Friday Morning Brief March 29, 2024

Mar 28

Written By Michael Avella

Member Spotlight:

Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton

Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton joined us to discuss her Staten Island and Brooklyn-based Senate District and her priorities and experiences in the Senate. Born and raised on Staten Island, she has long advocated for her community, families, and veterans. She currently Chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs. She is also a member of various committees, such as on Insurance, Labor, and Women’s Issues.

What district do you represent, and can you describe it or highlight anything about your district for those who have never been there?
I represent the 23rd Senate district, which represents the North and East Shore of Staten Island, and Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Sheepshead Bay in southern Brooklyn. It’s a district that, even though they’re on opposite sides of the bridge, they’re very similar politically. So, they care about issues that hit their pockets and about public safety. It’s the district I’m very familiar with because I worked for the previous Senator, Diane Savino.

What was your profession before becoming a legislator?
I’ve always worked in government and politics. I started my career as an intern in the New York State Assembly in 2009. I was hired after that as a legislative director for an Assemblywoman, and then I was the Executive Director of the Staten Island Democratic Party. There, I helped on many campaigns, including for congressional, district attorney, and Senate races.

What inspired you to get into politics?
Back in 2008, I got really interested in the presidential election. I was originally going to school to study nursing, but I started taking political science classes to gauge my interest as a hobby. I thought maybe I major in nursing and minor in political science. However, one of my favorite professors at the College of Staten Island encouraged me to do an internship in Albany, and it totally shifted the course of my life. I was 19 when I did the internship, and I had all this leeway because I was the only one in the Albany office. So, I remember the first bill I pitched to the member I was working for was to give temporary disability parking permits to women in their third trimester. After that, I was just hooked and wanted to help people through legislative work. So here I am all these years later.

What is your favorite food to eat?
As a true Staten Islander, my favorite food is pizza. If I’m in a bad or good mood or just hungry, I can always go for a slice.

And what about sports? Any favorite NY sports team?
So, I am a Nets fan because my dad was a Nets fan. I can’t say I’m the biggest sports fan, but I guess I always like the underdog. Now, my kids are playing basketball, so I’m getting into watching them play.

What’s your favorite music genre? What do you like to listen to?
I like a wide array of music, especially the folksy old types. I have the music taste of a 75-year-old woman. I really do enjoy Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell, but I will forever be a Swifty. I listen to a lot of Taylor Swift, and both of my kids also love Taylor Swift.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Audiobooks. I love listening to audiobooks, especially when driving up to or from Albany. I used to love to read, but it’s hard sometimes with my schedule. I was disappointed in myself last year because my yearly goal was to read one book a month, and I was not even close to hitting that goal. So, starting this year, I was listening to audiobooks on my drive to Albany.

What’s your favorite audiobook or book so far?
My favorite book is The Last Hurrah. It was written in the 1950s, and it’s about a guy who was a mayor who lost his race and ran against this young guy in the military. But I think it’s a timely book for anybody in politics to read. I tried to read it at least once a year or once every couple of years.

What is your proudest legislative achievement so far?
Before I was elected, when I started as a legislative director for that Assemblymember, she had a bill that would give a certificate of birth for those resulting in stillbirth to families who have dealt with that loss. I was able to get 148 Assemblymembers to sign on as co-sponsors, but we still had a hard time passing it. It actually ended up passing the year after. It gave me a good idea of how the budgeting process works and the importance of bills being passed in Albany for families throughout the state.

Another bill I’m pretty proud of is the bill that would elevate the assault of a retail worker to a Class D felony. It’s gotten a lot of traction and attention, but it’s not an easy bill to get through the Legislature. But we are doing everything we can to protect retail workers because they don’t have traditional work hours – some retail stores are open 24 hours a day. When we did a press conference on this bill in front of a deli last year, there was another assault that same morning at 5:00 in the morning. So this is a problem that people across NYC face, and retail workers deserve the same protections as any other workers, especially when many of them are teenagers. The Governor put it in her Executive Budget, and we are working to keep it in the Final Budget. I’m really proud of how far it has come and I think it will help many people.

Any particular issues that are important for you?
The two big issues in my district are affordability and public safety. So I always make sure that, whenever I’m doing something, I keep those two things in mind, but something that is also very near and dear to my heart and that I’m working on is the Death With Dignity legislation. My predecessor carried that bill, and now I am co-sponsoring it with Senator Hoylman-Sigal. It’s a really touchy subject for a lot of people, and at the end of the day, I think people are very uncomfortable thinking about death. But we want to make sure the issue is heard, and my goal this year is to get more bipartisan support. Frankly, it’s a hard issue for some to get behind publicly, but I think we can get it on the floor and, if passed, would get New York State in line with other states.

As the Chair of Veterans and military affairs, what issue do you think will arise this year?
Helping out military families. As a military spouse, I know we could be doing for more military families. We want to ensure NYS is a desirable place to live for veterans. We could do so much more for military families, especially once they get out of the military, to make New York State a desirable place to live.

So, one of the bills I am working on would give disabled veterans a full 100% real property tax exemption. Senator Joe Addabbo is carrying that bill. This is something that New Jersey is already doing, and we are losing a lot of our disabled veteran population to New Jersey. NYC does have a pretty good property tax exemption, but it’s staggered, while New Jersey has a full 100% exemption. This bill will help military families and NYS retain veterans in the state.

I’m also carrying a bill that would make sure CUNYs and SUNYS have a career training center to help resume building for veterans. This would ensure that veterans are connected with job opportunities and are being helped to return to civilian life.

Another bill is to increase veterans’ access to resources. As a Senator and Chair, I find it frustrating to learn that there are many resources for veterans, but they are not user-friendly online. So, we have been working with the Department of Veterans Services to create a registry of all the state resources available to veterans on their website. Sitting on this side of the desk as a Senator and the Chair, I’m learning about all the different resources New York State offers its veterans. But they’re not all in one place. It’s not very user-friendly, so there’s not one place where you could find housing benefits and education benefits. We are also working with companies to see if we can collaborate with the Department of Labor to allow an opt-in to say they are hiring veterans and provide available opportunities in the registry.

Another priority is expanding mental health services for veterans. Veterans who have PTSD or any mental health illness have an impact on their families, so I want to do more to help spouses and children. That’s a major concern for me as well.

From working on these issues, are there any members in particular you would like to work with or just find yourself hanging out with
One of the great things about the Veterans Committee is that everybody wants to help support veterans. I do love working with Assemblymember Kimberly Jean Pierre. She is the Chair in the Assembly, so she and I are always in communication, making sure we have similar priorities and that we’re not just passing bills but passing bills that could be signed into law. I also love working with the Ranking Member, Senator Jake Ashby. He’s a military veteran, so these issues are near and dear to his heart. Helping veterans is a bipartisan issue, and working with everybody on the committee is great.

And any advice you want to give young folks in your district who want to get into politics?
Do some internships. That’s how I started my career. If you’re in college and you’re uncertain about what you want to do – which I certainly was when I was in college – it exposes you to so many different industries because if you’re working in elected officials’ offices, you’re meeting with people in labor unions, you’re meeting with people in businesses, and you are meeting with people in the non-profit sector. Also, see if this is something that you enjoy doing and have passion for. If the government side isn’t something you have passion for, there are so many other things that it can connect you with because it’s also a great networking opportunity. My office is always offering internships.

And any last comments you’d like to mention?
I really enjoy doing my job and representing the folks back in the district. It’s amazing to help my community and constituents, either in Albany by legislating or in the district by attending all the amazing community events. And as always, peace is the key to my heart and Taylor Swift.

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!

Budget Talks in “Middle of the Middle”

After weeks of cautious optimism about an on-time budget, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “We’re in the middle of the middle,” on Wednesday. With the new fiscal year starting on April 1st, Stewart-Cousins explained that negotiations between her, Speaker Carl Heastie, and Governor Hochul will continue while other members return home for the weekend holiday. However, Hochul said in a statement that she “believes a final [Budget] agreement is within reach.”

