Legislative Bulletin: 2018 Legislative Session Kickoff
Welcome to the 2018 Legislative Session!
On Wednesday, the Assembly and Senate reconvened for the 2018 Legislative Session with a slightly different composition. As a result of the November elections, during which several lawmakers were elected to local offices, as well as Asm. Peter Lopez’s appointment to a post in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there are now 11 vacant seats:
- 5th Assembly District (formerly represented by Al Graf, now a District Court Judge in the Town of Islip);
- 10th Assembly District (formerly represented by Chad Lupinacci, now the Supervisor of the Town of Huntington);
- 17th Assembly District (formerly represented by Tom McKevitt, now a Nassau County Legislator)
- 39th Assembly District (formerly represented by Francisco Moya, now a member of the New York City Council);
- 74th Assembly District (formerly represented by Brian Kavanagh, now a member of the New York State Senate);
- 80th Assembly District (formerly represented by Mark Gjonaj, now a member of the New York City Council);
- 102nd Assembly District (formerly represented by Peter Lopez, now Regional Administrator for Region 2 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency);
- 107th Assembly District (formerly represented by Steve McLaughlin, now the Rensselaer County Executive);
- 142nd Assembly District (formerly represented by Mickey Kearns, now the Erie County Clerk);
- 32nd Senate District (formerly represented by Ruben Diaz, now a member of the New York City Council); and
- 37th Senate District (formerly represented by George Latimer, now the Westchester County Executive).
The vacancies will need to be filled through special elections, though it remains unclear when Governor Cuomo plans to call them. As for new legislators, Daniel Rosenthal has replaced the late Michael Simanowitz in the 27th Assembly District, and Al Taylor fills the seat formerly held by retired Ways and Means Chair Herman “Denny” Farrell Jr. in the 71st Assembly District. Additionally, Brian Kavanagh, who previously served in the Assembly for over 10 years, has replaced former Senator Daniel Squadron in the 26th Senate District.
Speaker Heastie Announces Assembly Leadership and Committee Chair Assignments
On Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie issued a press release announcing the chamber’s leadership and committee chair assignments for 2018. Most of the assignments are unchanged from last session, with Asm. Donna Lupardo retaining Aging, Asm. Steven Cymbrowitz retaining Housing, and Asm. Richard Gottfried retaining Health. One notable difference, however, is that Asm. Helene Weinstein will chair the Ways and Means Committee, becoming the first woman to do so. She replaces longtime chair Herman “Denny” Farrell Jr., who retired last year after more than four decades in the Assembly.
Senate assignments have not yet been announced.
Senate Majority and IDC Outline 2018 Priorities
On Tuesday morning, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan released his conference’s “Blueprint for a Stronger New York,” a comprehensive agenda for 2018 that prioritizes affordability, security, and opportunity. The Majority’s proposals include balancing the budget with no new taxes and making both the 2 percent spending cap and 2 percent property tax cap permanent; advancing legislation to protect New Yorkers from the negative impacts of the new federal tax bill; reducing taxes on small businesses; and advancing a comprehensive effort to combat gang violence, heroin and opioid addiction, terrorism, and crimes against women and children.
The Senate’s eight-member Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), meanwhile, released its “One New Yorker” budget agenda at the end of last week. The agenda details priorities such as instituting early voting and automatic voter registration, establishing a student loan forgiveness program to address teacher shortages, reducing the New York City income tax rate to 0 percent for residents earning $50,000 or less, protecting collective bargaining, and providing additional funding for Community Health Advocates (CHAs).
Going into session, Republicans will retain their slim Senate majority despite holding only 31 seats, since Democrat Simcha Felder plans to continue conferencing with them. The IDC will also continue its partnership with Senate Republicans, though this could change if a potential reunification deal between the IDC and the mainline Democratic conference comes to fruition after budget season.
Governor Delivers 2018 State of the State Address
On Wednesday afternoon, Governor Cuomo delivered his annual State of the State Address, outlining several budgetary and legislative priorities for 2018. The speech came against the backdrop of a projected $4.4 billion state budget deficit and a $2 billion cut in federal aid. Notable initiatives proposed by the Governor and outlined in a summary provided to LeadingAge NY members include:
- Combatting sexual harassment in state and local government, including banning the use of taxpayer funds to settle claims;
- Renewing efforts to reduce homelessness;
- Combatting the opioid epidemic;
- Instituting a “democracy agenda” that includes early voting, same-day voter registration, and public financing of elections;
- Challenging the federal tax bill in court;
- Addressing education funding inequities and dedicating more aid to poorer school districts; and
- Protecting Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
While the Governor did not address health care issues in his remarks, his State of the State book identifies several initiatives that will provide benefits to New York’s growing senior population. These items include new investments in rural telehealth services, the launch of a Long Term Care Planning Council to examine gaps in the state’s long term care system and better understand seniors’ needs, a commitment to creating age-friendly communities across the state, and a statewide Advanced Care Planning (ACP) campaign aimed at encouraging New Yorkers to complete ACP documents. LeadingAge NY looks forward to providing meaningful feedback on these and other proposals in the coming months.
Executive Budget Proposal Due Before Jan. 16th
More details on the Governor’s State of the State initiatives are expected in his Executive Budget Proposal, due on or before Tues., Jan. 16th. There is no word yet on an official release date, but LeadingAge NY will provide members with an analysis of key budget issues once the documents become available.
