Friday Morning Brief Dec 15, 2023

Dec 14

Written By Michael Avella

Member Spotlight:

Senator Pete Harckham

Senator Pete Harckham joined us to discuss his district and his experiences in the Senate. First elected in November 2018, he quickly became known for advocating for the environment and his constituents. Prior to becoming a Senator, he served on the Westchester County Board of Legislators. He is currently the Chair of the Senate Committee on Environmental Conservation, in addition to serving on various other committees such as on Codes, Insurance, and Local Government.

What district do you represent? What do you like the most about your district?
I represent District 40, Northern Westchester — from the Connecticut border to the Hudson River—most of Putnam County and one town in Rockland County. I love my district. It’s a diverse district. It’s rural, agrarian, and suburban; there is the City of Peekskill and dense villages like Ossining, Brewster, and Mount Kisco. We have a vibrant immigrant population. It’s a beautiful district in terms of population and geographical diversity.

What did you do before becoming a legislator?
I was in the communications business. I had my own communications firm. I was also President of the Board of a nonprofit housing corporation to build affordable housing in Westchester. I realized what a great framework Westchester County has for creating affordable housing. In Northeast Westchester, we had infrastructure and environmental needs. So I ran for Westchester County Board of Legislators and flipped a red seat to blue. I served on the County Board for eight years and then served in the administration of the prior governor for three years. Now, I’ve been in the Senate for five years.

What made you want to be a legislator?
The ability to effect change and impact people lives in a positive ways.

What kind of music do you like - any favorite bands/artists?
I’m into the old classics, like Bruce Springsteen, and punk bands like the Ramones.

How about sports - any favorite NY sports team and any favorite sports/activities to play?
The Yankees. Baseball and football are my favorite sports. This is where I make enemies; I’m actually a Dallas Cowboys fan. I was born there, and some of my earliest memories that always stay with me were being in Dallas and watching the old Dallas Cowboys team play. I also like watching the Giants and the Jets; I’ve been watching them for years.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to cook and spend time with my daughters when they are in town, or I will travel to them. I live with my partner, and we have two dogs. We like to walk in the woods with the dogs. But unfortunately, I do not have much free time with this job.

What are/is your greatest/proudest legislative achievement(s) this year and throughout your career?
All my legislative achievements are my proudest because they all fill a different niche. Whether that is a small bill helping a local school district with its challenges or something as large as mandating that by 2035, every automobile and light vehicle sold in NY needs to be zero emission. They go from small bills that impact local communities to big and impactful things for the state. But they all impact different people differently, and I put as much effort into the small ones as I do into the big ones.

As Chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee, what big issues do you see arising in the next session?
My job as the Chair is like being a point guard in basketball. Many of my colleagues have great bills, so it’s my job to put them in a position to succeed. Obviously, water quality and protecting our fragile drinking water are always important. Climate change is also always big. We have the Bond Act, Cap-and-Invest. Waste is a big issue; I have a big bill for waste with Chair Glick in the Assembly called the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, so that will go a long way to reduce recycling costs for local municipalities and reduce methane in our landfills.

Do you see yourself working with Assemblymember Glick, the Assembly's Environmental Conservation Chair, a lot? Or any other members that you like to work with or see yourself hanging out with a lot?
We work with many members of the Assembly. There are certain bills we choose to work with her on because she’s the Chair of the Environmental Conservation in the Assembly, so as colleagues in that regard, it pays to work together. I love a lot of members in the Assembly; we got a lot of work done with many different members.

What is your office going to focus on for the winter?
We are focusing on meeting with local groups and determining their budget needs. We are meeting with stakeholders on various matters to find out what’s important to them for next year’s budget negotiations and what they are looking for legislatively. We are drawing up our legislative agenda for next year. Also, we are doing local constituent service, which happens 365 days a year.

What are your priorities/goals for next year?
Electrification is a big issue regarding clean energy in the state. This year, we announced $2.1 million in grant money for electrification. Every municipality got $100,000; it was very well received whether they were Democratic or Republican municipalities. In the big picture, we need to continue moving the dial on climate change and addressing environmental justice remediation with restorative justice policies. We need to continue to reduce the carbon footprint and do it affordably. We also have a lot of other issues: water quality, air quality, and pesticides in chemical use to protect public health. We will have a very busy year, as we always do.

