End of Session Update
With just seven scheduled days left in the 2021 legislative session, the legislature is still focused on advancing several pieces of significant legislation. With such limited time remaining, it is common for bills to be swiftly amended and for negotiations to be reached between both Houses and the Governor.
This week, the Senate passed a package of bills aimed at increasing protections for elder New Yorkers, banning termination of tenancy in some senior housing facilities, and establishes an elder0abuse aftercare program.
In addition, the Assembly passed a bill to codify the Nourish New York program, which connects farms with extra agricultural products with food relief organizations. This program was originally established during the pandemic amid food supply chain disruptions.
The following issues remain open and under consideration:
- Criminal Justice Reform
- Labor Rights
- Adult Survivors Act
- New York Health Act
- NY Privacy Act
New York’s ‘Twenty-First Century Anti-Trust Act’
Senator Gianaris and Assemblymember Dinowitz have reintroduced their “Twenty-First Century Anti-Trust Act” which seeks to update and expand current New York State antitrust laws to include abuse of dominance and unilateral conduct that would create monopolies/monopsonies.
“Our antitrust laws were written a century ago for a radically different economy and they are in desperate need of serious updates. Corporate power has reached unprecedented and dangerous levels, and we need powerful new laws to protect the public and our economy,” said Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris.
Both sponsors claim the bill addresses modern day issues and provides conformity with certain aspects of federal law.
This week Governor Cuomo and NYC Mayor de Blasio made separate announcements that, after more than a year of remote and hybrid-style learning, students and teachers will return to the classroom full-time in the fall.
“Remote learning sounds fine and worked fine enough for some students,” Cuomo said, adding, “By no stretch of the imagination is remote learning a substitute for in-class participation.”
“You can’t have a full recovery without full-strength schools,” Mayor de Blasio said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
NYC Mayoral Race Update
With less than one month until the NYC Mayoral primaries, two major polls have shown a new shift in the race. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and former Sanitation Department Commissioner Kathryn Garcia now lead, with Garcia receiving a surge in support in the past week.
Meanwhile, candidate and civil rights attorney Maya Wiley continues to publicly stand by her call for Scott Stringer, City Comptroller, to drop out of the race. Wiley was one of many politicians that called on Stringer to drop out after he was accused of sexual harassment in April. Stringer denies all allegations.