Plugged In @ Hinman Straub – November 1, 2019

What’s Inside

  • State of Emergency Declared in Multiple Counties
  • Governor Signs Large Batch of Bills
  • 43North Competition Winners Announced
  • Governor Announces Opening of Center for Therapeutics Research on Long Island
  • Senate Holds Second Hearing on Discovery Reform
  • Updates, Reminders, and Links
  • Coming Up

State of Emergency Declared in Multiple Counties

Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency for Cayuga, Chautauqua, Cortland, Dutchess, Erie, Essex, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Saratoga and Warren Counties as heavy rains and high winds have caused flooding and power outages throughout much of the state. Due to the heavy rain, nearly 60 roads closures across the state and more than 241,000 buildings or homes without power as a result. The National Guard has been called on to assist localities with response and clean-up operations and will be deployed in the next 24 hours. New Yorkers are advised to exercise extreme caution and only travel if necessary. Motorists are warned to travel with extra caution as multiple roads are closed due to floodwaters.

Governor Cuomo said:

“Overnight a severe storm hit the state, bringing with it high wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour and heavy rain that caused flash flooding and widespread power outages. This morning we did a swift water rescue in Herkimer County where a home was in danger of being swept away, taking five people out of the home including an infant. I am deploying 200 members of the National Guard to impacted areas to assist with response operations. These situations can be a matter of life and death, and I am urging all New Yorkers to exercise extreme caution and only travel if necessary.”

Governor Signs Batch of Bills

The Governor acted on a batch of bills this week by signing 26 of them into law. With 45 bills currently on the Governor’s desk awaiting action and another 446 bills yet to be delivered, the final two months of the calendar year will be eventful. The bills signed this week include the following:

  • 1454/S.3146 – Chapter 417 of 2019 – Allows a board of elections to design an alternative poll site staffing plan to conduct an election.
  • 1525-A/S.3141-A – Chapter 418 of 2019 – Relates to watchers during election; provides that any candidate on the ballot and any political committee may have for each election district three watchers at any one time for a primary election, not more than one of whom may be within the guard rail at any one time. Parties designate watchers for general elections.
  • 1641/S.3903 – Chapter 416 of 2019 – Requires campaign finance information of certain candidates or committees to be filed on an electronic reporting system.
  • 2264/S.2346 – Chapter 437 of 2019 – Relates to establishing the uniform election night procedure act for shutting down polling sites at the end of the night.
  • 3543/S.6449 – Chapter 438 of 2019 – Authorizes consolidation of certain voting districts with a small number of eligible voters; such district must have fewer than ten eligible voters.
  • 6751/S.5438 – Chapter 419 of 2019 – Limits the applicability of plumbing and drainage provisions to the city of Middletown.
  • 300/A.5604 – Chapter 420 of 2019 – Makes certain technical amendments to the estates, powers and trusts law and the surrogate’s court procedure act to reflect the provisions of the marriage equality act.
  • 3972/A.218 – Chapter 421 of 2019 – Relates to changes in assessment for businesses that make payments in lieu of taxes; establishes that any reduction in school taxes shall not take effect until the following taxable status year.
  • 4264/A.349-A – Chapter 439 of 2019 – Relates to the filing of petitions of designation or nomination in the county of Westchester.
  • 4448/A.2100 – Chapter 422 of 2019 – Makes permanent certain provisions relating to citizenship requirements for permanent certification as a teacher.
  • 4931/A.3168 – Chapter 423 of 2019 – Requires banks to post notice of the department of financial services toll free consumer’s hot-line telephone number.
  • 5211-A/A.6556-A – Chapter 424 of 2019 – Relates to notice of enforcement of a lien on the goods in a self-storage facility.
  • 5234/A.7325 – Chapter 425 of 2019 – Permits the Church of Jesus Christ to file an application for a real property tax exemption.
  • 5367/A.2349 – Chapter 426 of 2019 – Requires a health care provider or facility which has determined to cease to do business or which is transferring its ownership, at least thirty days prior to such action to provide a copy of its plan for transfer of patient records to another provider, facility or practitioner.
  • 5475/A.6714 – Chapter 440 of 2019 – Relates to opportunity to ballot committee to receive notices as if such committee was a candidate named on a petition.
  • 5514-A/A.8033 – Chapter 427 of 2019 – Relates to the notification of allowance for infant’s support; requires notification to all parents and guardians of the person of the infant.
  • 5578/A.7614 – Chapter 428 of 2019 – Dissolves the United Charities, a nonprofit corporation.
  • 5639-A/A.7548-A – Chapter 429 of 2019 – Exempts certain parcels of land from the provisions of law which generally restrict manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers from sharing an interest in a liquor license.
  • 5675/A.7665 – Chapter 430 of 2019 – Allows the Lost Dog Cafe to have an entrance that is located within two hundred feet of a church, located in Broome County.
  • 5903-A/A.7620-A – Chapter 431 of 2019 – Relates to allowing certain members of the New York City police pension fund to receive a membership date in such pension fund attributable to service in the titles of police cadet program or police cadet program II.
  • 6163/A.7709 – Chapter 441 of 2019 – Relates to the effectiveness of providing uniform polling hours during primary elections.
  • 6257-A/A.8262-A – Chapter 432 of 2019 – Authorizes the comptroller of the town of Mount Pleasant to refund fees, fines, penalties and interest to certain real property taxpayers.
  • 6377-A/A.8223-A – Chapter 433 of 2019 – Names a section of route 8 between the Susquehanna River and interstate eighty-eight in the village of Sidney the “Sidney Veterans’ Memorial Highway”.
  • 6405/A.8059 – Chapter 434 of 2019 – Provides that upon the application of a relative to become a foster parent of a child in foster care, the court shall hold a hearing to determine whether the child should be placed with a relative in foster care only if the person is related to the child as described under paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of subdivision three of section four hundred fifty-eight-a of the social services law and if other circumstances are present.
  • 6547/A.8345 – Chapter 435 of 2019 – Extends certain provisions related to medical malpractice providers.
  • S.6593/A.8362 – Chapter 436 of 2019 – Authorizes Erie county to waive certain fees for veterans’ organizations.