What advice would you give to young folks getting into politics?
Just dive in. There are no predestined career paths. There is no resume-building. If you want to get involved in public service, get involved. Every member of the Legislature has internship programs, and I don’t see any of us turning away any energetic, qualified person. So, if there are young people interested in public service, find a legislator you appreciate and ask to intern. That is a great way to start. You get exposed to a lot of different things and decide how you want to tailor your approach.

What is the hardest part about being a legislator?
I think the most challenging part is to do it right; you have to be prepared to put in the time. This is a seven-day-a-week job, and people’s needs don’t go away. And you have to love your work. If you are not willing to put in the time and not willing to love your constituents, then it’s not the job for you. I love the work, and I love the folks in the district because it’s a great platform to help folks.

Any last comments you want to mention?
I’m very proud of our work in the Senate as a Conference. If you look at what we have done since we took over the Majority in 2019, the amount of progress and how much we have been able to move the state forward. I’m really proud to be in the Democratic conference under the leadership of Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and I’m very proud of the work that my team has done in the district and legislatively. They are all public servants too, and they are the ones who do a lot of work. And I give them a great deal of gratitude.

Are you a public official or staffer that would like to be featured in our spotlight or do you know someone that would? If so, reach out to your favorite D&A team member or contact us at team@dickinsonavella.com to set up an interview!

EXECUTIVE UPDATES

Over the weekend, Governor Hochul sent a letter to presidents of colleges and universities across the state urging them to strengthen protections from antisemitism for students and reiterating that any calls for genocide made on college campuses are a violation of the state’s Human Rights Law. Hochul also assured people that the state would enforce any violations and refer them to federal officials while urging college and university officials to ensure that they have a clearly defined and well-publicized mechanism for individuals to report claims of violations. The letter comes after several university presidents failed to denounce antisemitism and calls for genocide on college campuses unequivocally in the recent Congressional Hearing on Antisemitism. The letter also comes after a possible hate crime incident occurred at Temple Israel in Albany. Hochul has ensured that state resources are deployed to protect high-risk communities and college campuses.

On Monday, Hochul was joined by Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Paul Tonko as she announced a $10 billion partnership with IBM, Micron, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, and other leaders from the semiconductor industry to facilitate semiconductor research and development at Albany NanoTech Complex. The partnership will fund the construction of the first publicly owned High NA Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Center in North America. In addition to improving semiconductor research and development, the new partnership will also support the long-term growth of the state’s tech economy and facilitate thousands of direct and indirect jobs, including union construction jobs. The recent announcement builds upon the Green CHIPS bill signed last year and the creation of GO-SEMI by the 2024 Budget. “This industry is creating real opportunity in our state with major regional investments, countless new jobs, and bold commitments to workforce development and sustainability, and my administration will keep working with elected and industry leaders to make New York a global chipmaking superpower,” explained Hochul.

On Tuesday, to expand the state’s clean energy sector, Hochul announced the new $45 million Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship Clean Energy Training Initiative to ensure that labor organizations have the capacity to provide the necessary training for prospective workers in the clean energy sector. Under the initiative, labor organizations, labor-management communities, training centers, and apprenticeship programs can obtain up to $750,000 per project, with an additional $150,000 for projects that include K-12 career awareness and clean energy promotion or outreach. In addition to expanding the state’s clean energy sector, the initiative will help the state reach its CLCPA goals of ensuring a just transition to a clean energy workforce and directing at least 35% of clean energy investment towards disadvantaged communities.

Earlier this week, Hochul announced a $479 million investment in 156 local water infrastructure projects, saving $1.39 billion for local ratepayers and creating 24,000 jobs across the state. The recent water investment is partially funded through the Bond Act, which provides $4.2 billion for environmental and community projects across the state and was passed by voters via ballot initiative last year. “This investment will make life-saving improvements to our water infrastructure and safeguard drinking water for millions of people, in addition to saving New Yorkers money and creating tens of thousands of jobs,” Hochul explained. The investment builds upon the 2024 Budget, which includes $500 million for improving the state’s water infrastructure.

