Friday Morning Brief Jan 12, 2024

Written By Michael Avella

Member Spotlight:

Senator Mark Walcyzk


Senator Mark Walcyzk joined us to discuss his experience in the Legislature! Before serving in the Senate, he served as an Assemblymember from 2018 to 2022. Currently, he is the ranking member of the Senate Committees on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation, and Elections. He is also part of the US Army Reserve and will be deploying to Kuwait at the end of this month.


What district do you represent? Can you describe it for those that have never been there? What do you like the most about your district? 
I’ll brag: The 49th Senate District is the biggest legislative district in the state. It’s the entirety of Jefferson, Lewis, Hamilton, and Fulton counties, including most of Herkimer and half of St. Lawrence and Oswego Counties. The vast wilderness and winter wonderland of the Tug Hill Plateau calls this district home, and so does half the Adirondack Park. 
 
If you’ve never been there, then you’re making a big mistake. If you’ve never seen the sunrise over the 1000 Islands or the sunset on Long Lake, hop on a boat for a dinner cruise on the Erie Canal or a tour of Raquette Lake, or seen international ships glide by on the St. Lawrence Seaway. We even have an Enchanted Forest Water Safari (where the fun never stops).  
 
The district is also known for being the heart of dairy country and incredible cheese products. It is also home to the best fishing and maple syrup in the state, and diamonds literally come out of the ground in Herkimer. The only Army Division in the Northeast US, calls SD49 home at Fort Drum and the proud history of the Mohawk Valley predates our Statehood. There isn’t enough space to describe how beautiful, unique, and packed with potential the 100 towns, 45 villages, five cities, and seven counties of the 49th Senate District are, so I’ll conclude by saying: you need to come here and meet the kindest people in New York.

What did you do before becoming a legislator? 
I worked my way up to become the Head Lifeguard at Oneida Shores County Park, waited tables, interned, and worked for two different members of the NY Senate before running for anything. In 2015, I was the top vote-getter in a 4-way race for the Watertown City Council, and in 2018, I unseated a 10-year incumbent to serve in the NY Assembly, where I served before running for Senate.   

What insights did you gain from working for former Senator Patty Ritchie?
Senator Patty Ritchie is the epitome of a public servant. She once was concerned about a constituent receiving their temporary vehicle registration (long story) before the weekend, so she drove to the County Clerk’s Office, picked it up, and drove it directly to their home after a long day. She taught me that people always come first and is still teaching me today that there’s nothing more valuable than making time for family in a giant district.

Why did you get into politics? What made you want to be a legislator and what is your favorite part of being a legislator?
Character, citizenship, personal fitness, and leadership were principles the Boy Scouts of America instilled in me. At SUNY Albany, en route to becoming a history teacher, I had the chance to intern in the NY Senate, got a job offer out of it, and saw in real-time how much positive impact good representatives can have. The rest is history.

What kind of music do you like - any favorite bands/artists?
Dave Matthews Band - Die Trying.

How about sports - any favorite NY sports team?
Nobody circles the wagons like New York’s only NFL team, the Buffalo Bills. 

Favorite foods? Any favorite places to eat in your district?
Cheese curds, hands down. It takes 4 hours to drive from one end of my district to the other, so I spend much time in the car, and there’s no better meal replacement than a good, fresh, room temperature, squeaky cheese curd. If you know, you know. 

What do you like to do in your free time?
I’m a four-time Ironman triathlete and once live-streamed cycling across my 116-mile Assembly District. Now I have a 3-month-old boy and a 2-year-old boy at home, and as much time as possible is spent being a dad. It’s been the absolute joy of my life. Before having kids, I spent a lot more spare time renovating old buildings, fishing, and training for endurance events.      

Any favorite priority/issues throughout your legislative career?
Energy policy is currently the most interesting and frustrating area of public policy in New York. As a member of the Energy Committee, the debate has been rich and has forced me to grow a base of understanding technology and industry concepts, which we all take for granted daily – it isn’t magic that the lights come on when you flip the switch. It’s fascinating to me that the people who say we have to electrify to save the environment are entirely ready to put policies in place that destroy the environment and the economy at the same time. And those same elected leaders do not know how the grid is even supplied or sustained.

What was the most challenging piece of legislation/policy that you worked on this year?
Redesigning the state flag and removing the federal motto “E pluribus unum” from the state seal. I have a bill, and this issue never reached the top of the priority list, which is one of the challenges of getting good ideas done. Our flag is lazy; it’s just the state seal on a bedsheet. Likewise, we need to remove the late Cuomo addition to the seal, which dates back to the 1770s - too much text and the federal motto detract from the State and have no place on our seal.    

Was it difficult or easy for you to transition from the Assembly into the Senate?
Larger district, more than double the people to represent, same pay, piece of cake. I love serving in the Senate.

