Welcome back, Assembly

Presented by Uber: POLITICO's must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers

Jun 20, 2023 View in browser   By Joseph Spector and Hajah Bah Presented by Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas is pressing the state Assembly to pass her bill to allow undocumented immigrants to get health insurance through a state program. | Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP Photo Summer hasn’t officially started yet for the New York state Assembly. Lawmakers will return to Albany on Tuesday for a two-day session to conclude business for the year. As one top aide put it to Playbook: “We’re clearing out a lot of local stuff on the calendar,” meaning the dozens of members’ priorities that didn’t get approved on June 10, when the Assembly decided to recess. There are some potentially headline-grabbing bills that are still up for consideration — and one major bill that was quashed over the long weekend. Here are five to know. 1. The Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act The Assembly is considering following the state Senate's lead and passing the Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act, which would make it easier for people convicted of crimes to overturn their cases. But the state’s District Attorneys Association urged lawmakers not to approve the measure, saying it is unnecessary because current laws protect defendants from wrongful convictions. “The bill would have a detrimental effect on the operation of the criminal justice system,” Washington County District Attorney J. Anthony Jordan, the group’s president, said in a statement. He contended that, if signed into law, the bill would “result in no conviction ever being final, and in a way that would impose an impossible burden on an already overburdened criminal justice system.” 2. Protections for telehealth professionals The Democratic-led Assembly is also set to consider another bill that passed the Senate: one that strengthens protections for health professionals who provide telehealth services to out-of-state patients considering an abortion. 3. The Coverage for All bill When they return, lawmakers will be greeted by immigrant advocates who are holding an 11 a.m. press conference outside the chambers, pushing for the passage of the Coverage for All bill. The bill would allow the state to get a federal waiver to provide health care coverage for undocumented New Yorkers. Gov. Kathy Hochul has raised concerns about the cost after federal aid for it runs out, but advocates and the bill’s sponsor, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas (D-Queens), have dismissed Hochul’s issues and said they are hopeful that it will be approved. 4. The planned offshore wind transmission act In another last-minute effort, environmental groups and unions on Long Island are pressing the Assembly to pass a bill that was approved in the Senate to help critical offshore wind projects off the coast — amid opposition from residents there about the impact on local parkland. But a group of state and local unions wrote in a letter obtained by POLITICO that the bill is critical for the projects and for the state to meet its climate goals. “Taken together, these projects account for over one-third of New York State’s offshore wind mandate. Pushing this legislation to next year materially increases the risk for the project’s failure,” the unions wrote. 5. The Seneca deal One controversial bill that won’t move after passing the Senate: giving Hochul’s office the authority to negotiate a 20-year gaming compact with the Seneca Nation. POLITICO reported it included a deal for a Rochester casino that hadn’t been discussed with local leaders. Rochester officials rallied against the secrecy, and unions ripped the impact on area casinos. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on Friday night ended the debate for now, writing on Twitter that because of the concerns, “We cannot move forward with a vote on the compact at this time.” The Senecas were livid, and in a nearly 1,000-word response wrote: “The Nation is once again reminded that Native Nations in the State of New York are secondary to corporate interests.” The current compact ends this year. So this issue isn’t going away anytime soon — even if lawmakers will be far away from Albany after Wednesday night. A message from Uber: Uber riders have already paid $629 Million in Congestion Pricing fees while personal cars and Amazon trucks haven’t paid a cent. Even all electric Uber Green cars are charged for Congestion Pricing while gas trucks pay nothing. 14,500 Uber riders have opposed increasing fees on Ubers. Learn More.   IT’S TUESDAY. WHERE’S KATHY? Delivering remarks at the meeting of the interstate task force on illegal guns in Albany, and at the Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer way street naming in New York City. WHERE’S ERIC? Delivering remarks at Nasdaq's executive leadership council, at the Private Sector Summit for Spread Love NYC, at the 2023 NYC Solar & Storage Summit, and at the Third UN High-level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States. He's also hosting a reception for DOE parent leaders. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “NYCHA has a history of doing things that are not in the best interests of the residents” — Louis Flores, a co-founder of the pro-tenant advocacy group Fight For NYCHA, after the housing authority threatened to evict tenants who received a free air conditioner. ABOVE THE FOLD Poor NYC early voting turnout generates under 10K ballots ahead of June 27 primary election, by New York Post’s Bernadette Hogan Eric Adams, Micromanager: It’s clearer than ever that he’s running New York on his own, by New York Magazine’s Errol Louis: “[Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell's] departure naturally raises questions about how the NYPD is run and who, exactly, is running it. It is also the most prominent in a string of high-profile resignations from the Adams administration.”   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 City Hall's reading The ‘Fiercely Loyal’ Adams Adviser Agitating From Inside City Hall, by The New York Times’ Brian M. Rosenthal and Jeffery C. Mays: “In the days after Eric Adams was elected mayor of New York, several of his supporters approached him with some uncomfortable advice. They urged him not to hire his closest ally, Ingrid P. Lewis-Martin, for his administration, according to six people with knowledge of the conversations.” Most asylum-seeking migrants arriving in New York City unlikely to be able to stay in U.S. legally, by Newsday’s Matthew Chayes WHAT ALBANY'S READING Strengthened labor protections for warehouse workers takes effect in New York, by Spectrum News’ Kate Lisa: “The New York state Labor Department will start to monitor stronger protections for warehouse workers in the state, including mandates they quickly receive data about their work speed and company-set quotas after legislation took effect Monday." Environmental advocates call for passage of NY HEAT Act, by New York State of Politics’ Tim Williams and Marisa Jacques: “It would change state law to stop utility companies from building new natural gas hookups used to generate electricity.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: An antimonopoly group called the American Economic Liberties Project sent a letter to Heastie on Monday urging the assembly to pass five bills when they return for the end of session. Twenty-five backers have signed on to the letter including Amazon Labor Union, Housing Works Inc. and Open Markets Institute. The five bills they’re advocating for are: a ban on noncompete agreements, the LLC Transparency Act, the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act, a ban on nondisclosure agreements in economic subsidy deals and the repeal of the Opportunity Zone tax subsidy. The bills are unlikely to get much traction at the end of session. — Hajah Bah   A message from Uber:   AROUND NEW YORK — Here's a look at New York’s history with slavery as the state celebrated Juneteenth. (City & State) — This database shows tax rates in all New York’s 528 villages. (New York Upstate) — The Rochester Jazz Festival kicks off Friday. A history. (Democrat and Chronicle)   SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.     SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Adrienne Elrod … POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein … CNN’s Janie Boschma ... Victoria Grace … Olivia Messer … Sara Pearl Kenigsberg … Tom Tripicco … (was Monday): Reuters’ Jeff Mason … Tom Hoare … Anne Gearan … POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt and Melissa Cooke … Marcus Brauchli … former SEC Chair Mary Schapiro … CBS’ Christina Ruffini … Mary Dalrymple of Eagle Hill Consulting ... Louise Serio … Nick Gollner … Jenna Kastan … … (was Sunday): Dina Powell McCormick … Joanne Lipman … Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) … Reed Cordish … Sophia Templin … Mary Ann Georgantopoulos … Dylan Pyne ... (was Saturday): Tory Burch … Matt Canter of Global Strategy Group … Alex Weprin … CNBC’s Christina Wilkie … CNN’s Allie Malloy … Will Sommer … CBS’ Nicole Domenica Sganga ... Kerri Chyka … Matthew Nimetz  MEDIAWATCH — Ashley Gian is now a booking producer for Newsmax, where she works on “Carl Higbie Frontline,” “Sunday Agenda” and “Sunday Report.” She most recently was an audience coordinator for NBCUniversal and is a former producer for Amazon Prime Video and NBCUniversal. A message from Uber: If you own a townhouse on the Upper West Side, you don’t pay any Congestion Pricing. If you’re a renter in the Bronx you already pay $2.75 in Congestion Pricing on every Uber trip into Manhattan’s congestion zone. Over 165,000 Uber trips start in outer borough low income neighborhoods and end in Manhattan. 14,500 Uber riders have opposed increasing fees on Ubers. Learn More.   Real Estate Beds for 15,000 people sit empty in NYC’s public, supportive housing systems amid migrant crisis: data, by Daily News’ Chris Sommerfeldt   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

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.