Plugged In @ Hinman Straub

February 13, 2026

What’s Inside

Legislative Session Review
Remaining Budget Hearing Schedule
Governor Signs Medical Aid in Dying Act
Antonio Delgado Suspends Campaign for Governor
Assembly Announces New Minority Leader
Legislative Members Not Seeking Re-Election
In the News
Coming Up

Legislative Session Review

The Legislature convened for session on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week, and will reconvene on Monday, February 23, after a week-long hiatus.

This week, the Senate passed legislation to further advance climate and environmental protections. The legislation passed will:

Propose stricter standards for toxic air and lead contaminants;
Call for certain businesses to annually disclose their emissions;
Provide municipalities with funding to remediate drinking water site contamination;
Prohibit the sale of many consumer goods containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); and
Require heavy distribution warehouses to reduce their air pollution impacts on disadvantaged communities and demonstrate their operations comply with federal and state air quality standards.

More information on the package of legislation highlighted this week can be found here.

Joint Budget Hearing Schedule

Joint budget hearings continue to take place until February 26. This week, the Legislature held three budget hearings: Transportation, Mental Hygiene, and Human Services. The schedule moving forward is as follows:

Higher Education: Tuesday, February 24 at 9:30 a.m.
Labor/Workforce Development: Wednesday, February 25 at 9:30 a.m.
Housing: Wednesday, February 25 at 2:00 p.m.
Economic Development/Arts: Thursday, February 26 at 9:30 a.m.
Taxes: Thursday, February 26 at 2:00 p.m.

Please note that requests to testify must be submitted using a Hearing Request Form.

Governor Signs Medical Aid in Dying Act

Governor Kathy Hochul has signed the controversial Medical Aid in Dying Act, which will allow medical aid in dying to be available to terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live.

The bill, as passed by the Legislature, originally included several protections to ensure that no patient was coerced into choosing medical aid in dying and that no health care professional or religiously affiliated health facility would be forced to offer medical aid in dying. The Governor worked with the Legislature to include additional guardrails that include the following:

A mandatory waiting period of 5 days between when a prescription is written and filled.
An oral request by the patient for medical aid in dying must be recorded by video or audio.
A mandatory mental health evaluation of the patient seeking medical aid in dying by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
A prohibition against anyone who may benefit financially from the death of a patient from being eligible to serve as a witness to the oral request or an interpreter for the patient.
Limiting the availability of medical aid in dying to New York residents.
Requiring that the initial evaluation of a patient by a physician be in person.
Allowing religiously-oriented home hospice providers to opt out of offering medical aid in dying.
Ensuring that a violation of the law is defined as professional misconduct under the Education Law.
Extending the effective date of the bill to six months after signing to allow the Department of Health to put into place regulations required to implement the law while also ensuring that health care facilities can properly prepare and train staff for compliance.

Governor Hochul said:

Our state will always stand firm in safeguarding New Yorkers’ freedoms and right to bodily autonomy, which includes the right for the terminally ill to peacefully and comfortably end their lives with dignity and compassion. This journey was deeply personal for me. Witnessing my mother’s suffering from ALS was an excruciating experience, knowing there was nothing I could do to alleviate the pain of someone I loved. It took years of intimate discussions with our bill sponsors, health experts, advocates, and most importantly, families who have similar firsthand experiences. New Yorkers deserve the choice to endure less suffering, not by shortening their lives, but by shortening their deaths — I firmly believe we made the right decision.

Antonio Delgado Suspends Campaign for Governor

Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado has suspended his campaign for governor of New York, ending his primary challenge to Governor Kathy Hochul in the 2026 race. Citing “no viable path forward,” Delgado said he will continue serving as lieutenant governor and focus on helping build a more humane, affordable, and equitable state while supporting Democrats in the upcoming elections.

His full statement can be found here.

Assembly Announces New Minority Leader

Assemblymember Ed Ra has been selected by his colleagues to serve as the new Assembly Minority Leader, succeeding Will Barclay in leading the conference.

First elected to the New York State Assembly in 2010, Ra represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes portions of the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead in Nassau County.

In his first days as Minority Leader, Assemblymember Ra appointed Assemblyman Phil Palmesano as Ranker of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, and announced the following appointments to the Assembly Energy Committee:

Scott Gray, Ranking Minority
Paul Bologna, Member of Committee

Additionally, Minority Leader Ra announced the following Assembly Minority Leadership Appointments:

Phil Palmesano, Ways & Means Ranker
Ken Blankenbush, Deputy Minority Leader
Karl Brabenec, Assistant Minority Leader
Angelo Morinello, Assistant Minority Leader
Michael Durso, Assistant Minority Whip

Following the selection of Assemblymember Ra as Minority Leader, the Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie issued the following statement:

Congratulations to the new Assembly Minority Leader Edward P. Ra. He is a dedicated public servant who has served admirably as the ranking member on the Ways and Means Committee and led thoughtful debate in his previous role as minority leader pro tempore. I look forward to working together with him to lead our conferences to improve the lives of all New Yorkers.

New York, New Jersey, Sue Trump Administration Over Funding

This week, the following members of the Legislature announced that they will not be seeking re-election this year:

Deputy Senate Majority Leader Michael Gianaris has announced that he will not seek re-election this year. He framed the decision as a choice to prioritize his family after years of intensive responsibilities both in his district and in Senate leadership.

Over his tenure, he became one of the most influential Democrats in the chamber, serving as the Senate’s second-in-command and helping steer major initiatives. He was first elected to the New York State Senate in 2010 and has represented the 12th Senate District, covering neighborhoods such as Astoria, Long Island City, Woodside, Sunnyside, Elmhurst, Maspeth, and Ridgewood in western Queens. In 2019, he was elevated to Deputy Majority Leader when Senate Democrats secured full control of the chamber. More information can be found here.

Assemblymember Keith Brown has announced that he will not seek re-election to the New York State Assembly this year, opting to step away at the end of his current term.

Brown, a Republican from Northport, represents the 12^th Assembly District, which covers portions of the towns of Huntington, Babylon and Islip in Suffolk County. He was first elected in 2020 and assumed office in January 2021 after winning the district’s race.

So far, members not seeking re-election to their current seat include: