Friday Morning Brief Feb 7, 2025

Feb 6

Member Spotlight: Assemblyman Ed Ra

Assemblyman Ed Ra joins us to discuss his Nassau County-based district, priorities, and his role in the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. Before being elected as an Assemblymember, he served his community and state as a Deputy Town Attorney for the Town of Hempstead and as a Legal Aide in the Office of the New York State Attorney General. Currently, he is the Ranking Member of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and sits on the Assembly Rules Committee.

What district do you represent? Can you describe it to those who have never been there?
I represent the 19th Assembly District, which is in western Nassau County. My district is very near Queens and is in the middle of western Nassau County. It is a little north of Southern State Parkway and extends to Hillside Avenue.

Any restaurant recommendations that are in your district?
That is a very tough question. The district has tons of really good places to go out and eat. When I go out, I like to eat Italian food. In Garden City Park, Mama Theresa has really good food. In fact, there are many good places in Garden City. So, if I'm going to eat, I usually go around 7th Street, Franklin Ave in Garden City.

What about sports? Any favorite sports team?
I’m a big sports fan. The Mets are the closest to my heart. But I am a very big Islander fan. I also root for the Jets and St. John’s basketball teams.

What about music? Any favorite artists/bands?
A big Taylor Swift fan. But I have a pretty eclectic music taste. Everything from the Beatles to 90s alternative rock to a lot of the stuff that was popular when I was in high school. Pearl Jam was the first concert I ever attended in the 90s.

What was your occupation before being elected as an Assemblymember? Did that inspire you to run for office?
I’m an attorney by trade. I also worked for a couple of years in local government for the Town of Hempstead. When working for the Town of Hempstead, I got to observe the intricacies of government work and how officials conducted themselves. However, my desire to run for office predates my time in local government. I grew up in a family involved in government and politics. My father was an elected official for the Town of Hempstead when I was in grade school.

What local issues do you see impacting your community the most?
There are obviously the bigger, broader issues we are all dealing with regarding affordability. Public safety is also defined in many people’s minds. More locally, one of the hot issues is airplane noise. My district encompasses areas that are directly over flight plans, which causes a lot of noise pollution for many of my constituents. Some folks on that take-off-for-arrival path get bombarded throughout the night sometimes.

Are affordability and public safety the two statewide issues you want to focus on this year?
Yes, affordability and public safety are two important issues for the state. When I was elected in 2010, I was the youngest member serving in both chambers of the Legislature. And even back then, I was always thinking about affordability. At the time, I was at the age where many of my friends and I were looking to buy a house but understood that it was getting more and more expensive to buy a home and start a family. I was pleased when the Governor included some affordability measures in her Executive Budget, like assistance to first-time homebuyers or affordable childcare proposals. These measures were issues that I have been advocating for.
Regarding public safety, the proximity of my constituents to NYC certainly means a great deal to me. I hear a lot from my constituents about their public safety concerns as they ride the train to the city. Because of that fear, many of my constituents no longer go out to the city. So it’s something we really need to address

As a ranker on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, what issues or solutions do you wish to include in the Final Budget later this year?
I believe some proposals in the proposed Executive Budget are a good starting point. But what I would rather see us be doing is looking at some of the spending we've done over the years that isn't really benefiting, like some of the economic development programs. Last fall, the Senate had a hearing regarding how some economic development programs haven’t benefited the state. And another report just came out about a lot of different tax credits that are out there. So, we need to reprioritize our spending. I would rather we prioritize our spending on childcare or education. But driving up spending to another eight, nine, or ten billion will create a longer-term structural deficit. We need to talk about aligning our spending and revenues, or our economy will go south at some point in the future.

As the Co-Chair of the Future Caucus, can you explain its focus to those who have never heard of it?
Future Caucus, formerly known as Millennial Action Project, is a nationwide organization for legislators under the age of 45. Assemblymember Alex Bores is the other Co-Chair of the Caucus. It’s a bipartisan group, and we focus on issues that we think are of interest to younger lawmakers. It’s been a great way for all of us to share ideas and discuss bills. We usually have some outside speaker talking to us about something to provide us with new perspectives on certain issues, and it allows members to pitch their bills to each other. It’s been very productive, and we look forward to another good year.

What advice would you give to young folks in your district who want to be more involved in politics?
Find an area of interest and attend meetings. Attending, observing, and learning from these meetings is important, whether it is a library board meeting, school board meeting, or village forum meeting. Speaking for myself and other elected officials, we try to get young people involved in politics. We always encourage young people to contact our offices and ask for an opportunity to work with us. We need to engage more with young people and ensure they have a perspective on how governments work.

