Plugged In @ Hinman Straub – January 8, 2021
What’s Inside
- 2021 Legislative Session Begins
- 2021 State of the State
- Governor Announces Recreational Marijuana Proposal
- Governor Announces Sports Wagering Proposal
- Senate Committee Chairs Announced
- Assembly Committee Chairs Announced
- Senate Democratic Campaign Committee Names New Executive Director
- Political Updates
- Reminders, and Links
- Coming Up
2021 Legislative Session Begins
The 2021 legislative session began on Wednesday with scattered in person attendance with the remaining members attending remotely from their Capitol offices. This is the first ever remote opening day of the legislature in its history. Leaders of both parties congratulated their new colleagues and gave brief remarks. Both the Senate and Assembly will be limiting the number of members present on the floor during session.
Senator Stewart-Cousins remarked:
“This is a bold mandate, and a daunting list of priorities to take on. But bold action is what the times require, and what the people who sent us here demand. And from everything I’ve seen from my colleagues in this chamber over the past year, I know that – working together – we are up to the challenge.”
2021 State of the State
The Governor announced his State of the State Address will take a slightly different form this year. The address was not given on the opening day of the legislative session as is tradition and will instead be broken up into four separate addresses, the first beginning on Monday. Each of the four addresses will cover different topics including COVID, infrastructure, economic development, and green energy/environment.
Plugged In @ Hinman Straub and Plugged in to Health newsletters will be covering the addresses in the form of special editions.
Governor Announces Recreational Marijuana Proposal
The Governor announced his recreational marijuana proposal this week ahead of the State of the State Addresses. According to the press release, the proposal will create the Office of Cannabis Management to oversee the new adult-use program, as well as the State’s existing medical and cannabinoid hemp programs. Additionally, the press release notes that “an equitable structure for the adult-use market will be created by offering licensing opportunities and assistance to entrepreneurs in communities of color who have been disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.”
Governor Cuomo said:
“Despite the many challenges New York has faced amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it has also created a number of opportunities to correct longstanding wrongs and build New York back better than ever before. Not only will legalizing and regulating the adult-use cannabis market provide the opportunity to generate much-needed revenue, but it also allows us to directly support the individuals and communities that have been most harmed by decades of cannabis prohibition.”
Governor Announces Mobile Sports Wagering Proposal
The Governor announced, with few details, a proposal for mobile sports betting. The Governor suggested his approach would be different from that of neighboring states, like New Jersey, in order to generate more revenue for the state. According to the Governor’s Budget Director, the proposal will generate $500 million in revenue for New York where other proposals only generate around $50 million in revenue per year. A press release notes that under the proposal, the New York State Gaming Commission will issue a request for proposals to select and license a sports operator or platform to offer mobile sports wagering in New York. This operator or platform must have a partnership with one of the existing licensed commercial casinos.
Governor Cuomo said:
“At a time when New York faces a historic budget deficit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the current online sports wagering structure incentivizes a large segment of New York residents to travel out of state to make online sports wagers or continue to patronize black markets. New York has the potential to be the largest sports wagering market in the United States, and by legalizing online sports betting we aim to keep millions of dollars in revenue here at home, which will only strengthen our ability to rebuild from the COVID-19 crisis.”
Senate Committee Chairs Announced
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins announced committee chair assignments this week. The Senate will add several new standing committees this year to accommodate their new and much larger conference. The Cities Committee will be split into two different committees, one focused on New York City exclusively and the other focused on all other cities in the state. The Mental Hygiene and Developmental Disabilities Committee will be similarly bifurcated, one focused on mental health and the other focused on developmental disabilities. The Senate Select Committee on Libraries will be elevated to a standing committee and will now have legislation referenced to it upon introduction. Lastly, the Senate will add a new standing committee on Procurement.
Assembly Committee Chairs Announced
Speaker Heastie announced Assembly committee chairs this week. Similar to the Senate, the Assembly added two new standing committees, one focused on developmental disabilities and the other on science and technology. Jeffrey Dinowitz will take over as the Chair of the Codes Committee, Latoya Joyner will lead the Labor Committee, Victor Pichardo will take over the Banks Committee, Nily Rozic will become Chair of the Consumer Affairs Committee, and Ron Kim takes over the Aging Committee post, among other changes.
Senate Democratic Campaign Committee Names New Executive Director
The Senate Democratic Campaign Committee named a new Executive Director this week. Alex Elmsari, who served as the committee’s political director in the 2020 election cycle will take over the top post. Koren Frankfort will continue to lead the committee’s fundraising efforts, staying on as chief financial officer.
Senator Gianaris said:
“Our new leadership team of Alex Elmasri and Koren Frankfort will keep the DSCC successfully moving forward. Both Alex and Koren were integral to winning our supermajority and we look forward to many more victories with them leading the team.”
Political Updates
Brindisi, Tenney argue, vote by vote, in epic nail-biter.
NY Post: State Senator fined $15K for taking free trips, meals on taxpayers’ dime.
State of Politics: What to watch as the Legislature returns.
Gotham Gazette: 40 Questions for New York Politics in 2021.
Meet new State Senator Samra Brouk (SD-55).
Three things to watch for in New York politics.
Three men gave $250 each to a candidate for City Comptroller — and say they never heard of him.
NY’s Democratic Legislature eyes ambitious 2021 agenda.
Reminders and Links
City & State NY’s Weekly Winners and Losers here.
How cash-strapped New York may get creative with revenue raisers.
Coming Up
The Board of Regents will hold their next meeting on January 11 and 12.
The Assembly will hold a public hearing on the impact of the Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing and breeding industry on the economy of New York State on January 14.
The Public Service Commission will hold its next meeting on January 21.
JCOPE will hold its next meeting on January 26.