The talks over the Final Budget seem to be at a standstill over housing after unions and real estate developers are at a stalemate over wages in a possible replacement of the now-expired 421-a developer tax break. Leaders of the Legislature are still deciding not to intervene in the negotiations between the two groups. “It would be premature,” Stewart-Cousins explained. Regarding tenant protections, Stewart-Cousins and Heastie are still negotiating with Hochul over a limited version of Good Cause eviction. Stewart-Cousins reiterated her commitment to including some versions of tenant protections in the budget, saying that it must “must include tenant protections, and aligned with the principles of ‘Good Cause.’” Heastie agreed with Stewart-Cousins, saying, “There is an understanding that tenant protections have to be part of anything.”

However, Heastie explained that he is “cautiously optimistic” about the budget passing soon. Other notable issues Heastie, Stewart-Cousins, and Hochul are negotiating are taxes and education funding. On education funding, Heastie said it’s “only right” to examine the Foundation Aid formula. Meanwhile, regarding the legislative proposals to raise taxes, Heastie explained that it might not be necessary if “we feel comfortable that everything that we feel is on the shopping list can be covered.”

With the leaders of the Legislature and Hochul unable to reach a final agreement on the budget, the Legislature passed the Debt Service Budget Bill, the first of several Budget bills, yesterday. The Legislature also passed a budget extender until April 4th, allowing budget negotiations to continue next week when all the members are back in Albany.

EXECUTIVE UPDATES

On Tuesday morning, amidst US Supreme Court oral arguments in the abortion medication mifepristone case, Hochul reiterated her and the state’s commitment to protecting reproductive rights on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “New York State is a safe harbor [for abortions]… don’t underestimate the rage of women in this country. They will march, they will take to the streets, they will protest, and there will be electoral consequences,” said Hochul. Hochul also reiterated her previous actions to protect reproductive rights, such as investing $35 million to support abortion providers across the state, allocating $100.7 million in the 2024 Final Budget for abortion providers, and purchasing a five-year supply of misoprostol. The oral arguments in the mifepristone case come after a District Court judge in Texas and the Fifth Circuit restricted the dissemination of mifepristone by the FDA, with the Supreme Court expected to release their ruling on the legality of mifepristone and its dissemination by the FDA this summer.

Earlier this week, Hochul announced low-cost power awards by the state Power Authority Board of Trustees to eleven firms to generate more than $5.2 billion in capital investments, and two funding awards of more than $1 million combined to two firms that are using the Niagara Hydropower. The awards by the state Power Authority Board of Trustees are estimated to support 5,781 jobs while the $1 million funding awards are estimated to create more than 100 jobs. These awards builds upon Hochul’s priority to help support the state's transition into a rewnewable clean energy economy and reach the state CLCPA goals. “The Empire State is open for business, and these substantial investments in a clean energy future underscore our position as a global hub for modern manufacturing,” said Hochul.

On Wednesday, Hochul announced that the state’s veterans and Gold Star Families will have free access to state parks, historic sites, and recreation areas on April 1st due to the expansion of the Lifetime Liberty Pass Program. The expansion of the Lifetime Liberty Pass Program to include all veterans and Gold Star Families living in the state was part of a bill signed by Hochul last year. Previously, a disability rating was required to be eligible for the Lifetime Liberty Pass Program. “Nature heals, and with the expansion of our Lifetime Liberty Pass Program, we’re ensuring veterans and their families can easily visit our world-class destinations here in New York,” said Hochul.