Yesterday, Hochul announced $20.3 million in grant awards to address public health and gun violence to support the expansion of SNUG Street Outreach programs across 14 communities. The new grant awards will go to up to 16 different community-based organizations that fund outreach workers, hospital responders, social workers, and case managers who work to reduce gun violence through an evidence-based public health approach. The recent funding for SNUG builds upon the 2024 Budget priority to reduce gun violence and complements other programs and initiatives designed to reduce gun violence, such as the $36.2 million funding for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative and $17 million funding for the state’s network of 11 crime analysis centers. “With these funds, we are expanding on the proven success of the SNUG program, which has been a key component of my administration’s efforts to drive down incidents of gun violence and tackle this issue across the state,” explained Hochul.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Less than 100 Bills Await Hochul's Signature

With a little over two weeks left before the end of the year, less than 100 bills await Hochul’s signature, including the following notable pieces of legislation:

Four bills passed by the Legislature are proposed constitutional amendments that Hochul will not take action on. One notable proposed constitutional amendment that has been certified for next year’s November ballot is the Equal Protection of Law, which would enshrine a broad series of equality rights for women, including abortion rights.

Senator Mark Walcyzk Announced His Deployment to Kuwait

Late last week, Senator Mark Walczyk announced that he would be deploying to Kuwait for nine months at the end of January, as he is a Captain in the US Army Rangers. Walcyzk will miss the bulk of the legislative session, but he explained that his office will continue running as usual and will continue to work with his constituents. On his reason for his deployment, Walcyzk explained, “While I’m many things in this life: a father, a husband, a son, an American, and a Senator. I’m also an American soldier, and it’s time to answer to the creed.” In a statement, Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt issued his gratitude for Walcyzk, “Our conference is proud to have a dedicated public servant and American soldier like Mark within our ranks.”

Johanna Carmona Filed to Run Against Ardila

Johanna Carmona, former special victims’ lawyer and staffer to former Assemblymember Cathy Nolan, officially filed to run in the Democratic primary against Juan Ardila, making the primary a three-way race between her, Ardila, and labor organizer Claire Valdez. Carmona ran against Ardila during last year’s primary but finished in third place behind Ardila and moderate Brent O’Leary. Observers note the possible competitiveness in the upcoming primary as virtually all voters in Ardila’s district want an alternative, and the district has increasingly become more progressive in certain sections but also holds moderate sections in eastern parts of the district. On her reasoning for running against Ardila for the second time, Carmona explained, “I am running to restore the resources and representation that we deserve and to serve my neighbors with honesty, integrity, and compassion.”

Board of Regents Releases Its Budget and Legislative Priorities

Earlier this week, the state’s Board of Regents released their budget and legislative priorities for next year. In addition to asking for a $4.3 million investment for agency-wide infrastructure to continue supporting school districts with rapid enrollment growth, early college programs, and services for students with disabilities, the Board is asking the state for an additional $1.6 billion in State Aid for the 2024-2025 school year. Through the $1.6 billion in State Aid, the Board is seeking to prioritize three key areas of critical need: academic success, educational equity, and rebuilding the Board’s capacity. This is composed of but not limited to funding the Charter School office, updating learning standards, funding scholarship programs, and improving the teacher recruiting pipeline.

Bill to Revoke NYU & Columbia University Tax Breaks Introduced

Lawmakers introduced a bill earlier this week to revoke a longstanding property tax exemption held by Columbia University and NYU. If passed and signed into law, the bill could force both universities to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes to the CUNY system in NYC. The bill comes as CUNY faces budget cuts amidst citywide budget cuts for all services. The bill also comes after an NYT and Hechinger Report investigation revealed that NYU and Columbia avoided paying $327 million in property taxes this year. John Liu, the Senate sponsor, explained that he did not “fault these institutions for pursuing their tax breaks” but that NYC “have to look where all revenues are coming from and where all revenues are leaking.”

Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus Released their 2024 Agenda

The Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus, composed of more than 70 lawmakers and led by Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, recently released its A Demand for Justice budget and policy priorities for the upcoming legislative session. The budget and policy priorities include:

Establishing a statewide single-payer healthcare system
Rental voucher program for unhoused persons
Continuing to fully fund foundational aid
Increasing the personal income tax for millionaires
Imposing a tax on inherited income
Imposing a new capital gains tax

Solages explained that the Caucus would be focused on “housing, health care and holding the line on making sure that we’re not cutting any essential programs” while increasing or implementing certain taxes to ensure that the state can counteract the upcoming budget deficit to continue providing services.

