One-house budgets highlights

From: POLITICO New York Playbook PM - Tuesday Mar 14,2023 08:46 pm
Presented by the 5 Borough Housing Movement: Your afternoon must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers
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POLITICO New York Playbook PM

By Anna Gronewold and Joseph Spector

Presented by the 5 Borough Housing Movement

Dr. Shetel Shah of Syosset, N.Y., stands with protesters from Tobacco Kills urging lawmakers to band the sale of flavored tobacco products and increase the cigarette tax during a rally at the state Capitol, Monday, March 13, 2023, in Albany, N.Y.

Dr. Shetel Shah of Syosset, N.Y., stands with protesters from Tobacco Kills urging lawmakers to band the sale of flavored tobacco products and increase the cigarette tax during a rally at the state Capitol, Monday, March 13, 2023, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink) | Hans Pennink/AP Photo

Details from the Senate and Assembly one-house budgets came out Tuesday afternoon.

Here are some of the highlights that differ from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal, much of which POLITICO reported last night.

  • The proposals reject Hochul’s plan to mandate new housing in the suburbs and upstate, and instead provides $500 million as incentives to encourage new developments.
  • The Senate and Assembly removed Hochul’s tweaks to bail laws that would give judges more discretion in setting bail. The Senate removes her proposal to allow city and state universities to hike tuition, while the Assembly would give CUNY more aid to avoid a tuition hike.
  • Both houses didn’t include her pitch that would allow for more charter schools to open in the state by removing the regional charter school cap in New York City and authorizing the re-issuance of “zombie” charters.
  • Hochul wants to ban flavored tobacco products, but the Democratic-led Legislature didn’t include it in their one-house budgets. But they backed her proposal to raise the cigarette tax by $1.
  • The Democrats in both chambers would also raise taxes on wealthy New Yorkers, which Hochul has vowed not to support. They proposed to change the personal income tax rates for filers making over $5 million from 10.3 to 10.8 percent and for filers making over $25 million from 10.9 to 11.4 percent until 2027.
  • Their plans also would place restrictions on a couple of economic development measures Hochul proposed. They support the $455 million financing for Belmont Racetrack redevelopment, but with added guardrails. They also backed increasing the Film Tax Credit from $425 million to $700 million a year, but also with some changes.
  • And they both opposed the increased payroll tax in New York City and its suburbs that Hochul suggested to prop up the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and suggests other ways to fund the beleaguered MTA, such as residential parking permits for New York City.

Let the budget negotiations begin ahead of the March 31 deadline for an on-time deal.
IT’S TUESDAY: Stay with us each afternoon as we keep you updated on the latest New York news in Albany, City Hall and beyond. And as you dig out of the snow!

A message from the 5 Borough Housing Movement:

New York City is facing a housing supply crisis that’s harming outer borough communities of color. That’s why a diverse and growing coalition is calling on State lawmakers to support converting unused office space to new housing, create an incentive to maximize affordability in conversions, and lift the FAR cap to unlock more affordable housing. Learn more at https://5borohousing.org/

 
From the Capitol

Kathy Hochul speaks during a news conference at the construction site of the Hudson Tunnel Project.

A report Tuesday found that New York's salary gender gap is dropping, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. | John Minchillo/AP Photo

CLOSING THE WAGE GAP: A new report from the state Department of Labor said New York is slowly closing its gender wage gap.

The report updated the findings from a 2018 report on the gap in wages by gender, finding that the difference is the second smallest to Vermont in the nation. Women in New York earned 88 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2021.

But the gaps are wider by demographic: Compared to white, non-Hispanic men, Black women were paid about 68 cents on the dollar while Hispanic and Latina women were paid only 63 cents on the dollar.

“This report offers an important look into New York's ongoing fight for equal pay and provides a road map for helping our state close the gender wage gap once and for all," Hochul, the state’s first woman governor, said in a statement.

From City Hall

NEW LAWS: Mayor Eric Adams signed five City Council bills Tuesday that includes a measure to provide either onsite or telehealth mental health services at shelters serving families, which was penned by Council Member Erik Bottcher. The rest of the legislation creates quality control and support measures for organizations doing violence prevention work, establishes a juvenile justice board that will advise the city and lowers the interest rate for back taxes owed by low- and middle-income homeowners. — Joe Anuta

 

A message from the 5 Borough Housing Movement:

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On the beats

EDUCATION: Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced $5.5 million in funding for City University of New York colleges in Queens on Tuesday. The four institutions receiving funding in fiscal year 2023 are LaGuardia Community College, Queens College, Queensborough Community College and York College.

The project that will receive funding from this year’s allocation include building renovations and accessibility upgrades.

“If we can’t offer our young people an unrivaled education right here in Queens, then we cannot continue to succeed as a borough,” Richards said in a statement. — Madina Touré

TRANSPORTATION: The state Senate called for the creation of a new residential parking permit system for New York City neighborhoods in its Tuesday one-house budget resolution.

The revenues would be dedicated to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which has called for state assistance to help fill its $600 million deficit this year. Some cities, such as Boston and Philadelphia, already have permit systems. The Senate also rejected many of Hochul’s proposed revenue raisers, including a push to have the city chip in an additional $500 million annually for paratransit services and student MetroCards. — Danielle Muoio Dunn

HOUSING: A new report from the New York Building Congress identifies areas within the five boroughs and surrounding suburbs that are ripe for new development under a plan from Hochul to boost housing production around subway and commuter rail stations.

The report, which aims to provide a model for transit-oriented development, is based on new metrics developed by the building congress to evaluate development opportunities across the region. The report highlighted several subway stations within New York City that would be prime for new development, including the area between the 46th Street and Northern Boulevard M and R stations in Queens, the 62nd Street and New Utrecht Ave station complex in south Brooklyn, and the 238th Street 1 train station in the Bronx. — Janaki Chadha

A message from the 5 Borough Housing Movement:

TELL STATE LAWMAKERS: SUPPORT CONVERSIONS AND LIFT THE FAR CAP!

A growing number of advocates and community groups are joining the push to convert New York City’s unused office space into affordable housing and lift the FAR cap.

Supporters include:
 
● Borough-based chambers of commerce and local business improvement districts
● Community boards and neighborhood-based non-profits
● Racial and social justice advocates

More elected officials are joining the effort too, including State lawmakers, City Council members and members of Congress.

See all of our supporters and recent announcements from elected officials at https://5borohousing.org/.

We can’t afford to miss this opportunity to help address the City’s housing shortage. State lawmakers must act now to support conversions, create an incentive for affordability and lift the FAR cap.

If State lawmakers fail to act, they will be failing the New Yorkers who are relying on Albany for answers to our housing supply crisis.

Learn more at https://5borohousing.org/

 
Around New York

The storm brought with it snow and business for snowmobile renting places in Central New York. (Upstate New York)

Albany County is considering expanding wine and liquor store hours by three hours during the holiday season. (Times Union)

— The state Labor Department found that even if seasonal holiday jobs ended, the Buffalo Niagara region's unemployment rate remains low compared to historical standards. (Buffalo News)

— After 2 1/2 years, a New York City jail captain has been convicted of criminally negligent homicide for the death of an incarcerated man. (The New York Times)

Another MTA fail: some new LIRR trains can’t run through the East River tunnel that serves the new station. (WNYC)

 

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Joseph Spector @JoeSpectorNY

 

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