The 246th legislative session kicked off on January 4 with the swearing in of 24 new members in the state Assembly – 11 Democrats and 13 Republicans along with 14 new members in the state Senate – six Democrats, all women, and eight Republicans, seven men and one woman.
Declaring their hopes, wishes and dreams, the six leaders in each house – Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Senate Republican Leader Robert Ortt, Speaker Carl Heastie, Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Republican Leader William Barclay in the Assembly – each outlined their goals for the coming session.
In the Assembly, the Democrats put the spotlight on the dominance of female lawmakers appointed to the new makeup of the leadership, committee chairmanships and subcommittee heads. Of the 39 committees, 19 women are chairmen. Of the 40 subcommittees, 19 are led by women. Of the 21 positions of leadership, 10 are held by women. Of the 100 total positions of leadership posts, 48 are held by women.
While the 102-member Democratic conference boasts 49 female members (48 percent), which parallels the representation of the leadership of women, Heastie had a slight challenge with the math.
“For the first time in history, a majority of our committee chairs in this chamber are now women,” Heastie said, although joining the Assembly he served as a budget analyst in the New York City Comptroller’s office, earning a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Baruch College of CUNY and a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and statistics from SUNY Stony Brook University.
One Jewish lawmaker told The Jewish Press that women in major roles will mean positive action.
“I have been an advocate for women in leadership roles my entire life,” said Assemblywoman Didi Barrett (D – Hudson, Columbia County). “I don’t think we have equity in our chamber of women members, but to have women in these leadership roles and committees is really important. I actually think women do a better job of building coalitions and getting things done and I think we’re going to see that happen this year.”
The diversity in the legislature is like the United Nations; lawmakers now either hail from among 22 different countries or are first-generation Americans from Belize, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Greece, Haiti, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Nepal, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Russia, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago and Uganda.
“I think we have seen a lot of diversity in this chamber, which I think is the most diverse chamber of any legislative body, including Congress,” Barrett said. “I’m really glad to have our Jewish community represented and the voices shared and I know it’s not just one part of the Jewish community. I think it’s really important that the Jewish members be at the table on a whole range of different topics, especially now with a horrible increase in antisemitism.”
There are more Jewish lawmakers now than ever before, with 23 Jewish members in the 150-member state Assembly (15 percent) and five in the 63-member state Senate (seven percent).
Last week, Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer-Amato (D – Far Rockaway, Queens) beat her opponent by a mere 15 votes. She was seated in the state Assembly by a vote of 120 ayes to zero nays even though there were more than 120 members in the chamber at the time.
In the Hudson Valley, Chris Eachus (D – New Windsor, Orange County) defeated his opponent by a meager eight votes, flipping a Republican-held seat to the Democratic side.
Assemblyman Lester Chang (R – Borough Park, Brooklyn), a Midwood resident who couldn’t vote for himself because he lived outside his Assembly district, was seated as a member of the lower house after a two-week battle over whether he won his election legally because he also lived in a rent-regulated apartment in Manhattan. Opponents claimed he did not declare his Brooklyn residency in a timely fashion and ran for an office outside the legal bounds of the law. In the end, lawmakers decided not to oppose his election result. He handily defeated a 36-year incumbent lawmaker, Peter Abbate.
“Although it is clear that there were more than enough votes to expel Mr. Chang, we will not do so at this time,” wrote Speaker Carl Heastie in a prepared statement. “However, given the totality of the evidence we have decided to forward the materials gathered pursuant to the committee’s subpoenas and from Mr. Chang’s own submissions to relevant criminal, civil and administrative authorities for further review and any action they deem necessary.”
The attorney general’s office will be reviewing the matter but Assembly Democrats will be holding the matter over Chang’s head as a warning the matter could come back to haunt him during his two-year term.
“As a reminder, the New York State Constitution gives the Assembly the authority to revisit this issue at any time,” Heastie wrote.
“I wanted it to be out of our hands,” Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D – Midwood, Brooklyn) told The Jewish Press. “We would rather be in a position where the courts could handle the case. If there is any complainant or anyone who is to challenge his residency, this is not something we should be spending time on. The people voted him in.” Chang resides in Bichotte Hermelyn’s district.
Bichotte Hermelyn was promoted to the leadership post of Majority Whip, responsible for corralling the members’ votes on controversial issues. Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein (D – Borough Park, Brooklyn) was also elevated to the post of Assistant Majority Whip. Assemblywoman Inez Dickens (D – Harlem, Manhattan) is the Deputy Majority Whip. There is no explanation as to why so many whips are needed to corral members’ votes in the Assembly.
In a prepared statement, Eichenstein wrote he “will focus on bringing together our diverse and multifaceted communities throughout New York state. As always, I am committed to advocating for my constituents who have put their trust and faith in me by giving me the privilege of representing them. I will do my best to fulfill my responsibilities and will continue to work tirelessly on their behalf. Only by working together as a unified force can we successfully accomplish our goals for the people of this great state. Together we can achieve greatness.”
