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Legislative Bulletin: Governor Hochul Delivers 2023 State of the State Address

January 13, 2023

 

Governor Hochul Delivers 2023 State of the State Address

 On Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her 2023 State of the State address from the Assembly Chamber floor. Setting the tone for the year ahead, she called for collaboration among elected officials, legislative and executive branches, and state and local officials. Her address was accompanied by a lengthy policy agenda for the coming year, entitled State of the State: Achieving the New York Dream.

During the address, Governor Hochul spoke to the needs of all New Yorkers and the goal of enabling more people to thrive and attain the “New York Dream”. Some of the most prominent subjects the Governor spoke on were criminal justice reform, investing in mental health services, establishing a New York Housing Compact, creating sustainable energy initiatives, and expanding access to childcare. While the Governor’s address itself did not make mention of the long-term care workforce crisis, the State of the State book does mention the health care staffing crisis and noted the particularly pronounced decline of available nursing home and residential care workers. If members were unable to tune in to the State of the State, a video recording, as well as transcripts, translations and photos of the event are available on the Governor’s website here.

It is likely that many of the proposals mentioned in the state of the state address will be reflected in the Executive Budget Proposal, due to be released no later than Feb. 1, 2023.  Members should be aware that while the State of the State does provide some insight, many details of these initiatives will not be clear until we see the Executive Budget proposal itself, and the accompanying budget bills.

On Tuesday afternoon, following the Governor’s announcements, LeadingAge New York sent out member message highlighting specific measures that may impact LeadingAge NY members should they be pursued and implemented. A copy of that message is available here.

 

 

REGISTER TODAY for 2023 Virtual Advocacy Week Set for Feb. 13-17

We are at the start of another New York State legislative session and state budget cycle, and this year we are aiming to accomplish more than ever before! The state budget negotiations this year will run from Feb. 1st – April 1st. The process will begin with all eyes on the Executive Budget Proposal, expected by Feb. 1st, and will conclude with three-way negotiations with the Legislature and the passage of a final budget.

Advocacy days are an incredibly impactful way to bring many voices together at a specific time to enhance the relevance and weight of our message to lawmakers. This year, LeadingAge NY has the goal of connecting with over 100 lawmakers within just 5 business days! This is a seemingly lofty goal, but we know we can succeed with the help and participation of our membership.

 We urge our members to join us in telling the Legislature to #SupportOurSeniors in the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2023-24 Budget cycle! To participate in 2023 Advocacy Week, please follow these simple steps:

  1. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for LeadingAge NY 2023 Virtual Advocacy Week, scheduled for February 13 – 17.  
  2. Once you are registered for our coordinated budget advocacy efforts, CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR & ASSEMBLY MEMBER to request a virtual/Zoom meeting for Feb. 13-17. As an additional resource for individuals new to advocacy, we have developed this legislative scheduling guide to assist members in setting up meetings.  
  3. Once your meetings are scheduled, please send your meeting details to Sarah Daly at sdaly@leadingageny.org, so that we can track our combined advocacy efforts and support you in your advocacy.

More details on our 2023 Virtual Advocacy Week can be found on our website. In short, LeadingAge NY policy staff will be providing legislative handouts and any other support you need in organizing and attending these important virtual legislative meetings.

Most notably, LeadingAge NY will be hosting a Budget and Advocacy Week Prep Call on Friday, Feb. 10th at 11 AM. During this member-focused prep call, LeadingAge NY policy staff will review the Executive Budget Proposal’s potential impact on members, related budget advocacy handouts, and answer any questions members may have. Information to join this special member call is available on the advocacy day website here.

Thank you in advance for your participation in advocacy at this critical time!  

 

ACTION ALERT: Tag the Governor in a Budget Social Media Message TODAY

Now that we have heard from the Governor in her State of the State Address, and there was unfortunately no distinct mention of long-term care, nursing homes, or the healthcare workforce crisis in general, it is critical that our LeadingAge New York membership works in unison to attract the Governor’s attention.

With this in mind, ALL LeadingAge New York members are strongly encouraged to post the following social media messages on professional and personal social media platforms over the coming days:

  1. NY’s nursing homes have waited 15 yrs for a Medicaid rate that reflects current costs. Our current & future residents cannot afford to wait another year. @GovKathyHochul, it’s time for NY to step up and provide a 20% Medicaid rate increase to #SupportOurSeniors and our workforce.
  2. Since 2007, the costs of providing medical care have risen by 42%. Meanwhile, nursing home Medicaid rates have remained stagnant. @GovKathyHochul, it’s time for NY to step up and provide a 20% Medicaid rate increase for NY’s nursing homes to #SupportOurSeniors and our workforce.
  3. Resident Assistants in Affordable Senior Housing is proven to help older adults remain independent for longer AND provide State Medicaid savings. Yet, there is still no state program for senior resident assistance. @GovKathyHochul please #SupportOurSeniors in this year's budget!
  4. Between 2015 & 2040, the number of adults age 65+ will increase by 50% & the number of adults over 85 will double. Research shows that nearly 3/4 of these people will need some form of long-term care. @GovKathyHochul, please #SupportOurSeniors and invest in LTC!