Yesterday, Hochul announced the availability of $30 million to develop three new youth residential treatment facilities. The three new residential treatment facilities will provide on-site care for children and adolescents seeking mental healthcare. Amounts up to $10 million are available for service providers operating youth residential or psychiatric inpatient programs, with the funding being able to go towards new or renovating existing buildings. The availability of $30 million in funding builds upon Hochul’s priority to invest in youth mental healthcare, such as committing to expanding a school-based mental health clinic in her 2024 State of the State and investing $10 million in suicide prevention programs.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Next week, the Legislature is scheduled to be in Session Tuesday to Thursday
The Final Budget is due on Monday, April 1st

Senate Approves New Members of the Public Service Commission

This week, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Uchenna Bright and Denise Sheehan to serve as New York State Public Service Commission commissioners. Bright formerly worked with the Natural Resources Defense Council, where she engaged with business, energy, and environmental stakeholders to address energy, environmental, economic, and social issues. Sheehan recently worked in the Department of Environmental Conservation for ten years, including two years as commissioner, where she helped in the effort to establish the state’s cap-and-invest program.

Senate Republicans' Antisemitism Working Group Releases Report

On Tuesday, the Senate Republicans’ Antisemitism Working Group unveiled their antisemitism report and sent a letter to Hochul and the Legislature urging for their recommendations to be legislative priorities for this year amidst the rising cases of antisemitism in the state. The Working Group recommended five legislative priorities to be included in the Final Budget:

Definition of antisemitism in the state human rights law
Prohibition of students who participate in antisemitic behaviors to not receive TAP
Implement antisemitism awareness and prevention sensitivity training in colleges
Establish vandalism of pro-Israel print as a class A misdemeanor
Expands the prohibition of harassment with the use of Nazi symbols

The Working Group was created last year after strings of antisemitic incidents in the state were reported and was tasked with engaging with local stakeholders to develop a series of recommendations to combat antisemitism in the state. “Antisemitism is not a new problem, but we have seen a drastic and alarming increase since the horrific terrorist attacks on Israel in October… The report outlines a comprehensive approach to battle antisemitism at all levels,” Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt explained.

Bill to Combat EBT Frauds Introduced by Sam Berger

Earlier this week, alongside a group of bipartisan lawmakers, Assemblymember Sam Berger announced a bill to help the state combat EBT fraud. This comes as Berger and other lawmakers heard their constituents’ complaints about being victims of EBT scams. Recently, Hochul directed the state to implement a new tool in the ConnectEBT app to allow users to lock their EBT cards online. After the federal government approved the state last year to implement a program to reimburse victims of EBT scams and frauds, more than $6.1 million has been reimbursed for about 12,000 stolen benefit claims. Berger’s bill would implement a system to cancel EBT cards after reports of fraudulent activity automatically. “Criminals are targeting the most vulnerable among us, and this common-sense legislation aims to put an end to that,” Berger explained.

Lawmakers Rally for HIV Rental Assistance in the Final Budget

On Tuesday, lawmakers joined a rally with advocates and healthcare providers in support of expanding rental assistance for low-income individuals with HIV. Advocates explained that renters with HIV face more discrimination when applying to rent due to the disproportionate amount of individuals with HIV being over 50 years old or part of the LGBTQIA+, Black, and Latino populations. Some lawmakers are urging the Legislature to include rental assistance for low-income individuals with HIV in the Final Budget. “It’s time to make HIV housing a reality in NY so that every county that ops in can provide safe, secure housing to those living with this disease,” Assemblymember Harry Bronson explained.

Lawmakers Push for Increased Solar Tax Credit

In anticipation of the state’s transition into a renewable, clean energy economy, lawmakers rallied with solar energy advocates to support the bill to increase the tax credit for installing solar panels and the cost of installing solar panels refundable for low-income homeowners. If the bill is passed by the Legislature and signed by Hochul, it would increase the maximum solar tax credit of $10,000 per household. Lawmakers and advocates explained that increasing the solar tax credit and refunding the cost would increase access to solar energy for low-income homeowners. “Refundability ensures that low-income folks can access affordable solar power,” Assembly sponsor Latrice Walker explained. “We need to provide opportunities for New Yorkers to generate their own electricity & help working families lower their energy bills,” Senate sponsor Pete Harckham added.