Are there any other comments you want to mention?
New York State has done a good deal with organ donations. But we’re not quite where we want to be, especially with bone marrow donations. Bone marrow donations are a little more complicated than other organ donations, but this is important and personal to many of us in the Legislature. We had a bill that would make it easier for folks to sign up to register to be in the bone marrow donation registry when they interact with a state agency. It would simply allow folks to sign up to be in the registry and partner with an entity that will send out a cheek swab required for bone marrow donations. Originally my bill but now carried by Michaelle Solages in the Assembly and Jeremy Cooney in the Senate. It passed the Senate last year, but we hope to include it in the Final Budget. My mother was a benefit of a bone marrow transplant many years ago, and I know it can save many lives. So we are hoping to get more people involved.

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

Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

Lawmakers Question Eric Adams at Annual Tin Cup Day

On the annual Tin Cup Day on Tuesday, NYC Mayor Eric Adams testified in front of lawmakers on various budgetary requests for NYC. However, with Adams running for reelection amidst federal corruption charges, his refusal to criticize President Trump, and two lawmakers in the hearing also running for mayor, the majority of the questions diverged from Adams’ budgetary requests.

Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, two lawmakers challenging Adams, questioned him on his agenda for addressing affordability and previous NYC Budget cuts that he advocated for. Ramos specifically asked Adams how NYC has been using the money from the Opioid Settlement Funds due to various reports of mismanagement and lack of transparency. Other lawmakers also questioned Adams on how NYC will deal with Trump’s immigration policies, with previous reports of city agencies and businesses independently issuing their own guidance. However, Adams reiterated that his administration would follow the law, explaining that “adults need to tone down the anxiety.”

Adams reiterated his request for $1.1 billion in state aid for asylum-seekers in his budgetary asks to lawmakers. Adams explained that Hochul’s Executive Budget “does not include any new funding for the [asylum-seekers] crisis, and our position has not changed.” Adams also reiterated his support for the Supportive Interventions Act, “Axe the Tax,” and changes to the state’s discovery laws. Adams explained that his budgetary asks for this year are minimal compared to last year. “Coming here, we’re just finishing off those pieces. We need to land more planes. We didn’t have that huge list [or] real battles that we’ve had in the past,” said Adams.

The State Conference of Mayors and Mayors of Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers also attended the annual Tin Cup Day with their request for a permanent increase of AIM funding and tying it to inflation. The mayors explained that while AIM funding was increased by $50 million in last year’s Enacted Budget, the funding will run out at the start of the next fiscal year. “We’re looking for a way to have more certainly and permanency behind it,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “Indexing, which takes into account any rates of inflation, the cost of doing business at the city level, [] grows every year,” Acting Buffalo Mayor Christopher Scanlon explained.

Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

EXECUTIVE UPDATES

Late last week, Hochul joined US Senator Chuck Schumer, Representative Grace Meng, and many state and local lawmakers in attending and parading in Flushing, Queens, for the Lunar New Year Celebration. In her remarks at the celebration, Hochul touted the importance of immigrants and the value of diversity for the state and local economy. Additionally, she highlighted the state’s effort to combat hate crimes, including expanding offenses eligible for hate crimes last year. “We had some dance and celebration of culture, and I’m so proud to be Governor of a state where one out of 10 New Yorkers can claim Asian or AAPI descendance. It’s part of our vibrancy,” said Hochul.

On Monday, Hochul announced a $20.7 million investment in the SNUG Street Outreach programs to address gun violence by emphasizing community-based outreach. The $20.7 million investment was distributed towards community-based organizations and trauma centers that deploy social workers and hospital responders to areas with a history of gun violence. This builds upon Hochul’s last week’s announcement of communities with the GIVE Initiative recording record-low reports of gun-related injuries. The recent investment also supports Hochul’s commitment to prioritizing public safety with her 2026 Executive Budget proposing to continue funding SNUG programs and the GIVE Initiative. “Public safety is my number one priority — that’s why my Budget invests in proven initiatives like the SNUG program to drive down gun violence, save lives, and keep New Yorkers safe,” explained Hochul.

Earlier this week, Hochul announced the disbursement of $15.8 million towards 22 farms to protect water quality and improve climate-resilient agriculture infrastructure. Funding to the farms was disbursed under the first round of the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Enhanced Nutrient and Methane Management Program, as initially announced in Hochul’s 2024 State of the State. The latest funding builds upon Hochul’s commitment to strengthen the state’s agriculture industry, with her 2026 Executive Budget proposing to invest an additional $10 million to expand the state’s agriculture industry and research.