43North Competition Winners Announced

Governor Cuomo announced the winners of the sixth annual $5 million 43North startup competition this week. The grand prize winner was awarded a $1 million investment and seven other companies were awarded $500,000 each. An additional $500,000 was awarded as follow-on funding from last year. Aside from the cash investments, the winners will receive one year of free space in 43North’s new headquarters in the Seneca One building. The Winners of the 2019 43North Competition are:

  • Strayos – St. Louis, MO – $1,000,000 a visual AI platform to reduce cost and improve efficiency in mining operations for optimized drill/blast and pre-excavation sub-surface object detection for infrastructure projects. 
  • Circuit Clinical (TrialScout) – Buffalo, NY – $500,000 an integrated research organization and through its Clinical Services Team and patient platform TrialScout, empowers patients to choose clinical research as a care option. 
  • GroupRaise – Huston, TX – $500,000 a marketplace that helps groups of 20-200 people make reservations at restaurants willing to donate a percentage of the sales back to a charitable cause.
  • Peanut Butter – Chicago, IL – $500,000 helps companies offer student loan assistance as a benefit. Employers offering student loan assistance are able to hire faster, retain talent longer, and improve diversity, while making a positive impact on their employees’ financial future and contributing to the solution for America’s $1.5T student debt crisis.
  • PocketSuite – San Francisco, CA – $500,000 helps any solopreneur make a living by making it easy for clients to regularly book and pay them. You can access all of your client information and schedule, book appointments, get paid, and manage your business all from a smartphone. 
  • Rally – New York, NY – $500,000 Winner a technology platform that has moved hundreds of thousands of riders by enabling individuals to self-aggregate and create bus trips on-demand. Rally creates pop-up mass transit solutions, creating new demand for the private bus industry.
  • Robodub – Seattle, WA – $500,000 Winner solving the last mile logistics problem with a new patent pending drone technology. Their drones can carry multiple payloads, dynamic/shifting payloads, and can fly in harsher weather conditions. The U.S. Navy, Army, Special Ops Forces, and Air Force are among their customers.
  • WhoseYourLandlord – New York, NY – $500,000 Winner a SaaS platform empowering and informing the rental community through landlord reviews and housing literacy content. Their goal is to increase transparency in the residential market, and to bridge the communication gap between renters and home providers through verified reviews and through online sentiment analysis software.

Governor Announces Opening of Center for Therapeutics Research on Long Island

Governor Cuomo announced the opening of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Center for Therapeutics Research on Long Island. The new center will explore advanced therapies for genetic diseases, with a focus on cancer research. New York State awarded Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory a $25 million capital grant for the new research center, which covered full construction costs for renovating a portion of the existing Demerec Lab building.  New York’s investment of $25 million, which was included in the 2016-17 State Budget, supported the reconstruction and equipped the 60-year-old Demerec Lab to house the Center for Therapeutic Research.

