Deals and no deals in Albany

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Jun 09, 2023 View in browser   By Joseph Spector, Danielle Muoio Dunn and Hajah Bah Presented by Legislative leaders released a rare rebuke of Gov. Kathy Hochul for failing to put together a housing agreement as the legislative session closes. | Hans Pennink/AP Photo New York's six-month legislative session is set to wrap up Friday, probably after dark. But there’s plenty of daylight on what will and won’t be approved before lawmakers leave Albany for the year. In a last-ditch effort, state lawmakers tried to reach some type of housing deal that would extend the 421-a tax break for developers, coupled with new rent and eviction protections for tenants. It was unsuccessful, probably a Hail Mary to start with. But it leaves lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul at odds. Legislative leaders released a rare rebuke of Hochul, putting the blame on her for not reaching a housing agreement after efforts to do so first blew up during budget talks last month. But team Hochul fired back that if lawmakers had the votes for a package as they claimed — and it wasn’t certain they did — they should have just passed it and she could have weighed whether to sign. Advocates offered a similar assessment. "There's a lot of finger-pointing happening in Albany today, but one thing there won't be anytime soon is new housing being built,” said Carlo Scissura, the president of the New York Building Congress, which represents the construction industry. So what is destined to pass? The Clean Slate Act to seal criminal records in most cases after they serve their sentences, despite opposition from police and Republicans. The Grieving Families Act 2.0 to expand the criteria for who can file a wrongful death lawsuit and the damages they can claim. The bill would also lengthen the statute of limitations, which is currently two years. Hochul vetoed a similar measure last year. A bill to create a commission to study reparations due to slavery — a bit of a surprise deal, and one that makes New York the second state to do this after California. There will be hundreds of other bills approved before lawmakers leave town, and there is a list of Hochul nominees yet to be confirmed — although Justin Driscoll’s nomination to become the permanent head of the New York Power Authority is uncertain. Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that the session will end on a whimper after a bruising budget fight that went a month longer than usual. The budget delay in a non-election year left little energy or urgency for any major agreements at the end of session, perhaps outside of the Clean Slate Act. Instead, lawmakers will go home and return in January — ready for a new set of debates centered on what wasn’t done to address affordability and the state’s housing needs. And next year, all 213 of them will be up for election. HAPPY FRIDAY.  WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany, New York City and Washington, D.C., delivering remarks at the NYREC Emerging Leaders and Markets Conference. WHERE’S ERIC? In New York City, delivering remarks at the Black Owner & Women’s (BOW) Collective annual conference. Later, he will deliver remarks at a screening of “The Right to Read” at the Tribeca Festival and at the National Puerto Rican Day Parade Gala. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We want to hear from individuals about what we can do to tackle slavery and its legacy,” —Assemblymember Michelle Solages said during the floor debate about having hearings that would be held across the state through a reparations study. A message from ConEd: The road to a cleaner New York starts now. A new transmission line will carry enough energy to power over 200,000 homes and enable the city to retire fossil fuel peaker plants in Queens. It's going to take all of us to make our clean energy future a reality and Con Edison is committed to doing its part. Learn more.   ABOVE THE FOLD A view of the the Empire State Plaza and New York state Capitol is shown on April 4, 2022, in Albany, N.Y. | Hans Pennink/AP Photo New York court hears arguments to redraw the state’s congressional maps in 2024, by Bill Mahoney: A legal challenge that could eventually give New York Democrats a second crack at drawing new congressional district lines continued to work its way through the courts on Thursday, with a mid-level state appellate court hearing arguments that could restart redistricting by the end of the summer. Trump indicted in federal classified documents probe, POLITICO’S Kyle Cheney, Alex Isenstadt, Josh Gerstein, Meredith McGraw: The precise charges that federal prosecutors have obtained against Trump were not immediately clear. But one of Trump’s attorneys indicated that a summons issued by prosecutors listed a provision of the Espionage Act and a federal statute criminalizing the obstruction of an official proceeding.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     WHAT ALBANY'S READING "New York Has a Housing Crisis. So Why Won’t Albany Act?" by New York Magazine’s Errol Louis: "The rent is already too damn high and will soar even higher if political leaders can’t resolve a stalemate in the state capital that has slowed the creation of affordable housing in New York to a crawl." "Cannabis crackdown begins as NY authorities serve orders on 7 NYC shops," by Times Union’s Brendan Lyons "Albany housing deal falls apart as Heastie, Stewart-Cousins say they can’t reach agreement with Hochul," by AMNY’s Ben Brachfeld   A message from ConEd:   What City Hall's reading “Stiff Prices, Unfulfilled Orders: How the Private Contractor Running Rikers Commissary Serves Detainees,” THE CITY’s Bianca Pallaro and Reuven Blau: “Yet, every product listed through the new service is being sold at a price higher than the one stipulated in the contract, and many of the prices there and at Rikers commissary more than double those at local grocery stores and online retailers, an investigation by THE CITY has found.” “Mandatory composting coming soon to New York City,” by Gothamist’s Sophia Chang: "New Yorkers will soon be required to compost all their food scraps, yard waste, and food-soiled paper under a sweeping bill that passed the City Council Thursday. The mandatory composting legislation for all 8.8 million residents is broader and more ambitious than Mayor Eric Adams’ current program." “NYC emergency room visits for asthma double amid hazardous air quality from Canada wildfires,” New York Daily News’ Josephine Stratman “Adams mocks Lander as ‘loudest person in the city,’” by City & State’s Jeff Coltin “Return of killer smog? Experts warn of potentially deadly NYC haze,” by POLITICO’s Maya Kaufman   GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE.     AROUND NEW YORK — Suburban New York Democrats are opposing a proposed increase in Thruway toll prices. — Autonomous shuttles could be coming to a JFK Airport parking lot. — Here's how Mets broadcasts unfold on your screen. — Repairs to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will take longer than expected. — The New York Times: “The ChatGPT Lawyer Explains Himself.” SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Marvin Kalb (93) … Axios’ Margaret Talev … Newsweek’s Ramsen Shamon … Candi Wolff of Citi … Jeff Solnet ... Haley Cohen Gilliland … Ashley Bahnken … Miles O’Brien … Robert Heath Townsend Jr. … Brad Gallant MAKING MOVES — Gabrielle Lipsky has been promoted to be comms director for Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.). She most recently was his press secretary. MEDIAWATCH — Kristian Monroe is now assistant editor and weekend executive producer at BBC News. She most recently was a line producer for MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House.” A message from ConEd: Con Edison is preparing today for a cleaner tomorrow. New York's energy future will require modernizing the city's infrastructure to keep up with demand and ensure reliability. That's why Con Edison is upgrading substations, building new transmission lines, and creating clean energy hubs, helping to deliver renewable energy citywide for years to come. Learn More.   Real Estate “Indian plastics manufacturer seeks first U.S. operation in Lockport,” Buffalo News’ Jonathan D. Epstein: “SRI CV Plastics wants to construct a 13,870-square-foot plastic product manufacturing facility at 1000 IDA Park Drive, using a 2-acre parcel of vacant industrial land that it would purchase from the Lockport Industrial Development Agency. The plant would produce all sizes of PVC plastic pipes and disposable food containers used for food packaging.” “Mount Sinai opens $140M behavioral health center on the Lower East Side,” Crain’s Jacqueline Neber   Follow us on Twitter Danielle Muoio Dunn @muoiod   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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