'Chaos' expected at Capitol after outside income limit upheld in court

And Hochul will apologize to Senecas on behalf of New York, president says

Good afternoon — it’s Tuesday and World Social Work Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• A limit on outside income approved by the Legislature and then struck down has now been upheld by a judge in Suffolk County.

• Gov. Kathy Hochul agreed in a private conversation last week to apologize to the Seneca Nation on behalf of New York state.

• The latest on negotiations between Hochul and the Senecas on a new gaming compact. The last compact expired in 2023.

• Hochul said Tuesday that she won’t consider the income tax hikes on high-income earners that the Legislature wants in this year’s budget.

• Human services organizations want a 7.8% cost of living adjustment and lawmakers agree. But the Senate and Assembly proposals differ.

• New Bills of Note: Incentives against animal testing, protection from discrimination based on caste and allowing recall elections.

Names in today’s CapCon: Gov. Kathy Hochul, Elizabeth Rule, J.C. Seneca, President Joseph R. Biden, Glenn Liebman, Luke Sikinyi

---

(Will Waldron/Times Union)

⚖️ Judge upholds limit on outside income for members of the Legislature

When the Legislature approved a pay hike for its members in late 2022, it came with a limit on how much lawmakers could earn outside their official duties.

Their salaries were raised to $142,000. In exchange, income earned in private positions would be capped at $35,000.

But that income limit was struck down by a judge last year before it was set to take effect in 2025. Lawmakers washed their hands of it and decided to move on.

That plan has now gone off the rails because of a court ruling handed down in Suffolk County that some lawmakers say will create “chaos” at the state Capitol.

(Free link after the paywall, which you can bypass with a 30-day free trial.)