Governor Cuomo said:

“New York’s life sciences sector is thriving thanks to coordinated state investment, and nowhere is that more apparent than on Long Island where world-class research institutions are partnering to solve the medical challenges of today while creating the jobs of tomorrow. Cold Spring Harbor is at the forefront of this critical work, turning innovative research into new products and treatments. The new therapeutics center will provide the 21st century tools the lab’s scientists need to keep saving lives and it will help grow the Long Island biomedical research corridor and the region’s economy.”

Senate Holds Second Hearing on Discovery Reform

The Senate Committee on Codes held a public hearing this week on the implementation of discovery reforms. The committee members took testimony from law enforcement officials, criminal justice advocates, and district attorneys. This is the second hearing on discovery reform implementation. District attorneys testified to the difficulty of implementing the reforms without the proper funding. County DA’s argued they would need funding infusions ranging in the millions of dollars in order to comply with the new law. No funding was provided by the state as they maintain that the cost will be offset by the savings from the elimination of cash bail. Advocates supported the funding requests, noting that most of the district attorneys do not disagree with the reforms, but, are simply asking for the proper funding to enact them. The Codes Committee will hold a public hearing on alternatives to incarceration and pretrial services on November 14.

Updates, Reminders, and Links

City & State NY’s Winners and Losers here.

City & State NY’s New York City 40 under 40 here.

City & State NY’s Guide to New York’s General Election here.

New York State of Health open enrollment begins today.

Early voting numbers.

Coming Up

The Senate Committees on Consumer Protection, Health, and Education will hold a public hearing to investigate the safety and potential harms of electronic cigarettes and vaping, especially among school-aged youth on November 4.

The Senate Committee on Mental Health will hold a public hearing on veteran mental health and well-being on November 6.

A Joint Senate Assembly public hearing on the MTA 2020-2024 capital program will be held on November 12.

The Assembly Committees on Higher Education and Environmental Conservation will hold a public hearing on the environmental footprint of colleges and universities in New York on November 13.

The Senate Education and Budget and Revenue Committees will hold a series of public meetings around the state to hear stakeholder input regarding the components of the Foundation Aid formula in relation to student, district and community needs with a goal of greater equity in school financing on November 13, and November 19.

The Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees will hold joint public hearings on court consolidation on November 13 and November 21.

The Senate will hold a public meeting on the prevalence of youth violence on November 13.

The PSC will hold its next meeting on Thursday, November 14.

The Assembly Committees on Codes and Correction will hold a public hearing on alternatives to incarceration and pretrial services on November 14. 

Joint Senate Task Force on Opioids, Addiction and Overdose Prevention will hold a public hearing on strategies for reducing overdoses, improving individual and community health, and addressing the harmful consequences of drug use on November 15.

A Joint Senate and Assembly public hearing to discuss the implementation of early voting throughout New York State will be held on November 20.

The Assembly will hold a public hearing to examine the effectiveness of Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs) and Local Development Corporations (LDCs) on November 22.

The Assembly Aging Committee will hold a public hearing on programs and services offered by Area Agencies on Aging for older New Yorkers and their caregivers on November 22.

The Senate Committees on Consumer Protection and Internet and Technology has rescheduled a public hearing on protecting consumer data and privacy on online platforms for November 22.

The Senate and Assembly Health Committees will hold a public hearing on the New York Health Act on November 25.

The Assembly Committees on Housing and Cities will hold a public hearing on affordable housing development on November 25.

The Senate Committee on Social Services will hold a public meeting to engage social service providers and advocates in a discussion of public assistance income and resource limits on November 26.

The Senate Committee on Mental Health has schedule a public hearing on OPWDD transition to managed care for December 2.

The Senate Education and Budget and Revenue Committees will hold a public hearing to examine the distribution of the Foundation Aid formula as it relates to pupil and district needs on December 3.

The Senate Committee on Budget and Revenues will hold a roundtable discussion of real property tax reform in New York City on December 4.

The Assembly Committee on Transportation will hold a public hearing on the Department of Transportation Capital Program on December 6.

The Senate Committee on Higher Education will hold a public hearing on the funding of public colleges on December 11.

The Assembly Committee on Libraries and Education Technology will hold a public hearing on funding of public libraries on December 13.