Adams highlights Albany agenda

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Mar 24, 2023 View in browser   By Joe Anuta Presented by New York City Mayor Eric Adams is making a final push for his Albany agenda. | John Minchillo/AP Photo Mayor Eric Adams rallied with labor leaders at the headquarters of 32BJ on Friday for a pair of Albany priorities that seem like shoo-ins. In addition to 32BJ, representatives from the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and DC37, the city’s largest municipal union, joined Adams to call for a permanent extension of the child tax credit and expanded earned income tax credit, which the mayor successfully argued for in last year’s state budget. “We know we can’t stop inflation, but inflation should not control our destination,” Adams said at the event. “And as long as we focus on those items, we can move working people out of poverty.” Adams is planning a trip to Albany next week for his second state budget — and remains sensitive to criticism about his first. He has strongly pushed back against reports that detailed turmoil in his intergovernmental affairs division along with an uneven outreach strategy that leaned heavily on Gov. Kathy Hochul. To counter that narrative, the mayor has often pointed to several wins like the EITC and child tax credit as proof that his administration was successful. But not all priorities are created equal. Getting the EITC and child tax credit passed required far less political capital and dealmaking acumen compared to changing the state’s bail laws and securing four years of mayoral control of the city’s school system — two of Adams’ marquee asks that went unfulfilled. A similar dynamic may be shaping up this year. The Senate and Assembly have both included some version of an extension for the tax credits in their one-house budgets. And the governor would have little reason to defy Adams and the labor organizations who rallied with him Friday. And while City Hall has launched a more coordinated push in the halls of the state Capitol this year, the mayor is pushing for another round of thorny requests: He wants to nix a $500 million city contribution to the MTA, proposed by the governor, and is looking again for changes to the criminal justice system that include not only bail, but alterations to discovery laws. IT’S FRIDAY: Have a great weekend, and rest up: Next week at this time, a state budget is (supposedly) due. We’ll be back Monday and each afternoon as we keep you updated on the latest New York news in Albany, City Hall and beyond.   A message from Grubhub: Grubhub and Seamless partner with local restaurants to help them find new customers and serve their communities. NYC restaurants deserve flexibility and marketing choices so that they can compete with national chains. Amending the fee cap on marketing services allows all restaurants to stay at current rates for delivery while having the flexibility to explore marketing options at any time as their needs change. NYC Council: Support local restaurants and give them more marketing choices.   From the Capitol Sen. Mike Gianaris is sponsoring a bill that passed the state Senate that would aim to preserve the statute of limitations in New York on any charges brought against a president. | Hans Pennink/AP Photo ABOVE THE LAW ACT: The Democratic-controlled state Senate on Thursday passed the No Citizen is Above the Law Act that would “stop the clock on the statute of limitations for criminal and civil prosecutions for people who serve as president of the United States.” The measure, according to Senate Deputy Leader Mike Gianaris, the bill’s sponsor, is in “response to former President Donald Trump’s repeated legal maneuverings to obfuscate investigations by the New York State Attorney General and Manhattan District Attorney.” The bill comes as Trump likely faces charges by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg over hush payments. If approved by the Assembly and signed into law, it would pause the statute of limitations for all crimes alleged to be committed by a sitting president. Current law allows presidents to have immunity that can “be used to run out the statute of limitations on criminal charges,” Gianaris said. In other news: Good cause eviction bill eyed as part of larger New York housing deal. Hochul gets second list of contenders for new chief judge pick.  Hochul nominates new state health commissioner   A message from Grubhub:   From City Hall Opponents of expanding charter schools in New York City rallied outside Gov. Kathy Hochul's office in Manhattan on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. | Madina Toure/POLITICO CHARTER WARS: City Council education chair Rita Joseph and several members of the Council’s Education Committee urged legislative leaders to reject Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to make way for more charters in New York City. Both the Senate and the Assembly have rejected the governor’s proposal, which calls for lifting the regional cap and permanently reissuing “zombie charters” — charters that were previously approved but later closed down. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on Friday, the members praised Hochul for proposing to fully fund foundation aid — the primary source of funding for school districts — and for her commitment to community schools, mental health services and tutoring. But they said they cannot support her charter proposal. The state budget is due by April 1. “Removing the geographic cap will further burden the Department of Education (DOE) and force New York City to pour more money into paying the rent for charter schools,” they wrote. “Additionally, this proposed expansion will require public schools to provide even more space to charter schools in district school buildings, which will hamper their growth and ability to fully meet the needs of their students.” — Madina Touré   A message from Grubhub: "Grubhub marketing services put us on the map and helped us expand our clientele." - Howie Jeon, Co-Owner of Yumpling in Long Island City, NY Howie opened his restaurant, Yumpling in Long Island City, NY with the goal of sharing authentic Taiwanese with his local community. Grubhub and Seamless help local restaurant owners, like Howie, access marketing services to reach more customers and thrive, so they can compete against bigger national chains. Our neighborhood restaurants deserve more marketing choice so they can grow and expand. Learn how NYC Council can support the local NYC restaurants we love.   On the beats Supporters of SUNY Downstate, the public hospital, rallied Friday for more state aid for the fiscally troubled facility. | SUNY RALLYING FOR SUNY DOWNSTATE: Lawmakers, community leaders and higher education advocates gathered at Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn with calls for $133 million in operating aid for the financially distressed teaching hospital. The group also called for the state to make permanent the coverage of debt service payments on state and federal loans; along with a multi-year capital program at downstate focuses on maternal and child care services, and upgrades to its emergency department. “After staging numerous rallies and protests in 2013 and 2014 to save our hospital, we once again stand strong and in solidarity with our state representatives, faith and community leaders and union siblings as we loudly call on the state to provide necessary critical mission funding to SUNY Downstate,” United University Professions Downstate chapter president Redetha Abrahams-Nichols said in a statement. “Our hospital, Brooklyn’s fourth-largest employer, provides necessary, life-saving care to tens of thousands of patients each year.” — Katelyn Cordero DECARBONIZING STATE BUILDINGS: An alliance of unions and environmental groups has returned after scoring a victory last year with a new target: shovel-ready plans to decarbonize the biggest state-owned energy gobblers. The coalition has already made major progress by getting both the Assembly and Senate to include their proposal to require decarbonization of state-owned buildings in their one-house budget plans. That includes mandating the completion of shovel-ready plans to eliminate on-site fossil fuel use at the 15 biggest polluters by April 2025, with a focus on large-scale geothermal and other thermal energy networks. Union leaders backing the plan say it will ensure there’s a steady flow of work to enable hiring more people from low-income and minority communities, particularly those most impacted by pollution and climate change. The UpgradeNY campaign has the backing of the AFL-CIO and the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council. Environmental groups including the New York League of Conservation Voters and Building Decarbonization Coalition are also involved. — Marie J. French DNA LAWSUIT: A judge in the Southern District of New York on Thursday denied a request to dismiss a lawsuit alleging New York City secretively stores the DNA of thousands of people without obtaining a warrant or court order. The class action suit was brought by the Legal Aid Society in March of last year. The plaintiffs’ complaint says the New York Police Department has for years targeted unsuspecting New Yorkers, including young children, by bringing them into interrogation rooms and offering them cigarettes or drinks to collect their DNA. In a statement to POLITICO, law department spokesperson Nicholas Paolucci said the court ruled on procedural issues and not on the merits of the plaintiffs’ claims. He said it is the city’s position that the practices challenged in the suit are lawful, and the NYPD and medical examiner’s office are reviewing the decision. — Zachary Schermele Around New York — Immigrants in a Hudson Valley jail complained they lack access to the necessary medical treatments. (WNYC) — In Albany, the Kenwood Convent has been closed permanently after a fire on Thursday burned it to the ground. (Times Union) — Fifteen years have passed, and the plan for improving safety in a dangerous corridor of intersections in the Bronx has yet to start. (THE CITY) — CUNY is the most anti-Semitic school institution in the U.S., according to a report. (The Jerusalem Post)   Follow us on Twitter Anna Gronewold @annagronewold Joseph Spector @JoeSpectorNY   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

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