OTHER UPDATES

Court of Appeals Orders New Congressional District Map

On Tuesday, the state Court of Appeals ruled 4-3 that the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) must redraw the congressional district lines by February 28th. The ruling overturned the current lines that were drawn by a special master in 2022 after the Court of Appeals struck down the Legislature-drawn lines that were produced due to the IRC failing to reach a consensus. Starting in November, Democrats argued that because the lines produced by a special master were due to a court order, the lines were only counted for last year’s election cycle, and the IRC should be able to draw the congressional lines as the state’s constitution mandates. The GOP argued that the lines drawn by the special master are constitutional and that the Democrats only want to redistrict for political gains. Once the IRC draws the new district lines, it must be completed "on the earliest possible date, but in no event later than February 28, 2024." The Legislature must then approve it to go into effect in time for the congressional primaries, which are set to be held on June 25th.

Many believe the new lines will be more favorable to Democrats and will bring more seats into play as New York remains a key battleground state in the overall fight for control of Congress.

GOP Mazi Pilip to Run Against Tom Suozzi

With the state Democratic Party choosing Tom Suozzi to run a special election on February 13 for former Rep. George Santos’ seat, former Senator Anna Kaplan dropped her campaign and endorsed Suozzi. “We need to start 2024 off right, and that means electing Tom Suozzi to flip this seat and get Democrats closer to the majority,” explained Kaplan. Suozzi was the former representative for the district before resigning to run for governor last year, which led to Santos’s picking up the seat. On the Republican side, the party chose Nassau County Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip. Pilip, a former Israeli paratrooper, was first elected to the Nassau County Legislature after defeating a Democrat incumbent in 2021. Many observers note that the race will be one of the most competitive next year, with the district voting for President Biden in 2020 but voting for a Republican during last year’s midterm elections.

Weeks of Testimony in Trump's Civil Trial Concludes

After 11 weeks of testimony, the evidentiary portion of former President Donald Trump’s civil trial finally concluded on Wednesday. Trump and his two sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, are accused of fraud, falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements, and conspiracy alongside the Trump Organization. With the sitting judge, Arthur Engoron, already ruling that Trump was guilty, the civil trial was focused on damages that Trump must pay. Attorney General Letitia James is seeking at least $250 million and a limitation on Trump to conduct business in the state. While James praised the trial for “[revealing] the full extent” of Trump’s alleged wrongdoings, Trump’s legal spokesperson, Alina Habba, explained that the trial “was a joke” and a “waste of three months.” The court will reconvene on January 11th for both Trump and the state’s attorneys to present closing arguments, and Judge Engoron will issue a verdict in writing afterward.

Mayor Adams Sued Over Budget Cuts

The largest municipal union in NYC, DC 37, is suing Mayor Adams over his 5% citywide budget cut. The lawsuit is the latest pushback against Adams’ budget cuts amidst a federal investigation into Adams’ campaign finance violation and two state investigations of Adams’ campaign and administration. The lawsuit alleges that the city failed to perform a cost-benefit analysis on Adams’ directive to privatize 2,300 union jobs, a move to close the anticipated $7 billion city budget gap. Under city law, the NYC government is required to perform a cost-benefit analysis. DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido explained, “Replacing these JTP workers with contracts is not only costly and short-sighted, it’s an illegal disservice to the working-class people who occupy those jobs.”

House Republicans Voted to Formalize President Biden Impeachment Inquiry

On Wednesday, House Republicans voted to formally authorize their impeachment inquiry into President Biden. The vote was along party lines, with 221 Republicans voting for and 212 Democrats voting against. House Republicans allege President Biden financially benefited from Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, which the White House denies. The vote comes after Hunter Biden defied a congressional subpoena for a deposition in the probe against President Biden. Although the Democrats and the White House decried that inquiry as political, Speaker Johnson explained, “To fulfill our constitutional responsibility, we have to take the next step. We’re not making a political decision, it’s not. It’s a legal decision.” President Biden is the eighth president to face an impeachment inquiry.

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