On Tuesday, Hochul met with Canadian Consul General Tom Clark to discuss the economic and political ties between the state and Canada. While the meeting between Clark and Hochul took place after Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canada were put on hold, Hochul criticized the proposed tariffs as antithetical to her affordability agenda for this year’s legislative session. “The cost collectively for a family of four [is] going up to anywhere from $1,300 to $3,000,” Hochul explained on the possible impacts of the tariffs in the state.

This week, Hochul unveiled a first-of-its-kind assessment on first responders’ mental health. The assessment highlighted that more than half of the 6,000 surveyed first responders experienced high levels of stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression. The survey also highlighted that many of the surveyed first responders may not seek help or therapy due to the stigma surrounding mental health. The survey builds upon the state and Hochul’s commitment to supporting the state’s first responders, with Hochul proposing new initiatives to support first responders, such as launching the first responder counseling scholarship program.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Next week, the Legislature is scheduled to be in session Monday to Wednesday

Joint Legislative Budget Hearings next week:
Tuesday - Health/Medicaid
Wednesday - Human Services
Thursday - Public Protection

Aung Hset/D&A

Budget Hearings on Mental Hygiene and Transportation

In addition to the annual Tin Cup Day, lawmakers held a Budget Hearing on mental hygiene on Wednesday. With a focus on Hochul’s proposed changes to involuntary commitment and strengthening Kendra’s Law, OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Marie Sullivan could not provide an estimated number of individuals the changes would impact but explained that the state has enough psychiatric beds and other resources to implement the changes. However, Senate Mental Health Chair Samra Brouk and Assembly Mental Health Chair Jo Anne Simon expressed concerns that unhoused individuals, victims of domestic violence, and people in temporary housing would face a higher risk of involuntary commitment.

In a Budget Hearing on transportation yesterday, MTA CEO and Chair Janno Lieber faced questions regarding congestion pricing and the MTA Capital Budget that the leaders of the Legislature rejected. While some lawmakers, like Assemblymember Chris Eachus, criticized the MTA for implementing congestion pricing and the lack of reliable transportation in their district, Lieber explained the importance of congestion pricing for the statewide economy. However, Lieber expressed concerns about congestion pricing due to possible future challenges from the federal government.

Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

Hochul Signs Bill to Protect Doctors Prescribing Abortion Medication

In response to a New Paltz-based doctor being indicted on felony charges in Louisiana for prescribing abortion medication to a patient in Louisiana through telemedicine, Hochul signed a bill to strengthen protections for providers prescribing abortion medication. With the signing of the bill, providers prescribing abortion medication will be able to request that the dispensing pharmacy print the name or address of their practice on prescription labels instead of their personal name. “The threats to these doctors are no longer abstract,” the Senate bill sponsor Shelley Mayer explained. “New York State will be a leader in promoting personal freedom and access to quality health care,” explained Assembly bill sponsor Karines Reyes.

Aung Hset/D&A

Senate Passes Housing Legislative Package

This week, the Senate passed a legislative package to address affordable housing access and strengthen protections for renters and homeowners. “Skyrocketing rents and rising home prices have placed an overwhelming burden on working families, seniors, and those wishing to buy their first home,” explained Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. “This legislative package exemplifies our commitment to using every tool available to us to ensure that every New Yorker has access to a safe, stable, affordable home,” added Senate Housing, Construction & Community Development Chair Brian Kavanagh. Some of the bills in the legislative package are:

First Home Savings Program: would establish a program to allow first time homebuyers to establish tax-exempt/deductible savings accounts to buy their first home.
Tax Credits for Rehabilitation of Historic Properties: would authorize pass-through or transfer of the credits for the rehabilitation of historic properties.
Expansion of Low Interest Rate Program: would expand eligibility for the Low Interest Rate Program to recent college or apprenticeship graduates and workforce training program graduates
Strengthening Homeownership Protection Program: would strengthen the availability of free housing counseling and legal services to homeowners through the Homeowner Protection Program

Republican Lawmakers Criticize Democrats' Attempt to Change Special Election Law

On Monday, Representative Mike Lawler joined Senate and Assembly Republicans to call for a federal RICO probe into the state. Lawler, rumoring that he could possibly run for governor next year, said he would request “that the Department of Justice open up a RICO investigation into New York state because this is as corrupt a scam as we have seen.” The calls for a RICO probe come after Senate and Assembly Democrats held closed conferences on possibly introducing and passing a bill to allow Hochul to have more time in calling a special election due to North Country-based Representative Elise Stefanik being expected to be the ambassador to the UN under Trump. “Everything is on the table to try to prevent this from happening,” Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt explained. The bill has reportedly been paused by Democrat lawmakers.

