Friday Morning Brief Jan 5, 2024

Jan 4

Written By Michael Avella

Member Spotlight:

Senator Sean Ryan

Senator Sean Ryan joined us to discuss his experiences in the Legislature! Prior to serving in the Senate, he served as an Assemblymember from 2011 to 2020. He was also a longtime advocate as an attorney, fighting for better housing and education for his community. Currently, he is the Chair of Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business and serves on various other committees, such as on Codes, Judiciary, and Labor.

What district do you represent? Can you describe it for those who have never been there or highlight anything about your district?
I represent the 61st district, a mixed urban and suburban district. So, I represent a rich, vibrant part of the city and an area of concentrated poverty. And I also represent several quite healthy and stable towns—so I have a real mix of high-needs urban districts with high poverty and very stable northern suburbs. I also represent two big SUNYs, SUNY Buffalo and Buffalo State College, and two private colleges.

What was your profession before becoming a legislator?
I started my career as a legal services lawyer and did a lot of trial work. I focused on housing discrimination, and then I switched to representing kids with educational disabilities. So, I brought lawsuits for children, such as working for better programming for their school districts. Just before getting elected, I spent about six or seven years doing community redevelopment work for a small nonprofit, which at the time focused on many vacant and abandoned properties in Buffalo.

Did your work with redevelopment inspire you to run for office?
Most of my legal career was spent working in and around state laws, and I always wished state laws worked better. So, whether it was for housing or education policy, I started to get involved in politics at a very local level. Then, I quickly found myself in a position to run since there was a vacancy in the Assembly, and I decided to jump in. So, my law practice brought me into different communities and made me want to seek office.

Any favorite parts of being a legislator?
I’m a curious person by nature. So, it’s just great to be able to see and be invited to many different parts of the community. I regularly visit businesses, factories, small nonprofits, and families. So there’s always something going on. For somebody with a curious mind, this job really suits me.

What’s the most challenging part of being a legislator? Is it finding time to do everything you want to do?
Having good time management and ensuring you can keep your priorities straight at the same time can be challenging. Yet we always find the time to meet our priorities, work and meet with the community, and respond to various community needs. Coming out of private practice, you have a lot of practice with time management.

What kind of music do you like? Do you have any favorite bands/artists?
I spent a weekend listening to Natalie Merchant’s new album this summer. She was the lead singer of The 10,000 Maniacs. So, my taste runs toward indie music.

Favorite foods? Any favorite places to eat in your district?
With new Buffalonians coming in recent years, there has been a diverse array of new restaurants and cuisines, especially Indian, Bangladeshi, and Burmese cuisines. In a place called West Side Bazaar, there are about ten vendors in a small area with Egyptian, Malaysian, Burmese, and many other cuisines under one roof. It’s great to see families worldwide coming to Buffalo and calling it their new home. They are rebuilding Buffalo and growing its population.

What do you like to do in your free time? Any favorite activities?
I love the outdoors. When I have free time, I like to hike or fish. I also like to get up to the Adirondacks a few times a year.

What are/is your greatest/proudest legislative achievement(s) this year and throughout your career?
Throughout my career, we were able to pass various laws that impacted children who were poisoned by lead. That is something I’m very proud of. I’m also very proud to lead the inclusion of ensuring that kids who are poisoned by lead can get quick medical service and intervention as a budget priority. That goes back to my days practicing special education litigation because there’s a massive link between lead poisoning and the reduction of cognitive functioning in children. Special education and childcare has always been my priority. One of the most significant bills I was able to pass was changing the actionable lead level in a child’s blood so that they can get intervention faster and easier.

As Chair of Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business, any particular priorities you have or issues you see arising next session?
It’s a pretty broad committee, but it’s focused on growing the state’s economy through various programs, mostly through the Empire State Development Program. We deal with everything from energy rates for manufacturers to job training to ensuring that women and minority contractors and employment goals are met. In the past few years, We’ve been trying to refocus our economic development strategies through what we would call the high-road economic development principle, where we ensure that state-subsidized companies will deliver jobs into our communities that pay enough wages for workers to live on. So, we are trying to refocus as too many working full-time in New York State still qualify for public assistance.

Are there other legislators in particular that you like to work with or find yourself hanging out with a lot?
I spend a lot of time with my former Assembly colleagues, like Nily Rozic and Brian Kavanaugh, who is in the Senate now. But I socialize with a lot of my colleagues. I also do a lot of work with the other Upstate legislators in the Assembly and the Senate, like visiting a mental health facility with Senator Samra Brouk.

