Plugged In @ Hinman Straub – October 16, 2020

What’s Inside

  • Governor Announces Withholding of Funds if Local COVID Enforcement is Insufficient
  • Governor Appoints Commission to Oversee Creation of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Statue
  • Governor Signs Legislation Making Juneteenth an Official New York State Holiday
  • The Public Service Commission Approves Expanded Clean Energy Standard
  • Plastic Bag Ban to Resume
  • Leadership Change at SUNY Oneonta
  • State Senator Brian Benjamin Launches Campaign for NYC Comptroller
  • Political Updates
  • Reminders, and Links
  • Coming Up

Governor Announces Withholding of Funds if Local COVID Enforcement is Insufficient

The Governor announced that New York State will withhold funds for localities and schools in COVID-19 cluster zones that fail to enforce public health laws. The New York State Department of Health will send a letter warning local governments in cluster zones that they will lose state funding if they fail to enforce state limits on gatherings and the closure of schools. The letter will be sent to New York City, Orange County, Rockland County, the Town of Ramapo and the Village of Spring Valley.

Governor Cuomo said:

“We know that public and private schools in the red zones are supposed to be closed. We know that there were violations where yeshivas were operating. We know there were violations where religious gatherings were happening that exceeded the guidelines. This is especially a problem in Brooklyn and Orange and Rockland Counties. Number one, we are sending a notification to local governments saying they must enforce public health law under Section 16. If the local government does not effectively enforce the law, we will withhold funds. We’re also sending a letter to all schools in the red zones saying to them that they must be closed. If they violate the Section 16 order, we will withhold funding from the schools. This is a last and final warning.”

Governor Appoints Commission to Oversee Creation of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Statue

The Governor appointed 23 members to a new commission that will oversee the creation of a statue honoring the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The commission will provide recommendations to the Governor regarding the artist, design, location and installation of the memorial statue.

Members of the commission include:

  • Jane Ginsburg, Daughter to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • Clara Spera, Granddaughter to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • Mimi Ginsburg, Granddaughter to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • Constance Beaty, Artist and Portraitist for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • Irin Carmon, Senior Correspondent at New York Magazine and Co-Author of “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”
  • Jodie Cohen, Principal of James Madison High School
  • Alphonso David, President of the Human Rights Campaign
  • Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO, National Women’s Law Center
  • Subash Iyer, Special Counsel for Ethics, Risk and Compliance at MTA and Former Clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • Judge Robert A. Katzmann, United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • Shana Knizhnik, Staff Attorney at The Legal Aid Society and Co-Author of “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”
  • Susana Torruella Leval, Director Emerita of El Museo del Barrio
  • Gillian Metzger, Harlan Fiske Stone Professor of Constitutional Law at Columbia University and Former Clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • Trevor Morrison, Dean of NYU School of Law and Former Clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • Sonia Ossorio, President of NOW New York
  • Anne Pasternak, Director of the Brooklyn Museum
  • William Savitt, Partner, Litigation Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Former Clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • Nina Totenberg, Legal Affairs Correspondent at NPR

Honorary Members

  • Honorable Hillary Clinton, Former United States Secretary of State
  • Janet DiFiore, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and the State of New York
  • Letitia James, Attorney General of New York State
  • Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
  • Gloria Steinem, Feminist Activist and Co-Founder of Ms. Magazine

Governor Signs Legislation Making Juneteenth an Official New York State Holiday

The Governor signed into law legislation (S.8598/A.10628) designating Juneteenth as an official public holiday in New York State. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when the news of liberation came to Texas more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863. Earlier this year, Governor Cuomo issued an Executive Order recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday for New York State employees.

Governor Cuomo said:

“I am incredibly proud to sign into law this legislation declaring Juneteenth an official holiday in New York State, a day which commemorates the end to slavery in the United States. This new public holiday will serve as a day to recognize the achievements of the Black community, while also providing an important opportunity for self-reflection on the systemic injustices that our society still faces today.”

The Public Service Commission Approves Expanded Clean Energy Standard

The Public Service Commission approved an expansion of the Clean Energy Standard to refocus New York’s existing regulatory and procurement structure on achieving the goals laid out in New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). The CLCPA established a 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030 mandate. The expanded Clean Energy Standard gives the state the authority to issue a Request for Proposals for the renewable power generation sources needed to achieve these goals. This action fulfills PSC’s requirement to establish a program to increase the use of renewable energy in the State from 50 percent to 70 percent by 2030 and increase the use of offshore wind from 2,400 MW by 2030 to 9,000 MW by 2035.

PSC Chairman John B. Rhodes said:

“Governor Cuomo’s visionary climate and energy legislation and New York’s need for a just, clean, resilient and affordable energy system require us to build smart, economic renewable energy at greater scale and at a much faster pace. This comprehensive and ambitious plan delivers on those goals and will enable all needed kinds of renewable energy to reach all New Yorkers.”

Plastic Bag Ban to Resume

The long stalled plastic bag ban is set to resume on Monday October 19, 2020. Enforcement was suspended during the pandemic due to sanitary questions and a lawsuit brought by bodega owners and plastic bag manufacturers. According to reports, the same group is attempting further delay on enforcement and DEC has until November 4 to respond.

Leadership Change at SUNY Oneonta

SUNY Oneonta President Barbara Jean Morris has stepped down according to a press release from the State University of New York. SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced that Dennis Craig will serve as the new Acting President for SUNY Oneonta. The change in leadership comes only a month after a COVID spike forced the school to move to remote only learning for the remainder of the semester.

Chancellor Malatras said:

“SUNY Oneonta is at a critical juncture and Acting President Craig will bring steady, focused, and collaborative leadership to the campus. Dennis Craig was one of the first presidents I met after my appointment, and we spoke at length about the specific accommodations he put in place for SUNY Purchase students, faculty, and staff—especially for a campus located near New Rochelle, which was New York State’s first hot spot for COVID early on in the pandemic. For the SUNY Oneonta campus, Acting President Craig’s first priority is to ensure students have what they need to complete their fall semester, as well as a clear plan in place for the spring. And Dennis will do so with my support in collaboration and with guidance and feedback from the campus community—particularly our students, with Mayor Gary Herzig and other local officials, and local health officials.”

State Senator Brian Benjamin Launches Campaign for NYC Comptroller

State Senator Brian Benjamin has formally announced his intention to run for New York City Comptroller. That position is being vacated by current comptroller Scott Stringer, a former Assembly Member, who has announced a mayoral campaign. Benjamin was first elected to the Senate in 2017 in a special election to fill a vacancy left by Senator Bill Perkins.

Political Updates

The Working Families Party is organizing to retain their ballot status.

Early voting in New York: what you need to know.

CBS6 News: Hinchey vs. Amedure for State Senate.

Endorsements

Pete Buttigieg PAC endorses Samra Brouk for State Senate.

Reminders and Links

City & State NY’s Weekly Winners and Losers here.

City & State NY’s NYC 40 Under 40 Rising Stars here.

New York’s unemployment falls to 9.7% in September.

Coming Up

The Board of Regents will hold their next meeting on October 19 and 20.

The Assembly will hold a public hearing on the Department of Transportation Capital Program on October 23.

JCOPE will hold its next meeting on October 27.

The Public Service Commission will hold its next meeting on November 19.