| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold | Presented by the American Chemistry Council | The Legislature is officially in overtime. The Senate adjourned for the year around 2:30 a.m. after reviving and passing a zombie bill — one that was assumed to be dead until just hours before — to impose a two-year moratorium on digital currency mining at fossil fuel power plants. You could say the ban … returned from the crypt? (We'll show ourselves out.) That's already been passed by the Assembly and will now head to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk. The Assembly is scheduled to reconvene this morning at 9:30 a.m. and work through the day. What's still up in the air? The Clean Slate legislation to seal many criminal records after people complete their sentences. The session was characterized by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins as "responsive," one where state Democrats were able to "rise to the occasion, every occasion" as they seek to shield party goals from an increasingly uncertain federal landscape. Last night they passed a package of new gun restrictions tightening New York's already strict laws in response to the shootings in Texas and Buffalo. And they passed the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act , a bill that civil rights advocates say would create the strongest protections against racial discrimination in elections of any state in the country. It would make local governments with a recent history of discriminating against certain groups of voters — including New York City — get the approval of the state Attorney General's Office before making decisions about how they operate elections. And they backed a series of measures that would strengthen New York's existing reproductive rights laws and would prepare to support out-of-state abortion seekers should the Supreme Court strike down Roe v. Wade. "It's clear that states are the last line of defense against the dystopian reality being pushed across America," Stewart-Cousins said on the Senate floor early this morning. "We can no longer count on a gridlocked Congress or an activist Supreme Court to serve in our best interests." To that end, there were few surprises and minimal blowups in the final weeks. Democrats found larger issues outside of New York to focus on rather than their internal squabbles. Now legislators will head back home to chopped-up districts for primaries in both June and August, many for new seats that will pit longtime politicians against one another, and we don't expect that harmony to last too long. They might just wish they were back in Albany for the summer. IT'S FRIDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold WHERE'S KATHY? Making an announcement with Choose Healthy Life. WHERE'S ERIC? Giving remarks at the Queens State of the Borough address, giving a commencement address at Queensborough Community College, and speaking at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition and a Celebration of Puerto Rico event.
| | | | A message from the American Chemistry Council: Only 10% of plastics are recycled using the antiquated recycling infrastructure New York currently relies on.
18 states have adopted cutting-edge technology to recycle 100% of plastics using advanced recycling facilities. Senator Mannion and Assemblywoman Hyndman's legislation (S.7891/A.9495) will make New York the 19th state to pave the way for billions of dollars in private investment and new green collar jobs in New York's sustainable economy. Say yes to advanced recycling; say yes to S.7891/A.9495. | | | |  | WHAT CITY HALL IS READING | | "LGBTQ groups boycott Mayor Adams' NYC Pride Month event over 'anti-gay hires,'" by New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt: "Five of the city's largest LGBTQ clubs are boycotting a Pride Month reception that Mayor Adams plans to host next week over what they see as his insufficient commitment to gay rights. Led by the Stonewall Democrats of New York City, the boycott of the June 7 reception at Gracie Mansion comes in response to Adams' decision to hire two Christian pastors for senior roles in his administration despite their histories of anti-gay views." " Ex-NYC Elections chief lawyer pleads guilty over office harass claims," by New York Post's Carl Campanile and Nolan Hicks: "The one-time top lawyer for the city Board of Elections pleaded guilty to abusing his office by harassing an intern and another subordinate, authorities announced Thursday — allegedly giving them physical exams that included measuring body parts and groping them for personal pleasure. Former BOE general counsel Steve Richman retired last year amid the misconduct probe by the city Department of Investigation." Adams defends leader of new gun violence task force over past misuse of public funds, by POLITICO's Joe Anuta: Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday that the leader of his new gun violence task force was the right person for the job despite a past city probe finding "fiscal mismanagement" of public funds at the street safety group he runs. … The group will be co-chaired by Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Sheena Wright and Andre T. Mitchell, founder of a violence prevention group called Man Up! Mitchell was the subject of a 2019 probe from the Department of Investigation, which found that he had improperly steered money from his organization into his personal bank account and had hired family members for various positions. … "We're not looking for a nun," Adams said. " City looks to end pandemic-era protections for older and some medically vulnerable homeless people," by Gothamist's Chau Lam: "At a time when New York City's COVID-19 alert level is on high, city officials are planning to end protections put in place at the start of the pandemic to curb the spread of the virus in the city's shelter system and safeguard older homeless people as well as those with certain medical conditions. Under the changes, the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) would no longer automatically place homeless people 70 and older in single rooms and those 66 and older in double rooms, according to Jacquelyn Simone, director of policy at the Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy group." "'We're playing with fire': U.S. Covid cases may be 30 times higher than reported," by The Guardian's Melody Schreiber: "Covid cases could be undercounted by a factor of 30, an early survey of the surge in New York City indicates. 'It would appear official case counts are under-estimating the true burden of infection by about 30-fold, which is a huge surprise,' said Denis Nash, an author of the study and a distinguished professor of epidemiology at the City University of New York School of Public Health."
