Friday Morning Brief Dec 22, 2023

Dec 21

Written By Michael Avella

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Member Spotlight:

Senator Roxanne Persaud

Senator Roxanne Persaud joined us to discuss her district and her experiences in the Senate! First elected in November 2015, she has been heavily involved in her community for decades. Before becoming a Senator, her career was in higher education administration, and she served in various community organizations fighting for a broad spectrum of issues. Currently, she is the Chair of Social Services. She is also a member of multiple other committees, such as the Joint Senate Task Force on Opioids, Addiction & Overdose Prevention, Children and Families, and Labor.

What district do you represent? Can you describe it for those that have never been there or highlight anything about your district?

I represent the 19th Senatorial district, which covers parts of Cypress Hills, Brownsville, East New York, Canarsie, Starrett City, City Line, and parts of Howard Beach and Lindenwood in the Queens section of the district. It’s a cosmopolitan district because no two areas are the same, whether the various cultures or the homes. Parts of the district are primarily homeowners – single or double family units – and in other parts, we have some larger developments and apartment buildings. So, it’s a mixed district, but it’s a fascinating district.

Any restaurants you want to highlight in your district?

There are a lot of restaurants, including many small restaurants. I tend to want to go to the Caribbean restaurants. Now, we have Asian restaurants, Hispanic restaurants, and new places that opened up. In Canarsie, there’s a unique place called the Xperience Coffee House & Juice Bar. It’s a coffee house like no other place I’ve seen in the district before – it’s on Rockaway Parkway – and has a vegan section and a traditional section. Their pastries are fresh, they have great tropical fruits, and their juices are delicious. I love the vibrancy of the place; the layouts, the décor, and everything is different from everything else along the business corridor. It’s run by a group of young people living in the district. So, it’s a fascinating and a great place.

Any favorite food?

I’m partial to Guyanese food, but I’m a picky eater. I primarily like Indian food – all the curries and the rotis. I also like Italian food. It’s good that my district has all that, especially Caribbean food. I don’t think you can walk around my district without seeing Caribbean food being sold.

What kind of music do you like - any favorite bands/artists?

I love Caribbean music. But I also love anything that catches my spirit. A couple of weeks ago, I heard this song for the first time and was like, “Oh my God, I just love this song.” So I have that song on replay, called “Live, Love, Laugh” by Clay Walker. I had never heard this song, and I think the first day I heard it, we were all going to host a domestic violence awareness event, and I was just scrolling through and listening to the song. I walked into the hall where we were having the event and put that song on replay because it’s about living, loving, and laughing just for a day – enjoying life every minute of your day. I have now become a Clay Walker fan. So I’ve been playing his music and this song in particular. I also like the older R&B, older traditional reggae, and calypso soca.

How about sports - any favorite NY sports team or play any sports?

I grew up in a house where we liked everything. I’m a Mets fan and a Jets fan. I’ll watch all the sports. I also love cricket. A few years ago, I was in the Bahamas, and I was going crazy just watching cricket. It’s not a sport everyone will enjoy, but it’s popular worldwide. I also love watching soccer. Mostly, I enjoy sitting back and chatting with people about any sports; it’s fun. It’s fun to watch all the different sports, and I have nephews who are all into different sports. They play football, basketball, soccer, and baseball - one nephew of mine is a superstar in baseball.

If you have any free time, what do you like to do? Any favorite activities if you have?

I love traveling and used to travel a lot with my family. We would visit various countries multiple times a year. But now, as an elected official, it's more challenging because of the need for more free time. I am trying to change that, though, and I want to travel more. I do like traveling to Albany from my district because of Amtrak. I like to take the late train on a Sunday to relax, do some work, and sit down. But besides traveling to Albany, I am starting to plan a trip for next year - even though it's an election year. I am hoping that after that, I can spend more time with my family. Family is important to me.

I understand that you were born in Guyana and immigrated to the US. Was there any hardships or obstacles you overcame while growing up?

The first thing was the weather – it’s extremely cold here. Then there was culture shock: all of these tall buildings, people living in apartments because we never did that, and so on. Also, some people think you want to come to the U.S. and take away from what they have. I remember when I was about 18, years ago on a bus in Queens, and there were these two people who were trying to say anti-immigrant rhetoric to people because there were many immigrants on the bus. I worked hard and didn’t let anyone put me in a corner because you must do it if you believe in yourself. Don’t let anyone put you in a corner. You should be yourself when you want to do something. And, when I ran for office, that’s what I did.