As the ranking member of Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation, what issue do you hope to work on in that committee?
I hope to continue working with Chairman José Serrano to advocate for $3.5 million in matching grants to help promote tourism across the state. It’s important that tourism catalysts in New York can market and entice people to visit their communities. There are so many gems in SD49 and all over New York, and bringing people into the state to stay, play, and spend is important to many of our economies.  
 
As ranking member of Elections, what issue do you hope to work on in that committee?
Current law requires each county's municipality with the highest population to host an early voting site. On its face, this may sound okay. However, it was put in place for partisan reasons, and many counties across the state have actually put polling places in inconvenient locations to the population centers of the county - resulting in disenfranchisement. County Boards of Elections need the discretion to choose early voting locations.

What are your priorities/goals for next year?
1) Addressing the dangers of utility-level lithium ion battery storage 
2) Stopping eFMAP intercept
3) Public Safety
4) Protecting our Bill of Rights from the NYS Governor
5) Affordability for middle class New Yorkers
6) Respecting the autonomy of local governments 

As an alumnus of UAlbany, what advice would you give to students of UAlbany aspiring to work in politics?
Even to the students who aren’t interested in politics: Talk to your advisor about applying for the Assembly or Senate internship through Student Programs. You get credit, a stipend, a resume bullet, and real-life exposure to working in a fast-paced environment. I did the Senate internship my senior year and never would have imagined I’d serve in the Senate, but looking back, that experience gave me a leg up on peers in all sorts of industries. If you can’t take the semester, pick a candidate and volunteer for a campaign back home - you’ll learn a lot and make great connections.
 
Any last comments you want to mention?
In addition to being your State Senator, I serve as a Captain (12A) in the US Army Reserve. No time is convenient to mobilize, but it's my turn to defend our country’s interests overseas. I’ll be deploying to Kuwait for 9 months in late January.  During those months, I know Assembly representatives: Will Barclay, Scott Gray, Brian Miller, Robert Smullen, Ken Blankenbush, Matt Simpson, and Mary Beth Walsh will continue to work with my staff to serve the people of the 49th Senate District. 

While my wife Jessica is the strongest woman I’ve ever met, this will be a trying time for our family. If you pray, please remember her and our young boys, Atticus and Byron. I miss them already. Likewise, if you’re a praying person, please keep my staff in prayer. And, please pray for our Nation – that we may discard the ugly focus on division which has run rampant and remember the ideals and values that unite us as Americans.
 
I am an American Soldier. I am a warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself. I am an expert and I am a professional. I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat. I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.
 

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!

2024 State of the State 

On Tuesday, Governor Hochul delivered the 2024 State of the State address, explaining that she will “focus on key priorities in our common sense agenda for New York: fighting crime, fixing our mental health system, and protecting New Yorkers’ hard-earned money.” The address comes after a week of publicly unveiling a series of proposals for the 2024 State of the State. 

To improve public safety, Hochul reiterated her commitment to combating domestic violence, retail theft and rising rates of hate crimes. To combat the rising trend of hate crimes across the state, Hochul proposes to expand the definition of hate crimes by adding two dozen offenses to be liable for hate crimes, such as gang assaults and graffiti. To combat high domestic violence case dismissal rates, Hochul proposes the expansion of the Domestic Violence Strategic Threat Alert Team to apprehend domestic violence suspects more quickly. Lastly, Hochul will prioritize curbing retail theft by establishing a task force dedicated to combatting organized retail theft, increasing funding for local district attorney offices, offering security tax credits for small businesses, and proposing a bill that would make the sale of stolen items illegal. 

To improve the mental healthcare system in the state, Hochul plans to focus on youth mental health and increase access to care. To make social media safer for the mental health of youths, Hochul supports the passage of the SAFE for Kids Act, which would regulate social media algorithms for those under 18 years old. Additionally, she proposes expanding mental health clinics in schools. Hochul also proposes to expand court programs that connect defendants with “mental health navigators” to reduce recidivism rates amongst those with mental health illnesses. 

To improve affordability in the state, Hochul will focus on increasing the housing supply through various means, such as proposing a replacement of the expired 421-a tax break for developers and providing incentives to convert official spaces into housing. Additionally, Hochul proposes 15,000 new housing units to be built on state sites, which builds upon her executive order directing state agencies to review abandoned or underused sites for possible housing developments. However, Hochul did not provide any new tenant protections that Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins are open to. Assembly Housing Chair Linda Rosenthal further reiterated her commitment to including tenant protections in any housing plan this year. 

Aside from new tenant protections, Hochul did not provide any specifics on the ongoing asylum-seekers crisis or the state deficit during the address. “I’ll discuss how we’ll tackle fiscal issues like caring for migrants and a substantial structural deficit in next week’s budget speech,” Hochul explained. Alongside her address, Hochul also released her State of the State book, which includes all of her 204 proposals for this year. 

