CapCon: Chatting With Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Next on Redistricting, CapCon Q&A

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Feb 13, 2024

Good afternoon — it’s Tuesday, and Galentine’s Day.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2024

TODAY’S CAPCON: Heastie chats with CapCon, what’s next on redistricting, Stefanik vs. Tish, CapCon Q&A with Sen. Samra Brouk

🔨 Is Tomorrow a Session Day? Yes.

❄️ Tonight’s Weather: Albany: Mostly cloudy, chance of snow, mid 20s. New York City: Mostly clear, high 20s. (National Weather Service)

🏛️ Heastie’s Staying: Rumors have been swirling in parts of the state Assembly that Assembly Speaker Carl E. HEASTIE is not planning to seek reelection this year, and could leave the Legislature as early as June.

Heastie was elected as speaker during a whirlwind few days in 2015 after former Speaker Sheldon Silver was indicted on federal corruption charges.
He’s remained a relatively popular leader of the Democratic conference, opting for a more collaborative approach than his predecessor.

But in an exclusive interview with CapCon, Heastie dismissed those rumors. Not only is he running for reelection, he said, he also wants to remain speaker in next year’s session.

“I’m running for reelection for my Assembly seat, and in December I plan on asking the members, if it’s so their desire, to allow me to continue to be speaker,” he said.

That doesn’t mean Heastie, who’s the first person of color to become speaker, is planning to hold the job for two decades, like Silver. But he said he’s going to stick around for now. Sorry Heastie haters.

“I’m not going to do this job forever. I’m probably much closer to the end than the beginning, but I don’t know,” Heastie said.

🏫 We also chatted about some of the top issues on the table in this year’s budget negotiations, including Gov. Kathy HOCHUL’s proposal to change the foundation aid formula for schools.

Hochul wants to readjust the formula to redistribute state funding for schools that have lost enrollment over the past few years.
Those changes would mean cuts in funding for many schools, as the Times Union has previously reported. (Cool infographic in this story!)

Heastie said he agrees with Hochul that the foundation aid formula, which hasn’t been changed since 2007, should get an update. But members, he said, don’t like her plan.

“Where things stand now, I don’t think it’s an acceptable thing for the Assembly Democrats, but we have to figure it out,” Heastie said.

🏠 Aside from that, Heastie said the hardest item that could be negotiated this year is a major deal to expand housing across the state.

Hochul pitched a major housing plan last year, but it died after mandates for localities upset lawmakers, particularly those from the suburbs.
Her proposal is different this year, and would include funding for localities who commit to housing growth.
Hochul also wants a residential housing tax incentive program to replace the now-expired 421-a program in New York City, which exempts certain new multiple dwellings from local property taxes.

“I think if all the people that have a vested interest in this understand that they’re all going to have to accept something they don’t like, I think we’ll be able to get to a deal,” Heastie said.

Looming over all of that is the state’s $4.3 billion budget gap. That deficit could grow to $9.9 billion by 2028, per the financial plan released with Hochul’s budget.

Heastie said he expects a clearer look at the state’s financial challenges after the annual revenue forecast meeting, which is required by statute to happen by the end of February.

“I do think there will be a little more money available, at least on the tax receipts. We’re getting encouraging information on that,” Heastie said.

✏️ Mayoral control of New York City schools is also up for renewal this year. The system, which gives the mayor control over local decisions related to city schools, expires in June.

This has happened every few years since mayoral control began under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2002. It was last renewed in 2022 for two years.
But there’s been calls in recent months for an end to the system at public hearings, marking some opposition for Mayor Eric ADAMS.

Hochul wants to extend mayoral control for another four years, which has never been granted by the Legislature. It’s often considered at the end of the legislative session, rather than in the state budget.

Heastie said he doesn’t expect any problems in the Assembly with renewing mayoral control, but the length of that extension is still up for debate.

“I believe mayoral control will be reauthorized,” Heastie said. “At this point I don’t really see a huge problem with mayoral control.”

🗺️ Redistricting (Again): I don’t know if we’ll ever stop talking about redistricting, but we’re getting closer to the end of a process that was supposed to wrap up two years ago.

The Independent Redistricting Commission has scheduled a meeting Thursday to approve a new set of maps for New York’s congressional districts.