BHPA Caucus to Introduce Legislative Package After Robert Brooks Homicide

After the beating and death of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility was ruled as a homicide by a grand jury earlier this week, members of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus are now planning to release a legislative package addressing police brutality and transparency at state correctional facilities. “The medical examiner’s findings…make it clear that his death was not accidental,” BPHA Caucus Chair Michaelle Solages explained. Hochul herself reiterated her support for prosecuting those who caused Brooks’ death. “This reprehensible act of violence demands the full force of our justice system — the family of Mr. Brooks deserves no further delays,” explained Hochul.

BHPA Caucus Releases 2025 Legislative Agenda

In addition to planning to release police brutality and transparency legislative package, the BHPA Caucus unveiled its legislative agenda for the year. The “Empower Black New York Agenda” would address the racial wealth gap by expanding MWBE opportunities, supporting Black business communities, prioritizing education, and supporting Black immigrants. The agenda would also focus on health and mental health equity, criminal justice reforms, and affordability. One notable bill that the BHPA Caucus will advocate for is the Universal Child Care Act, which Senate Democrats heavily support.

Senator James Skoufis to Introduce Bill for Oversight on SUNY and CUNY Pay Raises

After SUNY Chancellor John King was reportedly given a $125,000 pay raise and a $2,500 per month housing allowance increase, Senator James Skoufis criticized King and said he will introduce a bill to require the Legislature and the Governor to approve future salary increases for SUNY and CUNY leaders. Skoufis explained that King’s original $750,000 annual salary and $12,500 monthly housing allowance were higher than most government employees. “The Chancellor feels he should make nearly four times the salary of the state’s Governor. This is elitist. This is offensive,” said Skoufis. Several other lawmakers also agree with Skoufis, with Assemblymember Ed Ra saying, "Why does someone being paid $875K need to also get a $15,000 monthly housing stipend?"

Future Caucus Lays Out 2025 Priorities

The state’s Future Caucus, led by Assemblymembers Alex Bores and Ed Ra, had its first meeting for the 2025 legislative session earlier this week. In addition to inducting new members to the bipartisan caucus, the caucus laid out its top priorities for the year, which include childcare, criminal justice reform, affordable housing, and the use of artificial intelligence in government and businesses. The Future Caucus is comprised of Gen-Z and Millennial lawmakers who collaborate together to advocate on bipartisan issues of interest.

OTHER UPDATES

Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

AG Letitia James Warns Hospital to Continue Providing Gender Affirming Care

In a letter, AG Letitia James informed hospitals that they would violate the state’s anti-discrimination laws if they stopped offering gender-affirming care. The letter comes after hospitals in Colorado, Virginia, and DC paused gender-affirming care due to President Trump’s executive order cutting federal funding for hospitals that offer such care. The letter stated, “Electing to refuse services to a class of individuals based on their protected status, such as withholding the availability of services from transgender individuals based on their gender identity or their diagnosis of gender dysphoria, while offering such services to cisgender individuals, is discrimination under New York law.” The letter comes as James is positioning herself to challenge Trump’s policies on legal grounds, with James preparing to file a new lawsuit against Trump’s approval to give Elon Musk’s DOGE access to federal data.

Democrats Sue Nassau County Executive

Earlier this week, Democrats sued Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman over an armed volunteer program. Two Nassau County legislators, Debra Mulé and Scott Davis, filed the lawsuit, alleging that the program was established without the County Legislature’s approval and that Blakeman tried to “shroud their illegal program in secrecy.” Blakeman dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous” and for “defaming the volunteers, many of whom are retired military and law enforcement.” Additionally, Blakeman explained, “Westchester County has been doing this for years, and they [] have activated them without an emergency.” The lawsuit comes as Blakeman announced that he will deputize 10 police detectives to assist ICE with deportations; however, he explained that the deputization “would not take the place of the Nassau County Police Department, they are not a militia.”

West Virginia Sues NY Climate Change Superfund Act

Led by West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey, a coalition of 22 attorney generals filed a lawsuit against the state’s Climate Change Superfund Act. McCuskey explains that the Superfund Act is unconstitutional and will impose $75 billion in additional costs for fossil fuel corporations across the US. “We’re not going to allow left-wing states like California, New York, Vermont to dictate to the American people how they’re going to get their electricity,” said McCuskey. In response, Hochul tweeted, “Bring it on.”

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