NEWS

NY lawmakers need to get back to work

Joseph Spector
Albany Bureau
  • Much of the focus will be on the state Senate when lawmakers return to work April 28
  • The Senate is run by a coalition of Republicans and the 5-member Independent Democratic Conference
  • Liberal groups are pressing Cuomo to go along with their agenda as he faces re-election in November
  • Democrats hope to revisit the Dream Act and the Women's Equality Act that failed last year

ALBANY – Legalizing medical marijuana, expanding public financing of political campaigns and increasing the minimum wage are all top issues for the state Legislature to grapple with when it returns to the Capitol later this month.

Many of the issues remaining for lawmakers when they resume April 28 will be progressive issues sought by Democrats in an election year for state offices.

As a result, much of the focus will be on the state Senate, which is run by a coalition of Republicans and the five-member Independent Democratic Conference. The session runs through June 19.

"The coalition has always said that they were in place to get progressive legislation passed. I don't think that's really happened," said Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, D-Yonkers. "Clearly, we can do better."

The Legislature left for spring break soon after the state budget was passed March 31. The Senate was slated to return Thursday, but pushed it back to the last week of the month.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo will also face pressure to back some of the measures. Liberal groups are pressing him to go along with their agenda as he faces re-election in November.

Cuomo offered his own limited plan in January to legalize medical marijuana in New York. But supporters want a broader bill, and there appears to be bipartisan support to pass it. Cuomo hasn't indicated whether he would sign it, though.

The measure would easily pass the Democratic-led Assembly, and supporters say it would pass the Senate, too. Four Republicans senators — Sens. Joseph Robach, R-Greece; George Maziarz, R-Newfane, Niagara County; Thomas O'Mara, Big Flats, Chemung County; and Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo — said they would support it.

"We're certain that if the bill is brought to the floor, it'll pass," said Gabriel Sayegh, state director of the Drug Policy Alliance. "The question is the Senate, and it's a leadership issue."

Senate Republicans said they are focused on fiscal issues. They have opposed public financing of campaigns, though they did agree in the state budget to start a pilot program with the comptroller's seat.

"We're achieving the people's agenda — getting spending and taxes under control, ensuring students have the resources they need to succeed and creating a climate where businesses create new jobs for hardworking people," said Senate Republican spokesman Scott Reif.

He added that, "When these Senate Democrats argue for things to be more progressive, what they really want to do is raise taxes."

Advocates and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, a Democrat, have panned the public-financing measure, saying it is inadequate and ill conceived.

Senate IDC Leader Jeff Klein, D-Bronx, said he would push for a broader campaign-finance system for all state races during the remainder of the legislative session.

"Conversations are continuing," Klein said. "I thought we could do better than just the pilot program for the comptroller. I think we still can, and that's what I'm going to be concentrating on in the weeks ahead."

Democrats also want to allow immigrants who are in the country illegally to be able to get tuition assistance for college. The measure, called the Dream Act, narrowly failed in the Senate last month, and Republicans have said they have no interest in having another vote.

Democrats are also seeking to raise the minimum wage. Cuomo and the Legislature reached a deal last year to increase the minimum wage to $9 an hour by the end of 2015. It's currently $8 an hour.

A coalition of Democrats has legislation, called RaiseUpNY, to allow cities and counties to increase their own local minimum wage. New York City leaders want to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for large employers and chain stores in the city.

Advocates point to a U.S. Census Bureau report in 2012 that showed New York has the largest income inequality in the nation.

"RaiseUpNY is the highest-impact policy Albany lawmakers could adopt this session to reduce inequality, boost local economies and set realistic, livable wages for three million New Yorkers," the group said earlier this month.

Cuomo has dismissed letting local governments set their own minimum wages, saying in February that it would create chaos and, "We don't want to cannibalize ourselves."

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, wants to at least increase the minimum wage to $9 an hour by the end of this year.

Democrats hope to revisit a 10-point Women's Equality Act that didn't pass the Legislature last year. Republicans balked at a provision that would strengthen abortion rights.

Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, said he's concerned that Democrats will seek to push measures that would try to curry favor with voters in an election year rather than improve the state's business climate.

The state's unemployment rate in March was 6.9 percent; the national rate was 6.7 percent.

Kolb said the Legislature should focus on reducing mandates on local governments, which he said would lead to lower property taxes.

"There's a lot to work on that I think is positive," Kolb said, "and hopefully our focus will be on that and not just something that sounds good on the campaign trail."

Cuomo has made property taxes a top issue, and the state budget included a two-year rebate to homeowners if local governments stay under the property-tax cap and consolidate services. Last year, the sides agreed to give people with children under 17 a $350 check this fall.

Lawmakers also have local measures that they'll lobby their colleagues on before the session ends.

For instance, at least four prisons and psychiatric facilities are set to shutter, and legislators are trying to beat back or delay the closures. The closings include the Broome Developmental Center and the Monterey Shock facility in the Southern Tier.

"We're trying to get them to slow the whole thing down so we can have a chance to do some better planning," said Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D-Binghamton.

JSPECTOR@Gannett.com

Twitter.com/gannettalbany

Topics on tap

Here are some of the key issues facing the state Legislature when it returns to session April 28:

Medical marijuana: The legalization is supported in the Assembly and what appears to be a majority in the Senate. But it's uncertain whether it will come to a vote and whether Gov. Andrew Cuomo would sign it.

Public financing of campaigns: A pilot program for the Comptroller's Office approved in the state budget didn't satisfy advocates, who want it for all statewide races.

Minimum wage: Democrats want to push it from $8 an hour to $9 an hour by the end of the year and allow municipalities to increase it themselves. Republicans and Cuomo aren't supporting the plan.

Dream Act: Letting illegal immigrants receive tuition assistance for college was narrowly defeated in the Senate. Democrats vowed to continue to push for its approval.

Women's Equality Act: A 10-point plan to expand protections for women in the workplace and at home was defeated last year by Republicans because it included a plank that opponents said would expand abortion in New York.