What was your profession before becoming a legislator?

In college, I wanted to be a systems engineer and work with computers – I was gung-ho about computers. But then I found higher education. I was working in an office for higher education and loved it. I was in higher education administration. Then, I was elected to the Assembly. But I never worked in the government sector before.

What inspire you to run for office?

I was always involved in my community. I was always part of organizations, community boards, precinct councils – everything that had to do with the community. I started volunteering with the Girl Scouts, and even since then, I have never stopped doing things for my community. I later joined a political club, helping candidates and being in the background. People asked me to run, but I said I wasn’t interested in office. Then I thought maybe when I turned 30, I’d run. Then I changed my mind and said maybe when I’m 35 years old, and the years keep changing. Then in 2014, the Assemblymember at the time left to run for City Council, and the seat was vacant; everybody wanted me to run, but I never agreed. But finally, one morning, I considered it and talked to my parents to ensure it was okay and economically feasible for my family. My brother was the one that encouraged me to run. So, I ran for the State Assembly, won the seat, and became the first woman, person of color, and a foreign national to become the Assembly member representing the district. And then, lo and behold, in less than a year, the Senate seat opened up. Once again, I was asked to run for the Senate seat. God has his plans for us, and it worked out, and here I am still in the Senate.

What are/is your greatest/proudest legislative achievement(s) this year and throughout your career?

There are multiple, but I'll focus on two of them:

When I arrived at the Legislature, I joined Senator Ruth Hassell Thompson in her fight for the Violence Survivors Justice Act. The bill ensured that during sentencing of those who committed a crime, domestic violence toward the convicted individual was considered. There were people, predominately women, who committed acts of violence or retaliation against their abuser. However, the judge would only see that they committed the crime according to the law. Thus, judges did not offer leniency. The Violence Survivors Justice Act corrects that. But Senator Hassel left the Legislature, and this was during the Republican-controlled Senate. When the Democrats took control of both chambers, the bill was finally passed and signed into law by the former governor. Many women who retaliated against their abusers were able to be released from incarceration and reunited with their families as a result of this bill. I'm very proud of that bill.

Another bill was regarding the summer youth employment program. Back then, many kids did not apply for the summer youth employment program because their summer income was counted towards their families' income, resulting in many families losing their benefits. So, I helped move the bill, ensuring that children's summer income through the program will not be counted for benefits. I wanted to ensure more kids could participate in the program without hurting their family.

As the Chair of Social Services in the Senate, are there any issues that you think might come up next year?

Yes, especially with the deficit for next year. Social services are usually the first thing to be cut for funding. It's a shame because social service is about lifting people up, trying to elevate them, and giving a hand to those who need help, especially those in poverty. Sometimes, our existing laws are also complex to work with, such as the income requirement on who qualifies for social service benefits. For those who are in the field of social welfare, many workers, especially OPWDD caregivers, are not being paid adequately, which is detrimental to the rising cost of living. Social workers are desperately needed in many settings, yet they are underpaid and overworked. We also need to look at the state's self-sufficiency standards to ensure that those receiving benefits can be weaned off and live independently. We are also looking at SNAPs so people can attain healthy hot meals. There are so many things in terms of social services next year.

Any priorities for next year?

We are already working on our priorities for next year. Public assistance grants are one of our priorities, and we have legislation we've been trying to pass for several years. There's a pilot program to help families in need pay for diapers. We're working with agencies on how to work on that to ensure that we can have a fully implemented program. Also, it's going to be interesting next year because so many things are happening. One is the asylum-seeker crisis. We are worried about the asylum-seekers crisis. It's a humanitarian issue. They are human beings, mothers, children, and people needing help. We cannot allow them to sleep on the streets.

What advice would you give to young folks or young social workers that want to make a change or get into politics?

