Legislative Bulletin: Continue Engaging Lawmakers at Home Next Week
Continue Engaging Lawmakers at Home Next Week
Attention advocates: don’t miss the opportunity to connect with your legislators at home! Members of the Assembly and Senate are in their districts for recess through the end of next week, at which point they will return to Albany to begin working on key legislative issues. There are several bills that LeadingAge NY would like to advance or stop this session, and your advocacy is essential to those efforts. Please call your lawmakers today and set up meetings to thank them for their budget advocacy and get them working on our priority initiatives. (Our memos of support or opposition, which we encourage you to share, are linked in the titles below.)
- SSI Increase for ACFs: A.9963 (Brindisi)/S.7743 (Serino) would increase the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) reimbursement rate for adult care facilities (ACFs) by $20 per day per resident over five years, beginning April 1, 2018. To send your lawmakers a pre-written letter, Facebook post, or tweet urging their support, please click here.
- Role of the Nurse in ACFs: A.2736-A (Gottfried)/S.4398-A (Hannon) would allow all ACFs and assisted living providers that employ nurses the option to provide nursing services directly. Click here to engage with your legislators on this bill through email and social media.
- Affordable Independent Senior Housing Assistance Program: A.10017-A (Cymbrowitz)/S.7866-A (Little) would establish an Affordable Independent Senior Housing Assistance Program to complement the State’s historic commitment of $125 million for senior housing capital and create a cost-effective model for seniors to age in place. Click here to encourage your lawmakers to co-sponsor this important legislation.
- CCRC Revitalization Act: A.6450 (Schimminger)/S.5172 (Hannon) would reform CCRC laws and regulatory oversight, eliminating many of the current barriers to developing, expanding, and efficiently operating CCRCs in New York State. To contact your lawmakers through email and social media, please click here.
- CCRC Cybersecurity Regulations Exemption: S.7940 (Seward), introduced at LeadingAge NY’s request, would clarify that the cybersecurity regulations adopted by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) in March 2017 do not apply to continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). Please call your lawmakers today and urge them to support this bill, making sure to let them know that the requirements would pose an undue financial and administrative burden on CCRCs and could lead to large increases in resident fees.
- Staffing Ratios: A.1532 (Gunther)/S.3330 (Hannon) would create specific staffing ratios for nurses and other direct care staff in hospitals and nursing homes at a cost of approximately $1.06 billion to nursing homes statewide. LeadingAge NY remains strongly opposed to this unfunded mandate and has developed a cost template to help you determine the potential financial impact on your facility. Click here to encourage your legislators’ opposition via email, Facebook, and Twitter.
LeadingAge NY Releases Comprehensive Final Budget Analysis
This morning, LeadingAge NY released a comprehensive overview of the final 2018-19 State Budget, summarizing areas that affect multiple long term care, post-acute care, and senior service lines. The report builds on the initial budget summary that was sent to members last Friday, when negotiations were still ongoing. The $168.3 billion plan, which lawmakers ultimately finalized early Saturday morning, is effective for the period April 1, 2018 through March 31, 2019.
If you have any questions about the information contained in this document, please feel free to contact the LeadingAge NY Advocacy and Public Policy staff at 518-867-8383.
IDC Rejoins Mainline Senate Democratic Conference
On Wednesday afternoon, Governor Cuomo, Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Senate Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) Leader Jeff Klein announced a deal for the eight-member IDC to disband and rejoin the chamber’s mainline conference. Under the terms of the agreement, Senator Stewart-Cousins will serve as the sole Democratic leader, with Senator Klein replacing Senator Mike Gianaris as her deputy. The reunification, per the Governor, was brought upon by the need to defeat President Trump and congressional Republicans’ agenda and “protect this state the way it needs to be protected.”
With the two factions reunited, mainline Democrats now control 29 of the 63 seats in the Senate. To regain a numerical majority, the party will need to win two upcoming special elections in the 32nd and 37th Senate Districts and convince Senator Simcha Felder, a Democrat who caucuses with the Republicans, to switch his allegiance.
Assemblywoman Harris Resigns Ahead of Corruption Trial
Finally, Assemblywoman Pamela Harris, who earlier this year was indicted on multiple counts of wire and bankruptcy fraud and charges related to obstruction of justice, resigned her seat on Monday. Harris was first elected to the Assembly in a special election in 2015, and her trial is slated to begin in July.
Contacts:
Ami Schnauber, aschnauber@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8854
Jeff Diamond, jdiamond@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8821