EXECUTIVE UPDATES

Before the 2024 State of the State Address, Hochul unveiled two new proposals on Monday: the creation of Empire AI and establishment of Office of Service and Civic Engagement. 
 
Empire AI, announced by Hochul on Monday morning, would create a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence computing center. Empire AI would include several private universities, SUNYs, CUNYs, and the Simons Foundation. The proposal would be funded by $400 million in public and private investment, including $275 million from the state. Hochul also announced the first-of-its-kind AI Policy alongside Empire AI, establishing guidelines for state agencies to use AI. The announcements build upon several announcements of the state investing in technological developments, such as the development of Albany Nanotech Complex and the $31.5 million investment towards the state’s Pathways in Technology. 
 
The Office of Service and Civic Engagement, announced on Monday evening, headed by Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, will launch the Empire State Service Corps, which will work to make service opportunities - such as tutoring, distributing meals, and climate action - more accessible for communities across the state. For the new office’s first initiative, it will partner with SUNYs and CUNYs to provide volunteer opportunities for college students. This builds upon Hochul’s commitment to address the societal isolation and social issues impacting the state and comes after the appointment of Dr. Ruth Westheimer as the first Ambassador to Loneliness.


On Tuesday, Hochul announced that the Federal Government has approved the state’s Medicaid 1115 Waiver Amendment, which will provide $7.5 billion in funding over the next three years and allow the state to invest nearly $6 billion into the healthcare system, such as establishing Social Care Networks to integrate health, behavioral, and social care services for high-needs individuals. With the approval, the state plans to submit an amendment in the coming months to provide continuous Medicaid eligibility for children aged six and younger. Hochul explained that the amendment “will help us to continue to support underserved communities, provide New Yorkers with critical services such as nutrition and housing support, and improve access for individuals and families affected by substance use.” 


On Wednesday, Hochul announced three RFPs for $950 million in state funding for projects that improve the state’s healthcare delivery system. One of the RFPs is from the Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program VI, which will provide awards for expanding access to inpatient, primary, and preventative costs. The Statewide VI program builds upon the larger Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program, which has awarded nearly $4 billion to healthcare facilities statewide. The other two RFPs include a $650 million investment in technology and cybersecurity systems in healthcare facilities and a $50 million investment in nursing home innovation projects. The recent RFP builds upon Hochul’s 2024 State of the State commitment to improve access to care and upgrade technology systems in healthcare facilities. 


Yesterday, Hochul announced the availability of $50 million to support community-based hospitals expand coverage to mental health treatment. Administered by the Office of Mental Health, the funding will award up to $5 million for design, property acquisition, and construction costs for hospitals’ mental health expansion. Facilities licensed under Article 28 and psychiatric hospitals licensed under Article 31 are eligible for the funding. The funding builds upon Hochul’s 2024 State of the State, which includes expanding mental health coverage for children and adolescents, and the $1 billion Mental Health Plan, which includes funding for Children’s Community Residence and school-based mental health programs.  

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Next week, the Legislature is scheduled to be in session Tuesday and Wednesday
The Executive Budget is due on Tuesday

Republican Leaders On Hochul's 2024 State of the State 

After the 2024 State of the State Address, state GOP leaders issued statements agreeing with Hochul that public safety and cost of living are important issues the state must overcome. However, Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt explained that the issues are the “direct result of bad policies enacted” by the state Democrats. Ortt added, “We need real solutions and the political will to address the challenges we face, not band-aids to bad policies.” Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, criticized Hochul for not detailing a plan to address the $4 billion state deficit and the asylum-seekers crisis. Barclay explained, "With a $4 billion budget gap, there was no commitment to keep state spending in check,” and the state is “yet to figure out how to properly handle the ongoing influx” of asylum seekers. 

Senate Passes Elections Reform Package 

On Monday, the Senate passed a voting reform legislative package, marking the sixth year in a row that the Senate opened the legislative session with a voting reform package. “Every year, our first order of business as the Senate Majority has been to improve and strengthen the democratic process and to pay homage to the voters of this state who used their voices to put us in these positions,” explained Senate Majority Stewart-Cousins. Some of this year’s voting reform package includes: 

However, during the debate on the Senate floor, Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt said that the voting reform bills are a political move to boost the Democratic candidates during this year’s election year. “It’s not New Yorkers who wake up and go, ‘We’re gonna harvest ballots today,’ but there are organizations whose job is to win elections. And they will use these rules to win elections,” he explained. It is unclear if the Assembly will pass all the bills in the legislative package as some of the bills in last year’s voting reform legislative package were unable to pass in the Assembly. “Senate passes things right out of the box, and at some point, we catch up to them on things. Sometimes, we’re ahead of them on things, but we’ll see,” Speaker Heastie explained.

