10/29/2015 Assembly Passes Big Ugly, Legislature Adjourns

http://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2015/06/assembly-passes-big-ugly-legislature-adjourns/ 1/6

« Big Ugly Passes Senate Here and Now »

Assembly Passes Big Ugly, Legislature AdjournsLawmakers have left the state capitol after members from both chambersoverwhelmingly supported a final agreement between Governor Cuomo and legislativeleaders.

The Senate approved the measure earlier in the night, followed by the Assembly justbefore midnight in a vote of 122 – 13.

A handful of Republicans and at least one Democrat opposed the final measure.Assemblyman Charles Barron said the agreement doesn’t guarantee enoughprotections for tenants in New York City.

“Rent protections, not there I don’t think, 421-a program should’ve been scrapped,”Barron said on the Assembly floor. “When I look at this bill I am disappointed – and Iknow you think in negotiations you go as far as you think. We can talk about theRepublican senate, the governor. To me, the governor is a disgrace to this state.”

Others, including those in the minority looked to the cost-saving measures fortaxpayers as a positive.

“For me, the fact that we are able to extend the property tax cap, that we are providingsome relief to our property tax payers despite the fact we could’ve done so much morewith significant mandate relief,” Assemblyman Bob Oaks said on the floor. “My choicetonight is going to be voting in the positive.”

The final vote marks the end of this year’s legislative session. Lawmakers are due backin January.

In his closing remarks, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said that while the past fewmonths have been a challenge, the outcome was worth it.

“After this session our families are stronger, our schools are stronger, and ourcommunities are stronger.” Heastie said. “It truly is a testament to the hard work anddedication of the women and men on both sides of the aisle.”

Heastie’s counterpart in the Republican-led Senate had much of the same to say. Inhis closing, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan touched on his working relationshipwith Governor Cuomo since he assumed the leadership role just last month.

“We have had a tumultuous couple of weeks for sure but at the end of the day weworked closely together, we worked well together, certainly disagreements,” Flanagansaid. “He is tenacious, as he will often tell people, and I look forward to working withhim again.”

On Heastie, Flanagan had no complaints.

10/29/2015 Assembly Passes Big Ugly, Legislature Adjourns

http://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2015/06/assembly-passes-big-ugly-legislature-adjourns/ 2/6

Share |

“Carl Heastie’s a good guy, he’s a gentlemen,” Flanagan said. “He’s a fair broker, he

certainly was very passionate on issues like rent and certainly issues involving the city

of New York. He has been good to work with, plain and simple.”

Flanagan pointed to a few of the chamber’s major victories, like the historic increase in

education aid included in this year’s budget, along with movement on the Women’s

Equality Agenda.

“The log-jam on that broke,” Flanagan said. “We passed all the bills and we got a lot of

cooperation from the Assembly.”

Flanagan even hinted at an issue he’s planning to make a priority in the Senate next

year: organ donation.

“We are 50th in the country, which is abysmal,” Flanagan said. “For as progressive of a

state as we are, and the things that we advocate I find it reprehensible that we are not

better at that subject matter, at that issue, and I would hope that my colleagues would

think about that very seriously.”

For now, lawmakers will return to their districts more than a week after the legislative

session was originally scheduled to end.

In the final days of session, lawmakers were able to tackle key issues like rent control,

education reform, and an extension to the state’s property tax cap. But others didn’t

make the final cut, including the governor’s education tax credit, a hike in the state’s

minimum wage, and an agreement on pension forfeiture.

Whether lawmakers will take any significant action on those issues next year is unclear

– members from both chambers are up for re-election the following November.

 

Printarticle

This entry was posted by Dan Clark on June 26, 2015 at 1:07 am, and is filedunder Andrew Cuomo, Assembly, State Senate. Follow any responses to thispost through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.Edit thisentry

Comments are closed.

Sharethispost!

Search

The STATE of POLITICS blog is a running

statewide conversation about NY politics - the