Speaker Under Siege

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Back in Albany, lawmakers will return today with just 18 days of legislative session remaining before they are scheduled to gavel out for the year on June 6th. With the budget behind them, the attention will now turn to the thousands of bills that are introduced and considered every year. Here are some of the biggest issues to keep an eye on: 

Even Year Elections

A bill introduced by Senator James Skoufis proposes a state constitutional amendment to move elections in cities across the State, including New York City, into even numbered years. A bill passed last session moving most town and county elections into even numbered years, a measure touted as improving voter turnout. That change also has massive partisan consideration and is facing a challenge in court.

The current proposal, however, would require an amendment to the state constitution, meaning the final bill needs approval by a subsequent legislature as well as approval by voters. If adopted, the 2029 New York City Mayoral election would be for a three-year term and would then align with the presidential race beginning in 2032. 

NY HEAT Act

To help meet New York’s ambitious climate goals, lawmakers and environmental advocates have prioritized the NY HEAT Act. The bill would end the ‘obligation to serve,’ which requires utility companies to provide free new natural gas hookups within 100-ft of an existing service line, with current ratepayers subsidizing the cost.

The measure passed the Senate, but has so far stalled in the Assembly, and advocates have expressed concerns that lawmakers are eyeing certain carve-outs that could water down the proposal. There are strong proponents on both sides of this so expect the advocacy to get heated before the end of session.

Extended Producer Responsibility

A bill that seeks to reduce the amount of packaging and improve recycling efficiency, as well as a slew of similar proposals, is being considered after failing to make it into the budget. The measure would require the creation of a packaging reduction and recycling organization, with producers of said packaging paying a fee into the organization to enable them to meet the reduction and reuse requirements.

For non-plastic packaging, recycling rates must meet 35% by 2028, 50% by 2035, and 75% by 2050. For plastic packaging, recycling rates must meet 25% by 2028, 50% by 2035 and 75% by 2050. 

Short-Term Rentals

Some lawmakers believe the prevalence of short-term rental properties is exacerbating the state’s affordable housing crisis and have drafted legislation to require owners of short-term rental properties to register with the Department of State every two years and pay an associated fee. Senate bill sponsor Michelle Hinchey offered, “In many areas across the state, housing stock is being taken off the market because many homes and places that should be full-time homes have been turned into investment properties and short-term rentals.”

Industry groups like the Travel Technology Association remain skeptical, saying in a statement, “These policymakers continue to focus on instituting a complex system of regulation that would hurt the upstate economy, make travel more expensive, and reduce the income potential for thousands of New Yorkers who rent their homes to make ends meet.” 

SAFE Act

The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids act seeks to implement guardrails for young children’s interactions with technology. The Legislation would expand parental control over the online content that kids are seeing, prevents technology companies from developing addictive social media feeds, and prohibits social media companies from sending push notifications to minors between midnight and 6 a.m.

Tech NYC, a technology trade group that represents industry heavyweights like Google and Meta, would like to see the state do more due-diligence before enacting such a wide-sweeping law saying, “We look forward to continuing conversations and reviewing the many implications of these bills with legislators, as well as better understanding the ways we can help families and communities navigate these issues.” 

AI Regulation

While trying to push the boundary on artificial intelligence research through Empire AI, New York is also pursuing legislation to establish best practices and ethical development of artificial intelligence technology. The legislative oversight of automated decision-making in government act (LOADinG Act) would require state agencies to publicly disclose their use of automated-decision making systems and publish an impact assessment when such systems are in use. 

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