Register Now for Feb. 6th and March 6th Advocacy Days!
With budget season quickly approaching, LeadingAge NY, the Adult Day Health Care Council, and the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State have scheduled two Advocacy Days for Tues., Feb. 6th and Tues., March 6th. We hope you will join us in Albany to ensure that lawmakers keep seniors and aging services providers in mind during budget negotiations. One of LeadingAge NY’s key advocacy initiatives, as outlined in a recent joint statement with the Empire State Association of Assisted Living (ESAAL), will be an increase in the Supplement Security Income (SSI) reimbursement rate for assisted living (AL) and adult care facilities (ACFs) that serve low-income New Yorkers.
- Nursing Home, Home Care, Hospice, ADHC, and MLTC Advocacy Day: Our first Advocacy Day, which will focus on issues pertinent to nursing homes, home care, hospice, adult day health care (ADHC), and Managed Long Term Care (MLTC), will take place on Tues., Feb. 6th in Meeting Room 4 on the Empire State Plaza. Click here to register.
- Housing, ACF/AL, Aging Services Program, and NORC Advocacy Day: Our second Advocacy Day will be held on Tues., March 6th in Meeting Room 1 on the Plaza and focus on issues related to housing, ACF/AL, aging services programs, and Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs). Registration is available here.
To ensure meaningful, even face-to-face interactions with your legislators, we recommend that you start scheduling your meetings now. Meetings on both days will begin at 9 am, following registration and breakfast, and end before 5 pm. (Lunch will be served between noon and 1 pm, so we ask that you try to avoid that hour.) If your lawmakers do not have availability, you can always request to meet with their top staff or inquire about meeting with them “off the floor,” meaning that you would speak with them briefly outside the Assembly or Senate Chamber.
Materials for both Advocacy Days, including issue briefs, talking points, and other information, will be distributed beforehand. You may use these resources to educate your representatives about the challenges you face and build support for our policy agenda.
Join LeadingAge NY and Corning Place Communications for Free Social Media Training Series
Don’t forget to register for LeadingAge NY and Corning Place Communications’ upcoming social media training sessions! The four-part webinar series will begin on Wed., Jan. 10th and cover the ins and outs of Facebook and Twitter, including best practices, how to establish your voice and connect with lawmakers, and how to monitor your success. Each session will be recorded and sent to registrants in advance of the next installment.
Adding New Tools to Your Advocacy & Marketing Toolbox: An Introduction to Twitter and Facebook
Jan. 10, 2018, 12 to 12:30 pm
This session will cover:
- A comprehensive overview of Twitter and Facebook that includes functionality, features, and standard practices
- What makes these platforms effective advocacy and marketing tools
- Sample tweets and posts (from LeadingAge NY and Young at Heart)
(Participants are strongly advised to establish accounts on behalf of their respective organizations prior to this session. Links to step-by-step instructions for creating Facebook and Twitter accounts will appear in the registration confirmation email.)
Jan. 17, 2018, 12 to 12:30 pm
This session will cover:
- Tips on building a community of followers
- The importance of establishing your “voice”
- Engaging with your followers through content and conversation
Turbocharging Your Advocacy Efforts: Leveraging Social Media to Engage with Elected Officials
Jan. 24, 2018, 12 to 12:30 pm
This session will cover:
- How to directly engage with elected officials on Twitter and Facebook
- Empowering your community to amplify your advocacy efforts
- Live advocacy exercise via Twitter
Ask the Pros: An Open Q & A Session
Jan. 31, 2018, 12 to 12:30 pm
We look forward to your participation.
LeadingAge NY Unveils 2018 Public Policy Agenda
LeadingAge NY’s 2018 public policy agenda, which will guide our legislative, regulatory, and policy work this year, is now available for your review. The agenda is based on at-large member input received last fall, outstanding agenda items from prior years, and recommendations from the LeadingAge NY Cabinets and Board of Directors. For more information about the legislation we will be following this session, please contact the Advocacy and Public Policy team.
2018 Legislative Session Calendar Now Available
The 2018 Legislative Session Calendar is also available on the LeadingAge NY website. You will see that lawmakers are typically in their district offices on Thursdays and Fridays throughout the year, with two extended recesses also scheduled for February and April. These are valuable opportunities to engage with them. LeadingAge NY encourages you to invite your legislators to your organization, or bring your group to their offices, and speak with them about our key advocacy issues. Our Advocacy Action Plan will assist you in this effort.
Congress Returns from Recess to Potential Shutdown Fight
Lastly, like their counterparts in the New York State Legislature, members of Congress are back in Washington, DC after an extended holiday recess. The Senate gaveled in on Wednesday afternoon, and the House is set to return on Monday. Click here to access the 2018 Congressional Calendar.
The most important task for lawmakers over the next few weeks will be enacting another short-term continuing resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown. The CR that was passed before Congress adjourned in December lasts through Fri., Jan. 19th and keeps federal programs funded at current levels. It also provides a waiver from “pay-as-you-go” (PAYGO) rules to prevent the new tax bill from triggering a $25 billion cut to Medicare. During this time, LeadingAge National will be urging Congress to pass a spending measure that incorporates the HUD Section 202 and Section 8 funding achieved in the FY 2018 HUD spending bill developed last summer.
Contacts:
Ami Schnauber, aschnauber@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8854
Jeff Diamond, jdiamond@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8821