The 248th legislative session in Albany is off and running. Each of the four leaders of the political conferences had a chance to say their piece on behalf of their members. The common theme each leader emphasized was signaled by Governor Kathy Hochul’s mantra: affordability. Whether it was housing, healthcare, childcare, food, energy for heating, or education, each leader focused on a different aspect of affordability.
In her remarks, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D – Yonkers, Westchester County) said this is not a new topic. “We’ve always kept our focus on affordability while we’ve made great strides by expanding the earned income tax credit… raising the minimum wage, and securing and expanding paid family leave. We know families are still feeling the pinch and we know the challenges ahead require maintaining and strengthening our resolve to make New York more affordable,” she told a packed Senate chamber. “This year we will recommit our efforts to these economic drivers to ensure that the cost of doing business in New York doesn’t shutter our moms and pops. Tackling the affordability crisis and getting New Yorkers back on track must be our top priority.”
The Senate Majority Leader focused her optimism on the youngsters and the legislative interns in the chamber. “It really has that first-day-of-school atmosphere, I know, for all of you young people over here who think that we don’t just get as excited on the first day,” said Stewart-Cousins. “Now you know we do.” She noted that there are a historic number of women sitting in the Senate – 22 – 3 Republicans and 19 Democrats. “When I first came in 2007 there were nine women,” she recalled.
Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt (R – North Tonawanda, Niagara County) said he wants to work together with the majority Democrats, but then blamed the Democrats for not doing more than talking. However, the Republicans have not seized the moment to make affordability an effective campaign issue over the last few election cycles. Democrats currently hold 41 seats in the Senate and Republicans hold 22 seats. Fifteen Democrats were unopposed in last year’s election and seven Republicans were not challenged. It is not easy to gain ground when incumbents are not challenged or do not have a serious challenger.
“We heard about affordability a lot in the last several years. Unfortunately, from my vantage point, we haven’t done as much on affordability,” Ortt told the 63 members seated in the chamber along with the staff who attended. “We have contributed to making New York less affordable. Voters are concerned about affordability. They are concerned about the money in their wallet and having less of it… to pay their bills, to heat their homes, to put their kids through college – having less of it to provide for their families. For their hopes and dreams.”
“Hopes and dreams usually cost money,” Ortt continued. “If people are going to meet their hopes and dreams in New York, we have to make this state more affordable for them to [do so] here and not in other states as we’ve seen people do. The issues of affordability, crime, immigration, energy are not just New York issues – they’re issues across the country. We have an obligation to address those issues regardless of political party.”
In the state Assembly, known as the people’s house or the lower chamber, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D – Edenwald, The Bronx) echoed the sentiments of his Senate colleagues when he delivered his opening remarks. “One thing we keep hearing over and over again is that the cost of living remains too high. The cost of everyday items continues to plague New Yorkers as they struggle to feed their families, heat their homes, and save for the future. We know we must do more,” he said. (When the session adjourns in June, Heastie hits the road visiting Democratic districts to learn about the concerns outside of his Bronx neighborhood.) He added that he had spoken with the governor about taking more concrete actions to assist New Yorkers. “This starts by providing more tax relief to our middle-class families so they can decide how best to use their money. And we should eliminate state income taxes for low-income families,” he said.
Finally, Assembly Republican Leader Will Barclay (R – Pulaski, Oswego County) began by skewering Hochul for taking from one hand and putting it another. “I hope, however, that the goal of putting money back in the people’s pockets is not damage control after the state launched congestion pricing. Hope springs eternal,” Barclay said. “It needs to be [the] goal of every member in the legislature to lower that cost of living. New York is a national leader of driving residents away [from the state], and that needs to be changed. Affordability strikes at the core of that issue.”
Rabbi Mara Young, spiritual leader of the White Plains-based Woodlands Community Temple, a Reform congregation, was the only rabbi to give a prayer at the opening of the legislative session.
The governor’s State of the State message was delivered on Tuesday, January 14, just after the deadline for this article. In the State of the State message are often many glowing, optimistic words. The most common reaction from state lawmakers after the speech is: How is she going to pay for all this? The answer will come in a few weeks when Hochul delivers her state budget message at the end of January.
Barclay expressed that concern on the Assembly floor. “We need a sustainable state budget to continue down the path that increased state spending by more than $60 billion in the last five years. That is not only unsustainable but it is irresponsible.”
“Today is the best day of the session except for the last day of the session. That’s kind of how it goes,” Ortt said. “Today is a day when we are hopeful, we are optimistic. Will we be able to step up and face and deal with the challenges facing us here in this body, in this state, in this moment? Today, being a day of optimism, today is a day when we can say yes, we hope so.”
The two legislative leaders squared off over the incoming Trump administration.
“I am very excited and I know some of my colleagues will not share my enthusiasm,” Ortt said gleefully. “I hope that this body, that this governor, will work with the Trump administration on issues like affordability, like immigration for the betterment of New Yorkers, and not work against the administration for the betterment of our political careers.”
From the Democratic side of the aisle came a different tone. “There is no question that we are entering a year defined by enormous challenges with the incoming [Trump] administration in Washington,” said Stewart-Cousins. “Uncertainty does hang heavy in the air, but let me be clear: New York has never been a state to back down. One of the challenges to working families and our local economies is the uncertainty in Washington. When federal funding is threatened, everyone is harmed and certainly the most vulnerable are hit the hardest. Here in New York we’ve repeatedly proven that we can and will step up to protect our residents.”
Ortt noted that crime remains a major issue. “We have to be honest about how we got there and we have to take action,” he said. “That takes political will, political courage and our conference stands ready to take that action.” While Stewart-Cousins did not mention crime, specifically, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who pushed through laws relaxing penalties and jail time, did.
“Although crime is down across the state, we need to make people feel safe. We must address the continuing crises of the people struggling with mental health, substance use disorders, and homelessness. And we also need resources and standards for successful Raise the Age programs across the state,” Heastie said. “Jails and prisons are not the place to solve the problems associated with homelessness, behavioral health, or troubled youth. Instead, these solutions need to be within our communities. We need to work together with our partners in local government so that they have the tools required to address the challenges in their communities.”