What advice would you give to young folks getting into politics?
If you want to make a difference in your community, there are various ways to do it. There are just so many ways to work for your community. But if you want to be a political leader, you have to stay focused on your community and ensure that any New York State policies work for the particular district or community you represent.

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

This week, Governor Hochul unveiled the first three proposals of her 2024 State of the State, which is set to be delivered on January 9th.

First, on Tuesday she announced the consumer protection and affordability agenda. The proposed consumer protection and affordability agenda would expand efforts to combat unfair business practices and empower the Department of Financial Services to impose regulations on the Buy Now Pay Later loan industry. The agenda also proposes a bill prohibiting co-pays for insulin in specific insurance plans and another bill to combat medical debt. Lastly, the agenda proposes to increase medical leave benefits for the next five years and tie them to statewide average weekly pay. The agenda would build upon previous actions by Hochul to improve affordability in the state, such as the Fair Medical Debt Reporting Act, signed by Hochul in December, and the 2024 Budget’s agreement to raise the minimum wage, which took effort this week.

On Wednesday, Hochul announced the “Back to Basics” Plan as the second proposal of the 2024 State of the State. The “Back to Basics” Plan aims to tackle illiteracy in youth by introducing policy that would require the State Education Department to promulgate instructions for elementary schools to teach phonics, decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension. Hochul would also provide $10 million in state investment to train 20,000 teachers to support the new reading plan. Lastly, SUNY’s and CUNY’s micro-credential programs for teachers would also be expanded to support teacher training. This comes as state data highlights that less than half of third graders in the state were proficient on state reading tests. “Our Back to Basics initiative will reset how schools approach reading, returning to scientifically proven techniques. Along with investments in teacher training programs, we are tackling this issue head-on to make sure our teachers and kids are set up for success,” explained Hochul.

Yesterday, Hochul announced the 6-Point Plan to combat maternal and infant mortality rates as the third proposal of the 2024 State of the State. The 6-Point Plan seeks to address the maternal mortality disparity rates for Black moms and improve maternal healthcare. The 6-Point Plan would:

Provide statewide parental leave for prenatal care
Expand access to doula services
Eliminate out-of-pocket medical costs and copays for pregnancy-related costs
Reduce unnecessary C-sections for mothers
Specialized training for counselors for maternal mental health
Provide portable cribs for low-income families

The 6-Point Plan comes as a recent CDC report highlighted that infant and maternal mortality rates rose in the U.S. and the state for the first time in two decades. “We are facing a maternal and infant mortality crisis. As New York’s first mom governor, this is personal to me. We are committed to tackling this crisis head-on with policies that lift up parents and children throughout the State of New York,” explained Hochul.

Earlier this week, Hochul announced that the annual state tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be presented as a statewide broadcast event on PBS stations. The one-hour tribute will highlight Dr. King’s leadership and activism in fighting for social justice and civil rights and his importance to the state’s values. “This tribute to Dr. King is a reminder of that legacy and an opportunity to recommit our State to the collective goals of his activism,” explained Hochul. The tribute will also be showcased in a special screening on Monday at the Empire Plaza Convention Center and livestreamed on Empire State Plaza’s website starting January 16th.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

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

The 2024 session began on Wednesday with Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Carl Heastie issuing their opening remarks. In their opening remarks, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie explained the importance of focusing on affordability, especially concerning housing and education. Additionally, a roughly $4 billion budget deficit looms over the Legislature.

Hochul had previously stated that she would not raise any new income taxes and would not cut any agency's budgets. Many lawmakers are expected to hold firm on cutting any services, and some are potentially open to raising income taxes on the state’s highest income earners. “I don’t think any legislators are ready to go back home with cuts in education and healthcare. We just have to see,” explained Heastie. This comes after Hochul vetoed several high-profile bills heavily supported by the Legislature, such as the Grieving Families Act, for the second time. Nevertheless, Hochul explained that the relationship between her and the leaders of the Legislature “[are] fine.”

Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar Introduces the SMOKEOUT Act

Right before the end of 2023, Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar introduced the SMOKEOUT Act to assist the state in cracking down on illegal cannabis stores. Under the SMOKEOUT Act, municipal officials and police departments would have the authority to order the closure of and seize illegal cannabis stores. Currently, only state regulators have the authority to close down and seize illegal cannabis stores. “My legislation puts the power back in the hands of the people and municipalities so that we can stop the sale of unlicensed cannabis that is endangering our children and our neighborhoods,” explained Rajkumar. The bill comes as state regulators are still processing hundreds of cannabis license applications, and 11,600 pounds or $56 million in street value was seized in 2023.

