notice: This bill, S.1226, sponsored by Senator Rivera, requires public notice and public engagement when a general hospital seeks either to close entirely or to close a unit that provides maternity, mental health or substance use care.

Increased Access to Addiction Treatment Centers: This bill, S.4950, sponsored by Senator Harckham, requires OASAS to set a fee schedule for services provided at OASAS treatments and prohibits denial of treatment on the basis of a person’s inability to pay.

Disclosure of Pay-for-Delay Agreements: This bill, S.3203, 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 these types of agreements to delay the entry of lower-cost generic drugs into the market.

Child Health Plus Access: This bill, S.5812, sponsored by Senator Sepulveda, prohibits health plans from requiring providers that accept Child Health Plus coverage to accept all other insurance products offered by that health plan in order to participate in the plan’s network.

Wholesale Prescription Drug Importation: This bill, S.371, sponsored by Senator Skoufis, establishes a wholesale prescription drug importation program in New York State, in accordance with federal law, from countries with consumer safety on par with the U.S. drug supply chain system and where significant consumer cost savings are possible.

More information on the Senate’s legislation can be found here.

Senate Special Election

On Tuesday, Democrat Sam Sutton won the Special Election for Senate District 22 in Southern Brooklyn. He defeated Nachman Caller, who ran on the Republican and Conservative lines, 67% to 32%. Sutton will succeed Simcha Felder, who resigned after winning a Special Election for the City Council.

Sutton served with the Sephardic Bikur Holim, a social service organization, for 30 years. He has also worked for the Sephardic Community Federation, New York Cancer Center, the Safe Foundation, and is a former trustee of the NYU Langone Medical Center. He is also a co-founder and board chair of Teach NYS, a group advocating for funding to nonpublic schools such as yeshivas and Jewish day schools.

Governor Announces Launch of Regional Economic Development Council Initiative

Governor Hochul has launched the 2025 Regional Economic Development Council Initiative (REDC). The REDC allows the State’s 10 Regional Councils to support projects that advance strategic regional and statewide priorities. New in 2025 is the Governor’s $150 million Advancing Collaboration for High-impact Initiatives for Economic Visions & Expansion competition — ACHIEVE — aimed at empowering the REDCs to advance catalytic economic development projects backed by enhanced implementation funding to jump-start regional growth.

Additionally, the Governor announced the appointment of New York Secretary of State, Walter T. Mosley, as Chair of the REDC Initiative. The REDC Initiative Guidebook can be found here.

Governor Hochul said:

The dedicated work of the Regional Economic Development Councils, focused on encouraging public-private partnerships, has had a transformational impact across New York State. The regionally designed plans will support the goals of the new ACHIEVE competition, creating investment opportunities that will help to build a more sustainable, successful future for all New Yorkers.

Governor Announces Open Applications for Pro-Housing Supply Fund

Governor Hochul has announced that applications are now being accepted for the state’s $100 million Pro-housing Supply Fund. The fund is expected to support certified Pro-Housing Communities with financing essential infrastructure projects, such as sewer, electrical, and water system upgrades, that are needed to facilitate new housing developments.

Pro-Housing certified cities, towns, and villages can apply as well as county and municipally designated non-profit economic development organizations whose project is located within a Pro-Housing certified community. Eligible applicants can apply for grants between $2.5 million and $10 million for eligible projects. Applicants must complete and submit a Consolidated Funding Application for review by NYS and the Regional Economic Development Council for the region in which the proposed project is located. Applications must be submitted by Thursday, July 31, at 4 p.m.

More information can be found here.

Governor Hochul said:

New York has a housing affordability crisis — and the only way to solve it is to build more housing and offer support for our communities. The Pro-Housing Supply Fund will aid communities by providing the funding needed to tackle this critical issue. By working with our local economic development partners at the local level, we will ensure that every region of the state is able to find real solutions to address the shortage, helping neighborhoods to thrive.

NYS Comptroller Releases Guide to Federal Funding in New York

New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has released an online resource that details the services that federal funding supports amid the continued uncertainty in Washington over potential cuts for states, including funds for Medicaid and other health programs, education, social welfare, transportation, public protection, environment, and other significant programs.

The new tool provides spending by major funding streams and functions, including grants for various Medicaid programs, clean water, and children’s health insurance programs. It also includes a county-by-county breakdown in enrollment and benefits for programs like Medicaid, Social Security, housing assistance, and the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Insights include:

The state received $96.7 billion in federal dollars in state fiscal year (SFY) 2025, representing more than 38% of the $249 billion in revenue received by New York in that fiscal year.
Nearly 3 million New Yorkers rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest food assistance program.
Nearly 9,000 (4.7%) members of the state’s workforce are backed by federal funding, with the share significantly higher in some agencies, such as 83% at the Department of Labor.
Over 3.7 million New York residents received Social Security benefits in 2023.
Over 150,000 children received childcare assistance funded primarily by the federal government.
More than one-third of residents are on Medicaid in eight counties: Bronx, Chemung, Kings, Montgomery, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, and Sullivan.

More details can be found in the Comptroller’s press release here.