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Late changes clear way for bill that would erase criminal records for some," by Times Union's Joshua Solomon: "Legislation that could erase the criminal records of more than 2 million people cleared an impasse at the Capitol in the waning days of the 2022 session after lawmakers eased the concerns of the State Education Department. State Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz of Queens, a key Democratic sponsor of the Clean Slate Act, said Thursday evening that the department's objections had been handled. The measure was expected to go to the Assembly floor for a vote, possibly on Friday — a day after the scheduled end of this year's legislative session.." " NYCHA Rescue Trust Approved by State Lawmakers," by The City's Greg B. Smith: "Albany legislators passed legislation Thursday that would allow NYCHA to create a public trust that can raise potentially billions of dollars to upgrade thousands of public housing units in the nation's biggest housing authority. For decades the 400,000 tenants of NYCHA have endured squalid conditions from mold infestations to non-working elevators to toxic lead paint, living in aging buildings that NYCHA estimates need $40 billion in repairs." Legislature to pass bill restoring audit powers Cuomo stripped from DiNapoli, by POLITICO's Bill Mahoney: The Legislature is poised to approve a bill that would restore audit powers that ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo stripped from Comptroller Tom DiNapoli in 2011. The expected passage comes after years of backroom maneuvering and squabbling as Cuomo worked to kill similar measures. "We had years of a former governor who gutted oversight powers for the comptroller," said Senate sponsor Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D-Orangetown). Krueger: Constitutional amendment on abortion fails to win legislative approval, by POLITICO's Shannon Young: An effort to enshrine New Yorkers' abortion rights in the state constitution will not move before the legislative session officially closes this week, the Senate sponsor has confirmed. State Sen. Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat who has long pushed for a state-level Equal Rights Amendment, told POLITICO that the constitutional amendment is "dead for now" and unlikely to see any action until next year. GOV. DEBATE #1: Rep. Tom Suozzi and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams represent vastly different ends of the Democratic Party, but they can agree to bash Gov. Kathy Hochul in her absence. And they both like fried Oreos at the State Fair. Hochul's two primary challengers faced off in a debate hosted by NY1 and Spectrum News Thursday night, which she declined to participate in. "Although we have some differences, at least we both showed up," said Williams, a further left progressive, to Suozzi, a Long Island moderate. Williams said that Hochul's shown hypocrisy by failing to put resources behind some issues she champions in the environmental and climate change spheres. Suozzi called her "fake" and "phony," among other adjectives, and bashed her commitment to cleaning up Albany when her first lieutenant governor resigned amid corruption charges. They both noted that Hochul formerly received an "A" rating from the NRA despite her current push for gun restrictions. Neither candidate revealed surprising new stances as Spectrum News anchors Susan Arbetter and Errol Louis sought their views on everything from gun restrictions to the opioid crisis. No need when their shared, bigger target was far away in the Albany executive mansion. Read more from Spectrum's Emily Ngo. — Anna #UpstateAmerica: There's a dispute over who owns the fire trucks used in the Lewis County village of Copenhagen.
| | | | A message from the American Chemistry Council:   | | | | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | One 'underdog' candidate sees opportunity in N.Y. maps mess, by POLITICO's Nicholas Wu: Where Democratic lawmakers saw chaos and shrinking opportunities in New York State's new congressional maps, Yuh-Line Niou saw an open door. When the new 10th Congressional District united Chinatowns in Manhattan and Brooklyn's Sunset Park, it created an electorate with more than 20 percent Asian American voters. The Taiwanese American Niou quickly pivoted from running for the state Senate to the new U.S. House seat. So quickly, in fact, her staff had crossed out "State Senate" on its campaign literature and written "Congress NY-10!" in marker. "I feel like it would have almost been like a disservice not to run, in some ways," Niou, a 38-year-old assemblymember, said on the sidelines of a community festival in the Alphabet City neighborhood of Manhattan. "Jacobs getting external pressure to drop out of NY-23 race by Friday," by Spectrum News' Ryan Whalen: "Nearly a week ago, the then-prohibitive favorite to win election in New York's 23rd Congressional District, Republican Chris Jacobs, turned the race on its head when he announced he would vote for a federal ban on guns like AR-15 rifles. Jacobs acknowledged at the time his statements could complicate his election bid and Erie County Conservative Party Chairman Ralph Lorigo says they absolutely did 'I started getting calls Friday afternoon and they still haven't stopped,' Lorigo said."
| | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | "Avenatti gets 4 years in prison for cheating Stormy Daniels," by The Associated Press' Bobby Caina Calvin and Larry Neumeister: "Michael Avenatti was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison for cheating client Stormy Daniels, the porn actor who catapulted him to fame, of hundreds of thousands of dollars in book proceeds. The California lawyer, currently incarcerated, learned his fate in Manhattan federal court, where Judge Jesse M. Furman said the sentence will mean that Avenatti will spend another 2 1/2 years in prison on top of the 2 1/2 years he is already serving after another fraud conviction. The judge said Avenatti's crime against Daniels was made 'out of desperation' when his law firm was struggling."