Become involved in your community. I always tell students to engage in their block and talk to the people. That's how you become involved in community building. And then, if you believe in it, you keep going at it. Be involved in what's happening in your community and know what impacts your local community. Go to the Community Board and Precinct Council meetings and understand the civic organizations there. But it's always about being involved. Have your voice heard. Don't just sit back and say that you can't do anything and abdicate your role in the ever-changing society. Also, understand that your vote counts; every vote counts. Be involved if you are upset at what's happening or if there is something concerning you in your community. It doesn't matter how young you are. For example, high school students can now be on the community board. You can start advocating for change no matter how young or old you are. Don't be afraid to fight for what you want in your community.

Do you have any last comments or anything you want to add?

I want to thank the people in my district for allowing me to continue to serve them. We have a motto in my office: you deserve to be served. And that's just what I do. And I expect that from my staff. My staff knows that mediocrity is not acceptable in this office. Otherwise, you don't belong here because we have a standard to maintain and give. We cannot solve every single issue. But we will try our darndest to fight for the best outcome possible. So again, I want to thank the people in the 19th Senate district for trusting us.

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

On Monday, Governor Hochul announced more than $433M in bonds and subsidies for 1,530 new affordable and sustainable homes to help support the expansion of the housing supply in the state. The new homes will be dispersed throughout ten development projects in NYC, Hudson Valley, the Southern Tier, and Western New York. The project also includes the first hotel conversion project in the state, with the JFK Hilton Hotel in Queens to be redeveloped into 318 new affordable homes. This builds upon her $25 billion five-year Housing Plan to create 100,000 homes and her summer executive orders to expand the housing supply, which includes accelerating housing development in a neighborhood in Brooklyn and conducting a study to repurpose state-owned land for housing. The announcement of the bonds and subsidies for housing also comes as Hochul released an update on the results of her summer housing executive orders:

Acceleration of 19 housing developments in the Gowanus, Brooklyn
A plan to redevelop the former Lincoln Correctional Facility in Manhattan into a mixed-use development
A plan to redevelop Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens to include 2,800 units of housing
A plan to redevelop the former Bayview Correctional Facility in Manhattan
A plan to redevelop the former Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill

Earlier this week, Hochul announced an agreement with the Public Employees Federation and the Civil Service Employees Association to provide overtime backpay to 2,100 state employees for work during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The agreement will award up to $3 million, with each employee receiving an average payment of $1,375. The agreement reiterated Hochul’s commitment to improve the working conditions of state employees and ensure that they are being compensated adequately, building upon her 2023 State of the State commitment to provide adequate parental leave for 150,000 eligible state employees and the 2024 Budget priority to modernize the state’s public workforce. “As we enter the holiday season, we’re putting hard-earned overtime pay back in the hands of the dedicated civil servants who keep our state running, and I thank PEF and CSEA for their partnership on this agreement to give state employees the compensation they deserve,” explained Hochul.

On Tuesday, Hochul announced the availability of $25 million in capital grants to help volunteer fire departments upgrade their facilities and equipment. Out of the $25 million, $20 million will be for construction, renovation, or facility purchase projects, and $5 million will be for upgrading fire service equipment projects. The capital grant funding derives from the 2024 Budget priority to ensure and expand volunteer firefighter programs, and builds upon the earlier $10 million for volunteer fire stations to offset the cost of training. "This funding will go a long way in reminding those who continue to serve that we will always support them in any and every way we can," explained Hochul.

In the second round of funding awards through the state’s $30 million Empire State Teacher Residency Program, Hochul announced that $4.8 million had been awarded to public schools or BOCES to continue supporting teachers enrolled in a residency program. In total, 166 teacher residents were awarded across four public and one BOCES school districts. The award funding is part of the state’s commitment to addressing the teacher shortages in high-need areas, with the Empire State Teacher Residency Program launched last year. This builds upon Hochul’s other initiatives and programs to improve the state’s education system, such as the 2024 Budget’s commitment of $34.5 billion in School Aid and $24 billion for Foundation Aid, which fully funds Foundation Aid for the first time in history.