Bill Requiring Disclosure of Lobbying for Senate Confirmable Posts Reintroduced

Earlier this week, Senator Michael Gianaris reintroduced a bill requiring lobbying disclosures on posts requiring Senate confirmation. Hochul vetoed the bill in December for imposing “significant new reporting requirements on people who might not already be reporters retroactively to January 1, 2023.” The reintroduced bill does not have the retroactive implementation. The bill requiring the disclosure of lobbying on Senate confirmable posts came after the nomination of Judge Hector LaSalle for Chief Judge, which saw extensive lobbying efforts both in support of and against his confirmation. The bill memo states that the current “state law is entirely silent on the requirement of lobbyists to report who is paying them and how much when lobbying on such nominations and confirmations.”

Senator Tedisco Urge Hochul to Release Covid-19 Deaths in Nursing Homes

On Tuesday, Senator James Tedisco urged Hochul to release her full report of the $4.3 million review of the 15,000 deaths in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic that was ordered in 2022. The report will also review the evaluation of the nursing home policies during the Pandemic under former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Tedisco explained that the findings of the report are essential to inform the state to “better [prepare] for the future health crisis that could be around any corner” and that “Pandemics don’t abide by political timetables.” Tedisco is currently a sponsor of a bill that would establish an investigation with subpoena power into COVID-19 nursing home deaths.

Assembly Labor Chair to Resign on Monday

Yesterday, Assemblymember Latoya Joyner, the Chair of the Assembly Labor, announced that she is resigning from office on January 8th. “While I am leaving public service, I am pursuing an exciting new opportunity that will allow me to continue serving our community and state in fresh ways,” explained Joyner. With her resignation, Hochul must call for a special election to fill Joyner’s seat for the rest of the year.

OTHER UPDATES

NYC Council Hosted Charter Meeting for the New 2024-2025 Session

The new NYC Council session also kicked off this week, with the Charter Meeting taking place this Wednesday to formalize the Council Leadership. Representative Greg Meeks and Adriano Espaillat joined as special guests for the Charter Meeting, with Attorney General Letitia James administrating the oath of office. Speaker Adrienne Adams was unanimously reelected as Speaker and Councilmember Amanda Farías was designated the Majority Leader, replacing Councilmember Keith Powers. Adams explained that the designation of Farías as Majority Leader is to prepare “the institution for its next generation of leadership and expanding representation,” as both Adams and Powers are term-limited in two years, unlike Farías, who can serve in the Council until 2029. Four new councilmembers also joined the new NYC Council session:

Councilmember Chris Banks
Councilmember Kristy Marmorato
Councilmember Yusef Salaam
Councilmember Susan Zhang

UFT And Staten Island Filed a Federal Lawsuit Against Congestion Pricing

Yesterday, the UFT and Vito J. Fossella jointly filed a federal lawsuit to block the implementation of congestion pricing in the Central Business District, which is set to take effect in late Spring of this year. The lawsuit alleges that implementing congestion pricing could worsen asthma rates in school districts that are already high due to the rerouted traffic. “Their own study validates that things will get worse,” explained Fossella on the MTA environmental assessment about congestion pricing. UFT and Fosella also argue for a new environmental assessment that does not “cut corners constantly.” The lawsuit comes after the MTA published its tolling rates last week.

Mayor Eric Adams Sues Charter Bus Companies

Yesterday, Mayor Eric Adams announced that he is filing a lawsuit against 17 Texas charter bus companies transporting asylum-seekers to NYC. The lawsuit states that the city seeks $708 million to “recoup all costs New York City has incurred providing emergency shelter and services to migrants transported by the charter bus companies.” “These companies have violated state law by not paying the cost of caring for these migrants, and that’s why we are suing to recoup approximately $700 million,” explained Adams. This came after Adams signed an executive order requiring charter bus companies carrying asylum seekers to provide up to 32 hours of advance notice and limiting the times of day at which the asylum seekers can be dropped off. The lawsuit also comes after Adams hinted at expanding the executive orders to planes.

Firm News: Aung Hset Promoted from Intern to Full-Time Legislative Analyst

Aung joined D&A one year ago as an intern and due to his excellent work in support of the firm and deep relationships he has built with clients, elected officials and staff, has been hired full time as Legislative Analyst. In this role, he will continue to support the team and will take on additional responsibilities in advocating for clients' goals, in addition to continuing to represent the firm throughout the state.

Prior to joining D&A, Aung worked for the State Democratic Party as a campaign organizer. Prior to that, he gained legislative experience while working with the National Community Oncology Dispensing Association (NCODA), where he tracked and analyzed legislation.

Aung graduated cum laude with a BA in Political Science from the University of Albany and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration at Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy.

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