In his prepared remarks on Monday, January 9, Heastie addressed the crime problem impacting the people of New York.
“Data shows us that New York is one of the safest states, but people do not feel safe,” Heastie emphasized. “We know that people’s perception is their reality and we must recognize that. We know that access to safe and affordable housing, mental health crises, access to meaningful employment and addiction are the real drivers of poverty and crime – and that is where our focus should be – not simply using buzzwords to score political points and offering nothing more than reactive solutions.”
“I am grateful to be a part of protecting the state from hate crimes and the extreme radicalization of far too many Black Americans, Asian Americans, LGBTQ Americans, Muslim Americans and Jewish Americans,” said Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D – Buffalo, Erie County). “This hate has to stop. Sometimes it calls for legislative policy. This state has taken some legislative policies but do we have more to do on that? Yes, we do.”
The Republican leader summed up his remarks with a lecture about people leaving the state and ended with a “kumbaya” moment.
“New Yorkers are not happy with the direction this state is heading. More than 400,000 people have left New York in the last two years and that’s on top of one million people leaving over the last decade,” Assembly Republican Leader William Barclay (R – Pulaski, Oswego County) said on the floor of the chamber. “This outmigration is costing our communities, our businesses, our schools and our families. It’s costing us our workforce and it’s costing us intellectual capital and so much more. The cost of living is crushing New Yorkers and driving them away. Let’s do something about it. We need to hold the line on spending. We need to lower taxes. We need to prevent waste and we need to treat the taxpayer’s money as if it was our own. I know there can be common ground for common sense legislation where both Republicans and Democrats can collaborate on. That will make the difference for the 20 million New Yorkers that we represent. I’m optimistic about what we can accomplish this legislative session.”
Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado (D – Rhinebeck, Dutchess County) tried to hit a conciliatory note in his remarks to the state Senate. Delgado, a former member of Congress, presides over the Senate session when he is in Albany.
“During my time in Congress, I made it a point to do everything I could to try to find common ground. That’s the spirit I hope to bring to bear and I hope that we all in this body are committed to and dedicated to,” Delgado told the Senators. “It is incumbent upon all of us to do all we can to cooperate for the people that we represent. New Yorkers expect that and that expectation should be fulfilled. It is certainly a top priority of mine and I believe for all of you to listen, to advocate and to deliver for the communities that you represent. I thank you for your dedication, for your commitment and for your willingness to serve, to serve.”
Ortt, the Republican Leader, was a bit less conciliatory than Delgado.
“We are not here simply to oppose anything that comes out of the majority. We are here to do the job that we were elected to do by our constituents. Millions of New Yorkers, when you add it up,” Ortt (R – North Tonawanda, Eris County) said. “They expect us to do the job we were elected to do. To represent their values. To represent their issues. To represent them here. Sometimes that means working together, bipartisanship for the sake of the people in this state. Sometimes that will mean voicing opposition and that’s important in a democracy. It’s important that the values of our constituents are heard.”
Ahead of the governor’s State of the State address to a joint legislative session, Stewart-Cousins jumped ahead and talked about the main topics on the governor’s agenda – housing, crime, the economy and education.
“We know some of our issues. We see families from across our state being stretched from both ends. We know they feel uncertain about how to protect themselves and secure their livelihood as the cost of living continues to surpass the average income. The affordability crisis touches every nerve in our community and underpins most of the hardship New Yorkers are facing,” Stewart-Cousins said. “We see it most acutely in the current housing shortage that is devastating New Yorkers from across the state, leaving many to wonder whether they will be able to make rent, let alone buy a house. The current market is failing to provide adequate supply and leaving too many families without a roof over their head. It’s time for us, as lawmakers, to step in with corrective actions that will keep real estate development competitive and meet the growing needs while protecting tenants and homeowners from being priced out of their neighborhoods. We need a transformative statewide housing policy that can address this issue and its spillover effects. If we can tackle this problem, we will inevitably solve its offshoots as well.”
Then the Senate majority leader diverted her remarks to solving crime through education as corrective measures to the housing crisis and economic affordability.
“We’re listening to the real fears New Yorkers have about their communities. We understand that perception is powerful. Which includes ongoing concerns regarding crime and public safety. We have to remember that crime will not be solved with a single solution. Public safety and justice can go hand in hand. It’s important to ensure that true criminals are the only ones being punished. For that to happen, we need a multifaceted approach that targets the source of the crimes as well as its symptoms. You can’t address the public safety crisis if you don’t also address the educational crisis. Access to high-quality schooling is the key to greater prosperity and stability for our children,” she concluded.
As the session kicks off and moves into high gear next week, the fundraising by state lawmakers to bolster their depleted campaign accounts begins. Lobbying by issue-oriented advocates also kicks into high gear in an effort for lobbyists to influence lawmakers to see their clients’ side of the issues, whatever that may be.
The state budget is due on Friday, March 31. The 63-day legislative session is expected to wrap up on Thursday, June 8.
