The Governor announced $4 million in federal funding to support underrepresented students entering or enrolled in mental health degree programs at State University of New York or City University of New York campuses. Through a partnership with the New York State Office of Mental Health, SUNY and CUNY will each be provided $2 million to support tuition assistance, paid internships, and direct stipends for minority and multilingual students.

Eligible programs at CUNY include certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate programs in social work and human services; psychology; psychiatric nursing; and grief counseling and mental health counseling.

At SUNY community colleges, eligible programs include associate degree programs in liberal arts and sciences: humanities and social sciences with tracks or concentrations including mental health assistant, human services, sociology, and psychology. On four-year SUNY campuses, eligible degree programs include health and society; public health concentration; sociology and psychology.

Governor Hochul said:

New York Lawmakers Asking Credit Card Companies to Track Gun Sales

A group of 50 state lawmakers led by Senator Zellnor Myrie and Assemblywoman Chantel Jackson issued a letter to major credit card companies urging them to track gun purchases. The letter urges these companies to track gun purchases by classifying them with a specific code that would categorize gun dealers as a distinct group of sellers. Specific codes exist for other merchant groups, while the lawmakers contend that gun merchants have no such identifier. A similar letter was also submitted by a delegation of congressional members. Mayor Adams, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, and pension system trustees followed shortly after with their own letter urging the same.

Calls for credit card companies to track gun purchases came in the same week a federal judge detailed constitutional issues surrounding New York’s new concealed carry law that went into effect this week. In his decision, Judge Glenn T. Suddaby refused to delay the implementation of the law due to his determination that the plaintiff lacked standing to bring the case. Despite this, the judge detailed numerous provisions of the law that he characterized as unconstitutional. He suggested the plaintiffs could amend and refile their request for a preliminary injunction.

Senator Myrie said:

Business and Labor Groups Join to Highlight Shortcomings in Draft Climate Plan

The Independent Power Producers of New York (IPPNY), The Business Council of New York State, the New York State AFL-CIO, and the New York State Building & Construction Trades Council released a set of seven principles to address several shortcomings in the current version of the Scoping Plan drafted by the State’s Climate Action Council (CAC). The CAC is a 22-member committee tasked with preparing a plan to achieve the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s (CLCPA) clean energy and emission reduction targets to address climate change.

According to the coalition, “the current draft Scoping Plan is complicated, could greatly impact affordability for ratepayers, has no comprehensive analysis of implementation costs for ratepayers, and could have a detrimental effect on the economy.” The coalition proposes seven key principals that should guide the State’s CLCPA implementation, as follows:

1. Maintain safe, reliable, and resilient energy infrastructure.
2. Communicate impacts on energy consumers and businesses.
3. Create and retain high quality union jobs.
4. Leverage the power of markets to achieve decarbonization.
5. Reduce emissions from all sectors, including transportation and heating.
6. Promote development and maintenance of needed energy infrastructure.
7. Support fuel and technology diversity.

Heather Briccetti, President of the Business Council said:

Panel Rejects Three Nominees to New Ethics Commission

A panel comprised of 15 law-school deans tasked with confirming nominations to the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, JCOPE’s successor, has rejected three of 10 nominees. According to reports, the panel unanimously rejected Senate Minority Leader Ortt’s nominee, Gary Lavine, the only former JCOPE member to be nominated. Lavine was an outspoken critic of JCOPE while he sat on the commission.

The panel also rejected Robert Torres, a nominee of Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Emily Jane Goodman, the sole appointee to the body by state Attorney General Letitia James. According to the Independent Review Committee’s website, Torres and Goodman were not confirmed due to consensus not being reached among the panel. Both Torres and Goodman are retired State Supreme Court Justices with more than 25 years of judicial experience.

Minority Leader Ortt said: