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Floor News
Emergency Appropriation Extender
• The Assembly and Senate passed a bill (A.9845) in order to provide emergency appropriations for the support of the government between April 1st and April 15th.
~A previous extender (A.9771) was passed to provide emergency appropriations for the support of the government between April 1st and April 11th (135-0).
Committee News
Education
• Despite unanimous Republican support, the Education Committee blocked a bill (A.8828, Flood) that enacts the Public School Instructional Materials Review and Transparency Act, which creates a process for parents of a school district to file complaints on instructional material they find objectionable.
Governmental Operations
• Despite unanimous Republican support, the Governmental Operations Committee blocked a bill (A.7319-A, Slater), which requires all refugees and asylum seekers who enter the State to register with the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance within 30 days and requires the Office for New Americans to perform a background screening on every immigrant who registers to ensure the immigrant does not present a security risk to the State or the United States.
Social Services
• Despite unanimous Republican support, the Social Services Committee blocked a bill (A.8013, Reilly), which prohibits State funds from being used for emergency migrant shelters in schools, daycares, and youth community organizations.
Transportation
• Despite unanimous Republican support, the Transportation Committee blocked a bill (A.5395, Brabenec) that repeals the Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act, more commonly known as the “Green Light Law,” which allows migrants and illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses.
Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
• Despite unanimous Republican support, the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee blocked a bill (A.8414, Beephan) which exempts from congestion pricing New York City employees and officers, first responders (including members of a police department or fire department, emergency medical technicians, correction officers, dispatchers, or other uniformed officers), physicians and nurses, and anyone entering the central business district for medical treatment.
• Despite unanimous Republican opposition, the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee reported a bill (A.8555) directing the Secretary of State to publish on the Department of State’s website the data particular business corporations and LLCs (private-sector employers with 100+ employees, or federal contractors with 50+ employees) are already required to submit to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regarding the gender, race, and ethnicity of their employees.
~This bill was reported to the Floor.
Health
• Despite unanimous Republican support, the Health Committee blocked a bill (A.5336, Flood) that prohibits any person from owning, operating, working in, or volunteering at a supervised injection site.
Higher Education
• Despite unanimous Republican support, the Higher Education Committee blocked two bills designed to address antisemitism on college campuses:
~A.8279 (Ra) – Enacts the Dismantling Student Antisemitism (DSA) Act to require
Chancellors of the City University of New York and State University of New York and all
presidents of accredited higher education institutions to amend existing sensitivity training to include training pertaining to antisemitism, adopt a uniform hate and discrimination policy statement related to antisemitism, and issue a report on campus incidents related to
antisemitism to the State Education Department.
~A.8399 (Brown, E.) – Enacts the Combating Campus Antisemitism Act to prohibit any tuition assistance award from being provided to any student who engages in promoting antisemitism in such a manner that is likely to incite or produce imminent lawless action or constitutes “true threats” or “fighting words.”
Labor
• Despite unanimous Republican support, the Labor Committee blocked a bill (A.7976, Fitzpatrick) to prohibit retaliation by an employer against an employee who confronts an individual to prevent theft or the unlawful taking of goods, wares, or merchandise.
Local Governments
• Despite unanimous Republican support, the Local Governments Committee blocked a bill (A.8034, Barclay) that requires towns, cities, and counties in New York State to opt into accepting asylum seeking migrants from other jurisdictions.
Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
• Despite unanimous Republican support, the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee blocked a bill (A.4146, Lemondes) that would require the Commissioner of Addiction Services and Supports to establish a dedicated secure opioid rehabilitation facility for the purpose of providing long-term residential treatment of opioid-abusing or -addicted defendants referred to the facility from a drug court.
Codes
• Despite unanimous Republican support, the Codes Committee blocked the following public safety bills:
~A.4623 (McGowan) – Allows a family member of a deceased crime victim to personally attend a Parole Board interview of the responsible inmate in homicide cases. Requires the Parole Board to review victim impact statements.
~A.5186 (Tannousis) – Establishes the crimes of Harassment of a Law Enforcement Officer or a Member of the Officer's Family in the 1st and 2nd Degrees.
~A.5592 (Brabenec) – Creates the class E felony crime of Criminal Possession of Fentanyl when a person knowingly and unlawfully possesses, manufactures, distributes, or uses fentanyl, or any fentanyl analogs, to enhance another illegal substance.
~A.6792 (DeStefano) – Classifies specified offenses committed against first responders such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency services personnel as hate crimes.
~A.6929 (McGowan) – Makes it a hate crime when a person commits a specified offense or a trespass violation in or on the grounds of a church, synagogue, mosque, or other house of worship.
~A.7985 (Slater) – Creates the class A-1 felony crime of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death.
~A.7991 (Mikulin) – Mandates life imprisonment without parole for the crimes of Aggravated Murder or Murder in the 1st or 2nd Degree where the victim was less than 18 years old.
~A.8283 (Barclay) – Makes Harassment in the 1st Degree, Aggravated Harassment in the 2nd Degree, and Menacing in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Degrees qualifying offenses when charged as hate crimes, giving judges the discretion to set bail, pretrial. Makes Aggravated Threat of Mass Harm, Making a Threat of Mass Harm, and Aggravated Harassment in the 1st Degree qualifying offenses for bail.
~A.8594 (K. Brown) – Creates the class E felony crime of Coordinated Petit Larceny, also known as Smash and Grab, when a person steals property at the same location as one or more other persons who are also stealing property or causing property damage. Makes this crime bail-eligible.
Week In Focus
• On Tuesday, the Assembly passed a resolution (K.1080) proclaiming April 9, 2024, as West Point Day.
• Also, on Tuesday, Assembly Republicans attended a press conference with their Senate Colleagues calling for existing funds to be released to help address veterans’ issues. For more information, CLICK HERE
• On Wednesday, Assembly Republican Members, along with their Senate Republican Colleagues, held a press conference to reinforce opposition to “Good Cause Eviction” being included in the final State Budget agreement. To view CLICK HERE