That’s after the state’s highest court ruled late last year that the IRC didn’t do it right the first time, and ordered them to draw new maps.
I won’t rehash the entire legal battle that brought us here, but it’s been a long time coming.

After the IRC approves the new maps, they’ll go to the Legislature for a vote. The big question then becomes … when?

After a marathon of budget hearings, lawmakers have next week off from session.
But petitioning for those seats starts later this month, so they can’t take too long.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea STEWART-COUSINS told reporters Tuesday she’s not expecting the Senate to vote on the maps Friday, and didn’t rule out bringing members back to Albany next week to get it done.

“I think the reality is that you’ve got to give it some time to be in the public sphere,” she said. “I don’t want to rule out coming back next week if necessary.”

🏛️ Suozzi vs. Mazi: Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or don’t care about politics, you’ll know that a special election is being held today for the seat vacated by former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who I’m sure you already know about.

Tom SUOZZI, a Democrat, was previously in Congress, but left to run a failed bid for governor in 2022. Mazi PILIP, a Republican, is a Nassau County legislator and former member of the Israeli Defense Force.

The seat is being seen as a bellwether for the political attitudes of the national electorate in this year’s general elections.
It’s truly a toss-up district; Santos won in 2022 with 53 percent of the vote.

It’s also a political test for Long Island, which is seen as a key battleground in state politics. Democrats and Republicans have been trading seats there for the past few election cycles.

The race will give candidates for the state Legislature a sense of how voters are feeling this year.
It could also give Republicans another vote in the House, where they have a thin seven-member majority.

Suozzi also suggested today, though, that he would run for the seat in this year’s general election regardless of today’s outcome.

🥫 Extended Producer Responsibility: A bill that environmentalists really want passed this year was approved by the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee today.

Companies with more than $1 million in annual income would be required to reduce consumer packaging, boost recycling efforts, maintain reusable infrastructure and support municipal recycling programs.

Environmentalists call this “extended producer responsibility” because the goal is to take the burden of waste away from consumers, and put it on businesses.
It hasn’t made progress in the Senate, where it’s in the Environmental Conservation Committee.

The bill now heads to the Codes Committee in the Assembly, where its fate is unclear.

⚖️ Stefanik vs. Tish: U.S. Rep. Elise STEFANIK, a Republican and top surrogate for former President Donald J. Trump, filed a complaint to have New York Attorney General Tish JAMES disbarred.

James investigated, and brought to trial, claims that Trump had falsely inflated the value of his assets to secure funds from financial institutions.
State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ruled in September that Trump had overvalued those assets. The trial was to determine the consequences of that.

Stefanik, in a statement Tuesday, called the investigation and trial “shameful.”

“Her conduct not only constitutes a breach of her professional responsibilities but also risks irreparable harm to the public's already eroding trust in our legal institutions,” Stefanik said.

In her complaint to one of the state’s four Attorney Grievance Committees, she essentially said that James had pre-judged Trump, and made her position against him clear in public statements.

The Attorney Grievance Committee will now review the complaint a determine whether it’s unfounded, issue a letter of advisement or admonition to James, or refer any alleged misconduct to the Appellate Division for disciplinary action. Her office didn’t comment on the complaint.

Each week, we’ll bring you a Q&A with a top newsmaker or expert on topics in the news cycle and important to you.

🗣️ Sen. Samra BROUK, D-Monroe County, chairs the Senate Mental Health Committee and has advocated for things like higher wages for direct support professionals and stronger maternal mental health services.

TU: If you could accomplish only one thing this year in terms of mental health policy, what would it be?

SB: There is so much that needs to be done to transform New York’s mental health system that it’s hard to narrow it down to just one item! However, one way we can set New Yorkers up for a lifetime of success is to prioritize and invest in youth mental health support — which is needed now more than ever.

That’s why I’m advocating for a series of policies and investments that will keep our young people safe and healthy, many of which we can accomplish through this year’s budget. We can and should fund a statewide pilot to provide five free youth mental telehealth appointments (S.8146), amplify youth voice in relevant policy decisions by creating a Youth Mental Health Advisory Board (S.8359), and sustain a school-based mental health workforce through repayment loan programs (S.8350, S.8218). By expanding access to care and providing treatment early, we can ensure that our youngest New Yorkers get the care they need before mental health conditions worsen.

TU: We know the mental health care industry in New York doesn’t have enough practitioners to meet the demand. What do you see as the top obstacle to getting more people into that industry?

SB: As we discuss ways to bring more providers online, we must be mindful to ensure that we are attracting providers from diverse backgrounds and with lived experiences to serve different populations. It’s why I’m advocating for the passage of the Social Work Workforce Act (Brouk/Gonzales-Rojas), which would remove the unnecessary social work licensure exam that disproportionately fails Black and Brown test takers.

Graduate social work programs in our state graduate approximately 7,000 social workers each year, and New York needs to follow the lead of the 22 states who have already eliminated the exam or are in the process of doing so. We can’t allow a biased, ineffective exam requirement to prohibit prospective talent from entering this field — now more than ever.

TU: Human service agencies that offer mental health counseling were given two funding increases in the form of cost-of-living adjustments in the last two budgets. This year, the governor is proposing a 1.5 percent COLA increase. Do you think that should be higher?

SB: When we think about COLAs for this workforce, we have to remember that prior to 2021, these workers didn’t receive a pay adjustment for more than a decade. While it’s progress to have any COLA included in the executive proposal, the enacted budget must include a COLA of at least 3.2% to align with what professionals in the field think is necessary.

To that end, we need to automate this process by funding my bill S.1291. This legislation would provide annual increases that are indexed to inflation — to allow workers to rest assured that they will receive an adjustment, and ensure that folks across our mental health system can receive the care they deserve.

TU: Can you name one thing in the governor’s budget that gave you pause for concern?

SB: I appreciate that the executive proposal contained significant investments into our mental health system. The enacted budget, however, must contain specific investments that move us closer to our shared goal of decriminalizing mental health and creating diversion opportunities for those living with a mental health condition who may have interactions with law enforcement.

Studies show that those living with a mental health condition are far more likely to be a victim of violent crime than a perpetrator, and our approach to treating mental health must reflect this data by being peer-led and trauma informed. We can do this in a number of ways, primarily through funding a Daniel’s Law pilot program in this year's budget, which would create a statewide framework for mental health and substance use crisis response.

TU: If there’s one simple message you could send to someone struggling with their mental health, what would it be?

SB: I want New Yorkers who may be struggling to know that I see you. I know you’re hurting, and I’m working alongside my colleagues to deliver real change that will make it easier to access affordable, quality, culturally competent care — in every corner of our state.

We know that New York needs to do more to connect folks with the care they deserve, which is why we’re at work to make sure we correct the historic underinvestment that has led to the strained systems that New Yorkers are struggling with today.

🖱️ Searching Prisons: A4763A PEOPLES-STOKES: Websites where the public can search for information on incarcerated individuals would also have to include any former names or aliases of those people. (First introduced: 2012)

✍️ Election Integrity: A9193 SLATER: Would require the state Board of Elections to verify the citizenship of people registered or registering to vote through the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program. (New bill)

🚑 Mobile Crisis Teams: S8549 HARCKHAM: Would require reimbursement from private insurance companies for services administered by mobile crisis teams to be, at a minimum, what’s covered under Medicaid. (New bill)

🔨 Is Tomorrow a Session Day? Yes.

🙋 Budget Hearings:

The Taxes budget hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in Hearing Room B. (Watch here)
The Housing budget hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at 12 p.m. in Hearing Room B. (Watch here)

🕕 Wednesday’s Committee meetings (2/14):

Assembly Tourism | 10 a.m., LOB 714

(If an Assembly committee is streaming, you’ll find that here.)

🥰 Galentine’s Day: If you’ve watched NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” you already know what this one is. But for those who haven’t, this holiday was created on the show for women to celebrate each other ahead of Valentine’s Day.

People typically celebrate this one by getting together with their friends for a drink or a meal, and enjoying each other’s company.
Its inception is from the show’s sixth season, when main character Leslie Knope throws a party for her friends in Pawnee, Indiana.

More from the Times Union (Free for CapCon Subscribers):

Times Square migrants at center of latest bail debate

Annual DEC study finds striped bass spawned at historically low rates last year

GOP wants to 'pump the brakes' on electric school buses

The Times Union Bill Tracker: Your guide to key bills on the table in this year’s legislative session, compiled by the TU’s Capitol Bureau. Find it here.

Thanks for reading, and be well.

Have feedback or a tip? Reach out anytime: Dan.Clark@TimesUnion.com