Nas and Kurtis Blow Visit the Capital

On Wednesday, hip hop legend Kurtis Blow visited the halls of the Capitol and met with legislators. Kurtis Blow, the first commercially successful rapper, was advocating for a proclamation of a special holiday: “One thing we’re trying to do is a special holiday called the No Profanity Day. For 24 Hours, the whole city does not use profanity.” He also met with Speaker Heastie, calling him a “good friend of mine.” Alongside Kurtis Blow, Rapper Nas also met and talked with legislators in the Capital. Nas, considered a pioneer in East Coast hip hop by many, received a Senate resolution commemorating the 30th anniversary of his Illmatic album.

PRIMARY & ELECTION UPDATES

New York Presidential Primary is on Tuesday, April 2nd.
Early voting will last until Saturday, March 30th.
To find your polling location or track your absentee ballot, click here

Tom Abinanti Poise to Challenge MaryJane Shimsky

Although not making his campaign official, former Assemblymember Tom Abinanti has been collecting signatures to challenge Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky. Abinati served in the Assembly for twelve years before losing the Democratic primary to Shimsky by about 900 votes in 2022. The decision to challenge Shimsky comes after the Town of Greenburgh’s residents and officials believe that she is supporting the move for Edgemont to separate from Greenburgh and incorporate it as a village. “Community leaders in Greenburgh are very angry that instead of continuing the efforts that I was making to protect Greenburgh from the disastrous impacts of Edgemont separating itself and forming a village, Assemblywoman Shimsky sponsored legislation which makes it easier for Edgemont to leave,” Abinanti said. However, Shimsky has recently raised concerns about incorporating Edgemont as a village due to potential costs for Greenburgh and Edgemont.

Presidential Primary on the Horizon

New York State presidential primary is on Tuesday, April 2nd, with early voting already taking place and set to last until Saturday, March 30th. Both President Biden and Trump have enough delegates to be officially nominated for their respective presidential nominees, but registered party voters can still cast their ballots. Aside from President Biden, Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson are on the ballot, although Phillips has already suspended his race and endorsed Biden. There is also a campaign by a coalition of activists to urge voters to submit blank ballots in protest of Biden’s administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, and threatening to sue the Board of Elections if the blank ballots are not counted. On the GOP ballot, Trump is joined by former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and Vivek Ramaswamy. Haley, Christie, and Ramaswamy have suspended their campaigns, but Haley and Christie have not endorsed Trump.

PRIMARY & ELECTION UPDATES

Congestion Pricing Gets Final MTA Approval

On Wednesday, the MTA board voted to approve the implementation of congestion pricing in Manhattan, with hopes of starting the plan by June even after the MTA canceled new construction contracts due to pending ligations. The approval comes after four public hearings on congestion pricing earlier this month. With the final approval of congestion pricing, drivers must pay $15 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street during the daytime. Although the final tolling structure was left largely unchanged, the MTA decided to exempt some school buses and some municipal vehicles but did not exempt municipal employees from using their personal vehicles to drive to work. Some lawmakers, such as Senator James Skoufis, criticized the approval of congestion pricing as it might negatively impact constituents who commute to NYC for work. “See you in court,” Skoufis said in response to the approval. Currently, the congestion pricing plan is still being sued by a coalition of Lower East Side residents, UFT and Staten Island, a mayor in New Jersey, and the New Jersey Governor.

Trump's Legal Developments

On Monday, the state appeals court ruled that Trump and his co-defendants have ten additional days to post a $175 million bond in a civil fraud case against him by Attorney General Letitia James. Trump was supposed to originally pay a $464 million bond by Monday or see his properties seized by the state. “I greatly respect the decision of the appellate division, and I’ll post the $175 million in cash or bonds or security or whatever is necessary very quickly within the next ten days,” Trump said after the ruling. On the same day, a Supreme Court judge in Manhattan also set Trump’s hush money case for April 15th, the first of Trump’s four criminal trials. The trial for April 15th alleges that Trump used money from his 2016 presidential campaign to cover up an extramarital affair. Trump was also issued a gag order, limiting him from making statements on the case on social media.

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