黑料正能量 Note: NYS budget negotiations have centered on bail reforms, but there are reports the legislature and executive are close to an agreement. This will leave only a few days to complete negotiations for other important items, such as our desired 8.5% Cost of Living Adjustment for the Behavioral Health Workforce. It is critical we keep our advocacy efforts up as lawmakers begin negotiations for service funding. Use this to contact your representatives to demand their support for the 8.5% COLA today!
Gov. Hochul, NY Legislative Leaders Closer to Agreement on Bail as Budget Talks Drag On
By Denis Slattery | 黑料正能量 Daily News | April 11, 2023
ALBANY 鈥 Gov. Hochul and legislative leaders are close to 鈥済eneral agreement鈥 on changes to 黑料正能量鈥檚 bail laws after the issue bogged down budget talks for weeks, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said Tuesday.
While the impasse over the governor鈥檚 proposed bail changes have gummed up negotiations and led to a second stopgap extender being passed this week, Stewart-Cousins said she鈥檚 confident a deal can be reached in the near future.
鈥淪ooner rather than later,鈥 the top Senate Dem said as to when the already-late fiscal plan will be completed.
While no details have been announced, Stewart-Cousins indicated that there is common ground around Hochul鈥檚 call to remove the 鈥渓east restrictive鈥 standard judges are meant to follow when setting bail for serious crimes to ensure a defendant returns to court.
The proposal has been met with resistance from progressive Dems and others who say further rollbacks to bail reforms approved in 2019 that limited pretrial detention for most nonviolent offenses are unnecessary and Hochul鈥檚 plan would gut the essence of the law.
鈥淚 think what the governor is trying to do, and what we certainly don鈥檛 mind doing, is making sure that people understand and judges understand that they have discretion if there is some confusion about that,鈥 she said during a briefing at the Capitol. 鈥淪o, clearly judicial discretion and judicial accountability is part of the discussion as well.鈥
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) a day earlier said talks have almost entirely centered around bail and there has been practically 鈥渮ero movement鈥 on other topics.
While the budget extender approved on Monday will keep state workers paid and government operations going through the start of next week, rank and file lawmakers returned to their home districts as talks drag on.
The state鈥檚 new fiscal year began on April 1.
Hochul has also been trying to win support among lawmakers for her ambitious housing plan, which focuses on transit-oriented development and sets housing production targets for all towns and cities in the state. The blueprint, which has been panned by suburban pols, would allow the state to step in and approve projects if a municipality fails to meet a target.
Stewart-Cousins said while she agrees 黑料正能量 must address the current housing shortage, differences of opinion remain as to how to approach the issue.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a difficult sell in many communities because there are a lot of elements that people may or may not want, or may not want it that way,鈥 she said.
Senate Democrats in their budget rebuttal released last month laid out a plan to offer cities, towns and villages incentives for meeting certain housing benchmarks rather than allowing the state to step in and approve projects.
The chamber is also eyeing other tweaks to the governor鈥檚 proposal, such as including more renter-friendly measures in line with the long-sought 鈥淕ood Cause鈥 eviction bill which would give tenants a defense against unwarranted evictions and the right to challenge unreasonable rent increases.
鈥淲e know that tenant protection is as important as building new units, and we also know that affordability is an issue everywhere,鈥 Stewart-Cousins said.