Additionally, LeadingAge New York sent out a tweet and Facebook Message the day after the State of the State was released. We asked all of our nursing home members and members of the Public Affairs Council to re-tweet and share, to amplify our unified message. If you have not already done so, please take a moment to quickly re-tweet and share the below messages!

  1. RETWEET: https://twitter.com/LeadingAgeNY/status/1613262019439763463
  2. SHARE: share the message we posted on 1/11: https://www.facebook.com/LeadingAgeNY

If we can effectively harness the power of social media during this year’s state budget negotiations, it is possible we could finally see some meaningful, proactive investment in long-term care and aging in this year’s budget. If you’d like to help collaborate with us on these efforts, sign up for our Public Affairs Council here.

 

First Week of Legislative Committee Meetings for 2023 Session

While the Legislature was in Albany for two session days this week, most committee assignments were -and are - still being finalized. While the Senate finalized most of their committee assignments, the Assembly has yet to release theirs. As a result, there were very few committee meetings for standard legislative activity this week. However, we expect that next week will involve full-fledged legislative activity with several committee meetings and, therefore, more movement of legislation.

As of this writing, there have been nine Senate committee meetings scheduled for next week, including a Senate Health Committee meeting. While the Assembly tends to be a bit later in posting their committee meeting schedules, we do expect that next week will include the first Assembly Health Committee meeting under the leadership of new Assembly Health Chair Paulin. As always, LeadingAge NY will be closely monitoring all committee meeting agendas and legislative activities, and will keep members apprised of the most relevant developments.

 

Chapter Amendments to 2022 Legislation Introduced

With 2022 in the rearview mirror, there are still some residual legislative activities from last year’s session that are being completed in these first few weeks of the new year. LeadingAge New York closely monitored over 100 priority bills in 2022, and over 30 of those bills were passed by the Legislature and ultimately acted upon by the Governor. Today, there is only one bill still awaiting Governor action, and that is a piece of legislation pertaining to wrongful death. On Tuesday, LeadingAge New York sent a letter to the Governor, urging her to veto this bill which would expand the damages recoverable in a wrongful death action to include compensation for grief or anguish, loss of love and companionship, loss of services and support, and loss of nurture and guidance. If the Governor does not approve the bill, or come to an agreement with the Legislature before Jan. 30th, the bill will automatically be vetoed.

Of the 36 priority bills that were passed by the Legislature in 2022, 27 have been approved by the Governor and signed into law. While LeadingAge NY supported many of these bills that were passed, there were some that were approved that we had opposed and advocated for changes. In many of these instances, we were successful - and already chapter amendments to these pieces of legislation are being introduced and moved through the legislative process. Below is a list of chapter amendments that have been introduced to amend bills that were passed last year.

We are still expecting to see chapter amendments for the one mandatory nurse overtime bill that was approved by the Governor. As a reminder, LeadingAge New York advocated vigilantly against three bills pertaining to nurse overtime that were passed by the Legislature in 2022. Of the three bills, only one was approved, and it came with the promise of chapter amendments. The Governor’s approval memo on that bill is available here, and LeadingAge New York letter of opposition is available here.  We also are still awaiting the chapter amendments for an Assisted Living Residence Closure bill that was approved. That approval memo is available here, and LeadingAge NY letter is available here.

LeadingAge New York will continue to track all of these legislative activities and will keep members apprised of new requirements as they come into effect.

 

Tell CMS You Oppose Federal Minimum Staffing Levels!

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is planning to issue a proposed rule to establish national minimum staffing levels for nursing homes. The long-term care sector is already facing dire workforce shortages, limiting new admissions and forcing organizations to close. 

LeadingAge understand the workforce and staffing challenges of our members. We need real solutions that build the domestic and international pipelines for workers, and we need funding increases to recruit and retain additional staff. 

Please click here to send an email to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure opposing the adoption of a minimum staffing ratios mandate without the necessary workforce investments and reimbursement levels to ensure that residents and patients receive the care they deserve! 

Members are encouraged to personalize the email template by including any information or stories that highlight the impacts of workforce shortages and the proposed rule on your community and its residents.

 

LeadingAge & LeadingAge New York Coronavirus Resources

LeadingAge NY continues to closely follow all COVID-19 news and we are doing our best to keep members informed of updates, recommendations and guidelines from the Department of Health (DOH).

LeadingAge NY and LeadingAge National Member resources are linked below.

LeadingAge NY Coronavirus Resources

LeadingAge NY COVID-19 Weekly Update calls – Mondays at 11 a.m. Click here to join the call from your computer, android or apple device. Or you can join the call by dialing in: 877 853 5257 (Toll Free); Webinar ID: 852 964 255.

*Please note: Next week’s COVID-19 Update call will be held on Tues., Jan. 17th at 11 a.m. in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. All information for joining remains the same.

LeadingAge National Coronavirus Policy Updates – Mondays and Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. Past call recordings are available here and you can register here for future calls.

*Please Note: LeadingAge National will not be holding a Coronavirus Policy Update on Mon., Jan 16th in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Contact: Sarah Daly; 518.867.8845; sdaly@leadingageny.org

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