| | | | |  | | By Joseph Spector | Presented by The Black Car Fund | If you've been around the state Capitol long enough, you'll never forget the string of 20 years of late state budgets that stretched across the 1990s and 2000s. They became more "timely" in recent years under Andrew Cuomo, including on-time passage in the early years of his administration that he touted as a new era in Albany. Late budgets became synonymous with the dysfunction that plagued state government, coupled with the conviction of lawmakers in scandals, of course. In 2010, a deal wasn't finished until August — when the Capitol hallways are particularly warm. That brings us to this week as new Gov. Kathy Hochul, who succeeded Cuomo in August, will now have a late budget as her first one. Yes, it will probably be done in the coming days, perhaps as soon as early next week, and it could get the "timely" tag and there will surely be the argument that a good budget is better than an on-time one. But in Albany, it's always important to understand the power plays in negotiations. In other words, who stands to lose more if the budget goes on late: Hochul or lawmakers? They are all up for election this year, but Hochul faces a contentious primary in June and then, if she wins, a tough fight in November as Republicans are expected to fare well in the midterm elections. And her opponents are already deriding the delayed deal. So, the longer the budget talks go, the more likely the pressure builds on Hochul to get a deal — as she has a $1.4 billion deal for the Buffalo Bills on the line and a host of other priorities that she'll use as a springboard to kick off her campaign. Then again, the budget will have plenty of goodies — like property-tax rebate checks in the fall and probably some type of gas tax break — that should quickly erase any lingering memory by voters of a budget passed in early April rather than late March.
| | | | A message from The Black Car Fund: The Black Car Fund kept NY moving during COVID by doing what it's done for 20 years: providing invaluable benefits to for-hire drivers and their families. Through the Black Car Fund, tens-of-thousands of professional drivers in NY are eligible for free telemedicine, vision, and dental coverage as well as insurance, prescription, urgent care, and diagnostic imaging discounts. Now the State can renew all of those benefits at no cost to taxpayers.
Learn more here. | | | IT'S FRIDAY: It's the weekend, and this will be our last Playbook PM for a while. It will restart in late May. We thank you for reading and for your support. And let's hope when we return, there's a budget deal. Either way, there'll be plenty more to talk about in New York government and politics! BREAKING: Amazon workers in Staten Island form company's first union in stunning upset, by POLITICO's Nick Niedzwiadek: An Amazon facility on Staten Island, N.Y., voted to become the company's first unionized U.S. workplace in a mammoth upset that would be one of organized labor's biggest victories in decades. Workers at the site, known as JFK8, voted 2,654 to 2,131, in favor of organizing, according to officials at the National Labor Relations Board.
|  | From the Capitol | | HOCHUL SPEAKS — VIA STATEMENT: Hochul has pledged to run a transparent administration. But amid budget negotiations, she has not done a briefing this week to update the public on the talks. She did issue a statement late Thursday, saying there have been "productive conversations" with legislative leaders and thanked them for their "good faith approach to these negotiations." "This is a critical time in New York's economic recovery, and I am committed to ensuring that our state budget reflects New Yorkers' priorities and tackles the top issues we are facing," she said. "From improving public safety to supporting small businesses, these are important and complex issues, and we need to get them right." SEE YOU IN COURT, AGAIN: Sometimes, one sentence sums it up. "We intend to appeal this decision." That was the response late Thursday from Hochul and Attorney General Tish James after a Steuben County judge in state Supreme Court tossed, as many expected, new district lines for U.S. House and state legislative seats. Now the case, critical in determining races across the state and time sensitive since primaries are in June, will either head to the state appeals court or directly to the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals. Republicans say the lines are bogus and gerrymandered to unfairly help Democrats; Democrats say they are simply playing by the rules. So now they'll get to tell it the judges, again.