Lawmakers Urge Hochul to Increase Grant Funding for Locations Vulnerable to Hate Crimes 

Before the release of Hochul’s Executive Budget, Assemblymember Nily Rozic and Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton sent a letter to Hochul urging her to increase state funding for Hate Crime Security Grants to $100 million. Currently, the security grants for locations vulnerable to hate crimes are allocated at $25 million. This comes as hate crime rates have increased in the state, with Hochul explaining in her State of the State Address that antisemitic incidents have increased 95% in NYC between 2022 and October 2023. “As a community deeply committed to fostering safety, tolerance, and inclusivity, we are compelled to address the alarming rise in hate crimes targeting our Jewish and Muslim neighbors,” Senator Scarcella-Spanton explained.  

Lawmakers Join Rally for Higher Medicaid Reimbursement Rates 

This week, lawmakers joined a rally hosted by the Healthcare Education Project, composed of 1199SEIU and the Greater New York Hospital Association. The rally was in support of higher Medicaid reimbursement rates. Last year, the state increased Medicaid reimbursement by 7.5%, but many advocates argue that the increase was insufficient to bridge the existing 30% shortfall between the cost of Medicaid care and funding from the state. Advocates warn of lower quality care for Medicaid patients without additional reimbursement increases. The rally comes as the Healthcare Education Project launched a $10 million ad campaign to push Hochul to include increased reimbursement over several budget cycles until the state covers 100% of the cost of Medicaid care.

PRIMARY UPDATES

Julien Segura to Challenge Al Taylor  

On Friday, Julien Segura, a local organizer and activist, announced that he is challenging Al Taylor for his Manhattan Assembly seat. For his campaign, Segura is prioritizing affordable housing, public health, the environment, congestion pricing relief, and election reform. “Al Taylor has betrayed the trust of the voters on core issues, including the right to access safe abortion care and protections for the queer community. We need leadership that is unapologetic about standing up for progress,” Segura explained in his reasoning for challenging Taylor.

Minita Sanghvi Announced Her Candidacy for Senate

On Monday, Saratoga Springs Finance Commissioner and Skidmore College Professor Minita Sanghvi announced her candidacy for Jim Tedisco’s seat. If elected, Sanghvi will be the first openly gay woman in the Senate. For her campaign, Sanghvi is running on a platform of fiscal responsibility, infrastructure, and job development. “I feel that we have a real leadership gap right now and that’s what I’m here to help with,” Sanghvi explained her reasoning for running. In 2022, Senator Tedisco defeated his Democratic opponent, Michelle Ostrelich, with almost 57% of the vote. However, Sanghvi explained that “registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 6,000 in the district, and President Biden beat Donald Trump by 12 percentage points in 2020.”

OTHER UPDATES

Schumer and Johnson Agreed to New Spending Deal

On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson agreed to a $1.59 trillion spending deal before the first 2024 budget deadline on January 19th. The spending deal allows for $886 billion for defense and $773 billion for nondefense spending. The Democrats were able to limit House Republicans from reducing funding for energy and climate programs. At the same time, the House Republicans were able to cut $16 billion from federal pandemic programs and the IRS. The House Freedom Caucus criticized the deal and called it a “total failure.” This led to the Caucus joining the Democrats on Wednesday to block three unrelated bills from moving forward as a sign of protest against Johnson. Johnson already expected the backlash from his party as he explained in his letter to his conference that “final spending levels will not satisfy everyone, and they do not cut as much spending as many of us would like.”

Mayor Adams Reverses Some Budget Cuts to City Agencies

On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams announced that he is reversing 5% of the budget cuts to the NYPD and FDNY that were previously announced in November. The 5% budget cuts to citywide agencies were announced in November as the city projected a $12 billion budget deficit through the summer of 2025. However, Adams explained that due to his administration’s “ability to make the right financial decisions for our city and implement creative policies” and “better than anticipated tax revenues,” the city is now only facing a $10 billion budget deficit through the summer of 2025. Yesterday, Adams announced that he is also reversing some budget cuts to the city’s sanitation and parks departments. NYC Council Finance Chair Justin Brannan remarked, “The mayor is doing a budget dance with himself, and his rhetoric is out of step with the math…with irrationally shifting explanations and numbers.”

Donald Trump's Civil Trial Wrapped Up

Yesterday, the civil trial against Donald Trump concluded, with Attorney General Letitia James and Donald Trump’s defense team giving closing arguments. 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. AG James is asking Judge Arthur Engoron to fine Trump $370 million and bar for life from the state’s real estate industry. In the closing arguments, Trump said that the trial was a “fraud” and that he was being sued by James “for publicity.” Engoron has already found Trump guilty but is expected to rule on the final damages that Trump must pay later this month.  

 

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