Legislative Bulletin: A Look at Governor Cuomo’s First 100 Days and the 2019 Legislative Session
Governor Cuomo Sets Priorities for the First 100 Days of His New Term
On Monday, December 17th Governor Cuomo delivered his First 100 Days address to outline his top priorities to begin his 3rd term as the state’s executive. The speech took a progressive tone, promising to codify reproductive rights, combat gun violence, launch a “Green New Deal” and more. The Governor also highlighted the importance of quality, affordable healthcare, and promised to invest in affordable housing initiatives for all New Yorkers. Click here for more highlights and to watch the Governor’s address in its entirety.
New Players and New Leadership in the Legislature
This year’s midterm elections brought a few surprises and many new players to New York’s political landscape. Democrats swept many statewide races and won control of the State Senate for the first time since 2010. Of the 63 Senate seats, Democrats hold 40, Republicans hold 23 and 18 of these members are brand new to state government. The State Assembly will also be welcoming several freshman members in the new year.
This new energy in the state legislature provides an opportunity to start strong with new members and educate them on our issues. Now is as important a time as ever to engage with your state legislators, both old and new! To find your legislator, visit our Phone2Action page or email Sarah Daly at sdaly@leadingageny.org.
Additionally, in the last several days both the Senate and Assembly have announced their Democaratic party leadership and committee chairs. This is valuable information for advocates as we begin to become acquainted with new members and strengthen existing relationships. Some key committee chairs and leaders are:
Senate Majority Leader – Andrea Stewart Cousins
Senate Committee on Aging – Rachel May
Senate Committee on Finance – Liz Krueger
Senate Committee on Health – Gustavo Rivera
Senate Committee on Housing – Brian Kavanaugh
Assembly Majority Leader – Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes
Assembly Committee on Aging – Harry B. Bronson
Assembly Committee on Health – Richard N. Gottfried
Assembly Committee on Housing – Steven Cymbrowitz
Assembly Speaker – Carl E. Heastie
Mark Your Calendars - LeadingAge New York Advocacy Days
Registration is now open for our 2019 LeadingAge New York Advocacy Days! While it is important to connect with the legislators in your district throughout the year, organized Advocacy Days provide an opportunity to meet with legislators at the Capital where many decisions are made. It is vital that legislators understand who our members are, their role in their communities and the key issues facing aging services providers across the state. We hope that you can join us for a full day of grassroots advocacy on either of the below dates:
- Tuesday, February 5th - Focused on Medicaid issues for Nursing Homes, MLTC, Home Care, Hopsice, Adult Day Health Care– click here to register!
- Tuesday March 5th – Focused on Assisted Living, Housing, Aging Services (Social Day, NORC/NNORC) - click here to register!
The full legislative calendar can be found here.
The ALP Hospice Bill Moves to the Governor’s Office
Bill NY-AB10459 Lupardo, which directs DOH to establish a mechanism for Medicaid eligible ALP residents to access hospice services, has been delivered to the Governor. The bill passed the legislature, and the Governor now has until Friday, 12/28/18 to act on the bill. If passed, this legislation would allow terminally ill Assisted Living Program (ALP) residents to access hospice services without having to make an often times traumatic transfer from the ALP.
Click here to send a message to the governor urging him to pass the bill! We have been advised that the Department of Health may recommend that the bill be vetoed, so your advocacy is critical. Feel free to amend the message if you want to personalize it. You may also share the link with other New York state residents who might care about the issue, such as colleagues, board members, residents and families. You can share the message easily via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn using the links provided at the bottom of the page. It is critical that the Governor hear from you now—even if you have previously advocated on this issue—as he must decide whether-or-not to pass the bill in the next seven days.
Gov. Cuomo Vetoes CCRC Cybersecurity Regulations Exemption Bill
Last week, A.10486 (Cahill)/S.7940-A (Seward), a bill that would have exempt continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) from the expensive and onerous cybersecurity regulations adopted by the Department of Financial Services (DFS), was vetoed on the governor’s desk. The governor shared a veto message and the Assembly sponsor of the bill, Kevin Cahill, issued a statement vocalizing his disappointment.
LeadingAge New York is working with legislative counsel to explore alternative ways to lessen the burden of this regulation and will inform membership of those options once established.
Contacts:
Ami Schnauber, aschnauber@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8854
Sarah Daly, sdaly@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8845