| | FROM CITY HALL | | THE EXECUTIVE V. THE JUDICIARY: Mayor Eric Adams' Covid-19 policies ran smack into the third branch of government this week when the Police Benevolent Association challenged his vaccine mandate carveout for athletes in Manhattan Supreme Court Thursday and a Staten Island judge overturned the mask mandate for toddlers today. The PBA is the first union to fight the controversial waiver that lets unvaccinated sports stars like the Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving play in home games, while municipal workers have to get the shot —or face termination. Adams has refused to reinstate the 1,400 city employees who lost their jobs over the requirement. The union amended a pending lawsuit against the city over the public sector rule Thursday, adding the argument that the carveout undermines the rational basis for the municipal mandate that has resulted in pink slips for 36 NYPD members, POLITICO's Joe Anuta reports. A city Law Department spokesperson called the PBA's comparison of the public sector mandate with the waiver for athletes and performers "misguided." Earlier today, Richmond County Supreme Court Justice Ralph Porzio struck down the city's mask mandate for kids under 5, calling it "arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable." Adams had planned to lift the rule for toddlers Monday if Covid cases counts remained low, but they've jumped 40 percent over the past month. Citing the uptick, Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan said at a City Hall press conference this afternoon that he recommended keeping the mandate in place and the administration would appeal the ruling. "We want to be prepared — not panicked," Adams said. – Julia Marsh and Amanda Eisenberg
| | | | A message from The Black Car Fund:   | | | | | ON THE BEATS | | Homelessness: Public Advocate Jumaane Williams called on Adams today to pause his plan to clear homeless encampments and meet with advocates who have pushed back against the effort. "I do know that people don't want to see encampments," Williams said at a rally at City Hall Park. "We keep trying to tell folks, just because you don't see homeless New Yorkers don't mean we don't have homeless New Yorkers. We should try to put at least as much energy and fervor in housing New Yorkers as we do in trying to shuffle around homeless New Yorkers all over the city." Williams criticized Adams for rolling out a plan to clear encampments before releasing a housing plan. "You should have first put forth a plan that can house them, you should have first put out a plan that can get them the money they need for a safe place for them to go before you try to take down encampments," he said. "You did the last thing first, and that's the problem, that's what makes it harder." — Janaki Chadha Health Care: Disability Rights New York, Children's Rights, the National Health Law Program and Proskauer Rose LLP have filed a class action lawsuit against the Hochul administration on behalf of Medicaid-eligible children who claim to have been denied mental health treatment. The complaint was filed Thursday against state Health Commissioner Mary Bassett and Mental Health Commissioner Ann Marie T. Sullivan in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. It asserts that "despite federal laws requiring mental health services be available and provided to the State's Medicaid children and youth, New York administers an inadequate, inaccessible and fragmented mental health system for these children and youth." The Department of Health and Office Mental Health said they don't comment on pending litigation. — Leaders with the New York State Coalition for Children's Behavioral Health, Families Together in New York State and the Campaign for Health Minds, Health Kids, meanwhile, urged the governor in a Thursday letter to address issues raised in the lawsuit and by mental health providers "immediately in the budget process and build on the already robust commitments being made by your administration." — 1199SEIU union officials joined aging advocates today in lauding Hochul's decision to stop halting implementation of new "safe staffing" and direct care spending requirements at nursing homes. 1199SEIU Executive Vice President Milly Silva called it "an important day for residents of nursing homes, their family members, certainly the taxpayers of New York State and all of the caregivers, who have been dedicated [to] providing care for so many years." AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel, who also spoke at the afternoon virtual news conference, said while her organization is excited about the new regulations taking effect, "the job is not done in terms of advocating for our nursing home residents and for the staff." — Shannon Young
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Betsey Ball, Buffalo Deputy Mayor and former Cuomo administration alum, is leaving her position at Buffalo City Hall. — A Rochester-area town justice was scolded by the state's judicial watchdog for claiming unemployment on days he was in court. — Also Rochester connected: A former notorious mob hitman Dominic Taddeo escapes federal custody in Florida. — The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has crafted an online record to promote businesses that have been open in New York for roughly 50 years and contributed to history. — Your guide to the new nursing home staffing minimums.
| | | | A message from The Black Car Fund: The Black Car Fund kept NY moving during COVID by doing what it's done for 20 years: providing invaluable benefits to for-hire drivers and their families. Through the Black Car Fund, tens-of-thousands of professional drivers in NY are eligible for free telemedicine, vision, and dental coverage as well as insurance, prescription, urgent care, and diagnostic imaging discounts. The Fund also provided 20,000 PPE kits with masks, hand sanitizer and gloves for drivers to keep them on the road, serving New Yorkers. That's why NPR called The Black Car Fund "the future of benefits". Now the State legislature is considering an extension of the Black Car Fund's successful programs--at no cost to taxpayers. At this critical moment, it is imperative that our lawmakers recognize what a game-changer this help has been for New York's for-hire drivers.
Learn more here. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
Comments
Post a Comment