Hochul announced two new initiatives to address the childcare supply shortage in the state on Wednesday. The $50 million Child Care Capital Program will award reimbursement grants ranging from $500,000 to $1.5 million to eligible childcare centers that expand existing centers or construct new ones. Additionally, $25 million will each be available for both the Child Care Creation and Expansion Tax Credit to encourage eligible businesses to create or expand their employees’ childcare policies. The $100 million investment in increasing the childcare supply builds upon Hochul’s commitment to invest $7 billion in childcare over four years. “Quality child care is critical to our families, providing a safe environment for children and an educational foundation for the next generation of New Yorkers,” explained Hochul.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Melissa Rosenberg to Run for Assembly

Last Friday, Melissa Rosenberg, the Vice President of Kasirer, an NYC-based lobby firm, announced that she is running in the Democratic primary for Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell’s Assembly seat. Rosenberg said that she is proud of her work and explained, “I think folks can sometimes have a visceral reaction to the word ‘lobbyist,’ but I just really see it as being an advocate and helping people navigate processes more easily.” She also said that her work pushing for more affordable housing prompted her to run, explaining that “the complete dropping of the ball by the Legislature on housing was something that just made me personally, like, fired up and frustrated.” Observers note that the primary for O’Donnell’s Assembly seat could be competitive with Eli Northrup, a well-known public defender in Manhattan, running for the seat, and two more candidates rumored to run.

Assembly Republicans Delegation to China

Late last week, Assemblymembers Lester Chang, Michael Novakhov, Sam Priozzolo, and Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay went on a surprise trip to China as part of the Assembly Legislature and Business Friendship Delegation to China. The delegation met with foreign ministers, dignitaries, and economic and education officials. Barclay’s spokesperson explained that the trip was important as “New York City is home to the largest Chinese American population in the US, and thousands of Americans travel to the Far East every day” and that the “visit was an opportunity for state representatives to speak directly to their counterparts overseas.”

Assembly's Public Hearing on Affordable Housing

With affordable housing being a prominent issue and the 2024 session starting in less than two weeks, the Assembly Committees on Housing and Cities hosted a public hearing on affordable housing on Monday. Many testifiers, including Maria Torres-Springe, the NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce, testified that the state and city are not building enough housing and urged the Assemblymembers to pursue policies that will increase the housing supply. Additionally, many testified to the importance of the 421-A tax exemption, which expired earlier in January, in order to spur new housing development and to urge a necessity for a new similar tax incentive. Other suggestions offered to the panel were:

Incentives to promote conversions of office space into affordable housing
Lifting the floor area ratio cap, which limits the construction of apartment buildings to no more than 12 times its size
Legalization of basement apartments

During the hearing, there were also talks of Good Cause Eviction, with the Legal Aid Society testifying that it would increase tenant protections. However, Hochul explained earlier this week that she is “willing to work with the Legislature” on Good Cause but believes it would suppress developers from increasing the housing supply.

NYS Becomes Second State to Establish a Commission to Consider Reparations

On Tuesday, Hochul signed a bill to establish a commission to study reparations for slavery. Under the bill, the commission will be composed of nine members who will study the present-day impacts of slavery in the state and make non-binding recommendations. Three members will be appointed by Hochul, three by the Senate, and the last three by the Assembly. The signing of the bill was celebrated by the Senate and Assembly Majorities, with Majority Leader Andrea Stewarts-Cousins and Speaker Carl Heastie attending the signing ceremony. “With the creation of the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies, we can create legislative solutions and political structures that can make a lasting impact,” said Speaker Heastie. However, Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt warned of the possible high costs of reparations, explaining, “I am confident this commission’s recommendations will be unrealistic, will come at an astronomical cost to all New Yorkers, and will only further divide our state.” Currently, New York State is the second state in the U.S. to have a commission to consider reparations, with California being the first.

Lawmakers Join Advocates in Announcing 2024 Legislative Agenda for Survivors of Sexual Abuse

On Tuesday, various lawmakers joined survivors and advocates in a rally in front of Foley Square courthouses in NYC to formally announce their legislative agenda for the 2024 session. The coalition plans to build upon the Child Victims Act and Adult Survivors Act by widening the window for survivors to report allegations of sexual assault, eliminating the civil statute of limitation for child sex abuse cases, and extending the statue for cases of sex trafficking. Lawmakers that joined the rally were:

Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal
Senator Julia Salazar
Assemblymember Catalina Cruz
Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal

Assemblymember Al Stirpe Drops His Run for Senate

On Wednesday night, Assemblymember Al Stirpe announced that he is ending his campaign for the crowded Central New York Senate seat and will instead focus on his Assembly reelection campaign. Stripe was one of the three Democrats running to succeed Senator John Mannion, who is running for the state’s 22nd Congressional seat. With Stirpe dropping his campaign, Onondaga County Minority Leader Chris Ryan and former Oswego County Minority Leader Tom Drumm are the remaining Democrats running for Mannion’s seat. Town of Salina Supervisor Nick Paro is the sole Republican candidate in the race.