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — The 911 operator who mishandled a call from the site of the Buffalo mass murder last month has been fired. — Documents show that Amazon was tracking every minute of workers' days at its Staten Island warehouse and punishing them for minutes of "time off task."
— Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was upheld on appeal.
— " Midtown Manhattan Has a Pulse Again" — The City Council passed legislation to require more inspections of self-closing doors to protect against fires. — OP-ED: " We can't miss our moment to fix Penn Station," by Kathryn Garcia — City Council Member Carlina Rivera introduced a bill to require city-run health clinics to offer the abortion pill at no cost. — Verizon settled with the state AG over claims it violated laws requiring cooling tower inspection and cleaning to prevent Legionnaire's disease. — AG Tish James issued an "investor alert" warning about the risks of cryptocurrencies. — The Parks Department gave initial approval to creating the city's first public observatory. — A seven-year labor agreement between New York state and the New York State Law Enforcement Officers Union Council 82 has been finalized. — A state proposal would use cameras to enforce against drivers encroaching on bike lanes. — A man was charged with killing a delivery worker in Queens over a dispute in which he complained about not getting enough duck sauce.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Anderson Cooper … WSJ's Michelle Hackman … USTR's Sophia Sokolowski … Gina Foote of Finsbury Glover Hering … Edelman's Rob Rehg and Hannah Walter … Michael Fleischer of BCW Global … IRC's Sophie Oreck … Don Teague … Allegra Morosani … Eric S. Rosengren MEDIAWATCH — "CNN cutting back on over-hyping everything as 'breaking news,'" by Axios' Sara Fischer — Vanity Fair has announced three promotions: Claire Howorth to executive editor of features and development, Michael Calderone to editor of The Hive, and Julie Miller to Hollywood correspondent. … Liana Baker has been promoted to be managing editor of the U.S. deals team at Bloomberg. … Heidi Blake is joining The New Yorker as a contributing writer. She currently is an investigative journalist at BuzzFeed. … Christina Arvanites has been promoted to be senior producer at "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell." MAKING MOVES — Cristóbal Alex is now a managing director at Tusk Strategies, where he will help advise the firm's technology, crypto and other startup clients and help lead Tusk Philanthropies' mobile voting work. He most recently was deputy cabinet secretary in the White House and was the founding president of the Latino Victory Fund. … Kito Huggins has been named chief DEI officer at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP. He most recently was a managing director and U.S. head of the DEI practice at FGS Global. FOR YOUR RADAR — Kristin M. Davis, who is most famous for being the former "Manhattan Madam," announced on Facebook that she has signed Rudy Giuliani as a client for her PR firm Think Right PR.
| | | | A message from the American Chemistry Council: New York needs modern recycling solutions now. Only 10% of plastics are recycled using the antiquated recycling infrastructure we currently rely on, leaving the other 90% of plastics to inundate our environment and overfill local landfills – from Brookhaven to Seneca Meadows.
Fortunately, there's a recycling solution within reach. Senator Mannion (D-Geddes) and Assemblymember Hyndman (D-Queens) introduced legislation S.7891/A.9495 to bring advanced recycling technologies to New York; 21st century technologies that will pave the way for billions of dollars in private investment and new green collar jobs in the sustainable economy.
18 states have shown New York that advanced recycling can be done here. We can – and must – be next.
Say yes to advanced recycling; say yes to S.7891/A.9495. | | | | | Real Estate | | "NYC Housing Agency's Staff Shortage Stymies Affordable Development," by Commercial Observer's Rebecca Baird-Remba: "Five months into Mayor Eric Adams' administration, a significant staff shortage at the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) threatens to slow New York's affordable housing pipeline to a crawl. A new report from policy nonprofit New York Housing Conference finds that New York City's housing agency is short about 400 staffers of its budgeted headcount for this year. It currently employs 2,244 people, but the city planned funding for a staff of 2,640. Buffeted by budget cuts during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, HPD — like many other city agencies — has seen many staffers leave for higher-paying, more flexible jobs in the private sector." "New York Rents Are Sky High. Legislative Relief is Dead. What Happened?" by Hell Gate's Christopher Robbins
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