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With assist from Shawn Ness
THEY DON’T HAVE THE VOTES: Gov. Kathy Hochul remains to be MIA since her last-minute choice to droop congestion pricing Wednesday morning through video message. And a legislative chief’s transatlantic trip threatens to make sure New Yorkers are left and not using a resolution to the $1 billion gap for the nation’s largest transit system as legislators head residence for the yr.
Lawmakers proceed to scramble in Albany through the remaining hours of this yr’s legislative session after the governor’s congestion pricing reversal pressured them to seek out $1 billion price of the income they’ve misplaced from the nixed toll plan.
The issue is that they’ve simply hours — not days — to resolve this funding emergency. And an excellent greater downside is that a lot of them don’t wish to.
“The governor is pointing an unloaded gun at us and asking us to offer her the ammunition to shoot us and our constituents,” state Sen. Julia Salazar mentioned in a press release.
At the least two options to repair the funding hole have already failed to fulfill the mark up to now. An eleventh-hour plan to extend a tax on New York Metropolis companies died Thursday after lawmakers instantly nixed it. One other proposal was panned this morning after it grew to become clear there wasn’t sufficient assist. Distinguished Democrats, together with Manhattan Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Queens Sen. Jessica Ramos, mentioned they might not vote for the second thought of dipping into the state’s common fund to supply $1 billion a yr as a assure towards a bond.
Now Democratic legislative leaders try to plot a 3rd resolution they will gin up assist for earlier than heading residence. Legislators are agency on leaving Albany by sunup tomorrow — they usually’re not coming again up till January. (Meeting Speaker Carl Heastie is claimed to have booked a ticket on a jet aircraft to Europe tomorrow.)
When requested repeatedly about his journey overseas — which makes all of it however sure that the decrease chamber gained’t have any time tomorrow to repair the difficulty — Heastie didn’t deny his journey to reporters. He then turned to your Playbook reporter and snapped, “The place are you going tomorrow?”
And within the midst of all of it, the governor has sequestered herself behind closed doorways — declining to reply questions or face the general public after making one of the vital consequential coverage selections of her tenure.
However she will be able to’t cover eternally. She’s scheduled to make a fundraising look at a brunch sponsored by the Saratoga County Democrats on Saturday forward of the Belmont Stakes.
“She’s mistaken to not take questions,” Ramos mentioned. “It might be actually disappointing if she’s avoiding the general public except persons are donating.”
One other lawmaker provided an identical take: “If [Hochul] really believed her congestion pricing betrayal was well-liked, you’d assume she’d be on the market bragging about it. As a substitute she’s hiding,” Assemblymember Emily Gallagher posted on X.
Hochul’s political and authorities communications groups didn’t reply to Playbook’s requests for remark. — Jason Beeferman
A PURRFECT END TO SESSION? Each homes of the Legislature are advancing a invoice to ban the surgical devocalization of cats and canine.
“It’s a horrific apply to actually rip the vocal cords out of an animal since you don’t just like the sound they make,” Senate sponsor Mike Gianaris mentioned. “Anybody who’s keen to do this to their pets doesn’t should have a pet.”
The invoice handed the Senate this afternoon. A model within the Meeting sponsored by Ken Zebrowski has been shifting by committee in latest days; Zebrowski says he “hopes to get it finished” earlier than the chamber wraps up within the coming hours.
“Devocalization is a comfort surgical procedure that may trigger long-term hurt to the animals affected by it, and it doesn’t handle the foundation reason for the barking,” mentioned the Humane Society of america’ Brian Shapiro. “It’s an animal in misery, and this kind of comfort surgical procedure isn’t in the perfect curiosity of the animal.” — Invoice Mahoney
— FOLLOW THE UNEXPECTED LEADER: State legislators wish to import medication from Canada in bulk, a transfer that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis carried out in his residence state earlier this yr. The state is seeking to import medication to deal with ailments like HIV and AIDS, numerous psychological sicknesses and prostate most cancers. (POLITICO Professional)
— NY HEAT ON ICE?: Lawmakers within the Meeting are nonetheless seeking to go the NY HEAT Act, which might wind up in a “Huge Ugly” omnibus invoice. Many lawmakers are cautiously optimistic that the invoice will go however have come to phrases that it will likely be nowhere near what it seemed like when initially proposed. (State of Politics)
— TRACKING AMMO: Maintaining with Hochul’s emphasis on public security, lawmakers wish to advance a invoice that may permit bank card corporations to trace gun and ammunition purchases. However it’s nonetheless unclear if Hochul will signal the invoice if it passes the Meeting as we speak. (Instances Union)
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