Lawmakers Renew Push to Disqualify Trump from 2024 Election

After the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified Donald Trump from Colorado’s primary ballots on the basis of the Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause, there has been a renewed push from Democratic lawmakers in both the Senate and Assembly to remove Trump from the state’s ballots. “New York is next,” said Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal. Earlier this month, Hoylman-Sigal and Senator Liz Krueger sent a letter to the state’s Board of Elections to exclude Trump from both the upcoming primary and general election ballots due to his involvement in the January 6th Capital Riots. Additionally, Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz introduced a bill last week that would authorize the state’s Board of Elections to “remove an insurrectionist from the presidential ballot.” With Trump saying he will appeal the Colorado ruling to the US Supreme Court and the state Board of Elections not taking an official position, it’s unclear if the move to remove Trump from the state primary and presidential ballots will be successful. "This is a serious constitutional issue that needs to get resolved before New York’s presidential primary,” Hoylman-Sigal explained on Trump's eligibility to run for office.

OTHER UPDATES

Another Lawsuit Challenges State's Legal Cannabis Industry

Earlier this week, two companies filed a federal lawsuit against the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and Cannabis Control Board. The suit was filed the same day the OCM closed its first round of adult-use retail license applications. Variscite New York Four LLC and Variscite New York Five LLC claim that the state’s prioritization of New York residents violates the federal Dormant Commerce Clause, prohibiting states from restricting interstate commerce. Variscite New York Four LLC and Variscite New York Five LLC explained that they met all prerequisites but the residency requirement to be included in an “extra priority” application pool, as the companies are owned by an individual with a previous marijuana conviction in California. The conference date for the suit is scheduled to be on March 18th.

New Democratic Co-Chair of the State Board of Elections

After the Democratic co-chair of the state Board of Elections, Douglas Kellner, was ousted last Friday, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie tapped Henry Berger to replace Kellner. Kellner explains that his opposition to the certification of the new touch-screen voting machines “may very well be [why] I got replaced.” However, it is still unclear when Berger will replace Kellner, with Heastie explaining that he needs to “reconnect” with Stewart-Cousins. The state Board of Elections has four voting members: two co-chairs and two commissioners, with Democrats and Republicans splitting evenly.

Teacher Union Sue NYC Over Budget Cuts

Yesterday, the United Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit against Mayor Eric Adams to “stop the Adams administration from cutting as much as $2 billion from city schools.” The recent lawsuit by the UFT is the second union after DC 37 - representing 150,000 NYC municipal workers - to file a lawsuit against Adams to halt his proposed agency-wide budget cuts due to the asylum-seekers crisis. The lawsuit alleges that as the state increased funding to NYC public schools, the Adams administration reduced funding, which violates the “maintenance of effort” provision of the state law that gave mayoral control of NYC public schools, as well as the state’s “Contract for Excellence” program. UFT President Michael Mulgrew said, “The [Adams] administration can’t go around touting the tourism recovery and the return of the city’s pre-pandemic jobs and then create a fiscal crisis and cut education because of its own mismanagement of the asylum seeker problem.”

NYC Council Passes Police and Criminal Justice Reform Bills Amidst Mayor Adams' Opposition

At the last stated meeting of the NYC Council of its two-year session on Wednesday, the Council passed a bill banning solitary confinement in city jails and requiring police officers to report lower-level investigative encounters with civilians. Both bills are strongly opposed by Mayor Adams but supported by Speaker Adrienne Adams and NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a prime sponsor of both bills. Additionally, both bills were passed by a veto-proof majority. Many police and criminal justice reform groups praised the passing of both bills. Still, several state lawmakers, including Assemblymember Sam Berger, criticized the police reform bill, saying it “only serves to dissuade current and public servants.” Adams did not clarify if he would veto the bill but explained, “I have found that idealism collides with realism, and the talking points of a bill are different from the operationalizing of a bill.”

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