5 things to know about the end of the NYS legislative session

ALBANY — It was looking like a sleepy final week of the 2024 legislative session. Then, Gov. Kathy Hochul dropped a little bombshell by reversing course on “congestion pricing” — tolls for driving into Manhattan.

The governor’s action upended what was supposed to be a smooth close of business for state lawmakers and triggered a number of hastily called meetings to deal with the fallout.

It’s ripple effect slowed down action on hundreds of other bills.

Here are five things to know about the fate of some key issues as the State Senate and Assembly closed out their 2024 session:

11th-hour turn and no time for remedy

Hochul announced Wednesday she wants the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board to put congestion pricing — charging motorists as much as $15 to drive in parts of Manhattan during busy hours — on hold “indefinitely.” It was a stunner because it came just 25 days before congestion pricing was to take effect, just two days before the State Legislature was to adjourn and after the governor led rallies in favor of the pricing.

Numerous politicians said Democrats were concerned that congestion pricing could be used as an issue against congressional candidates this fall.

Postponement blows a $1 billion hole in the MTA’s budget. Hochul pressed legislators to remedy that by rushing through a tax hike on New York City businesses with $1.75 million or more in annual payroll. Or passing a sort-of “IOU” saying the state would provide the MTA more money next year.

But neither gained traction simply because there were too many Democrats opposed to ending congestion pricing or raising taxes or acting on such short notice.

Of course, the MTA story isn’t over. Lawmakers could return later in the year to earmark some sort of funding. The new MTA capital plan is expected to be presented in October. Or they could wait until after the elections. Or until January, when the 2025 session commences.

Notably, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) said Hochul raised concerns about tolls a week or so earlier but didn’t float a replacement plan.

“The governor mentioned, a while back, the public isn’t warming to congestion prices and you have to pay attention to the way the public is feeling,” Heastie told reporters.

Political fallout or gains?

Besides talking with Heastie, the Hochul administration discussed the toll issue with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn), the House minority leader, who was concerned about the impact on suburban congressional races, according to Politico.

It’s not clear if congestion pricing would have been a leading factor in voters’ decisions, but certainly Republicans were intending to use it in their campaigns. Some Democrats might appreciate Hochul putting it on hold.

But back in Albany, it’s caused a fracture between Hochul and the Legislature for now. Some rank-and-file Democrats said the governor showed poor leadership for backing away so late in the process. Some said canceling the policy might be illegal, because congestion pricing was enacted by statute.

But others contended the outcry was from a vocal but small subset of Democrats. Though maybe the late timing wasn’t great, many were not ruffled by the postponement.

New mileposts for downstate casino siting

The bottom line is the three available licenses won’t be awarded any sooner, but some hard deadlines are contained in new legislation.

The bill, if signed by Hochul, would require that companies submit bids no later than Aug. 31 this year. Previously, the state Gaming Commission had balked at setting any date for receiving bids, saying it wanted ongoing zoning issues in New York City to be resolved first, among other concerns.

The second noticeable change is the bill says community advisory councils, which must weigh in on any application, must vote yes or no roughly 150 days after Aug. 31. This is moved up in schedule because the Gaming Commission had expected local boards to vote by mid-2025.

The legislation also sets a Dec. 31, 2025, deadline for awarding licenses. Other than having a date in writing, this provision doesn’t change the timeline because the commission said it would announce awards in late 2025.

Suffolk red light cameras to expire?

A number of communities have installed red light cameras at busy intersections to generate automatic tickets to offenders. Though some residents don’t like them, most communities routinely renew authorizations for the cameras, citing improved safety.

Then, there’s Suffolk County.

It’s program (100 intersections) is set to expire on Dec. 1, just like Nassau County’s. But unlike Nassau, Suffolk’s county legislature never passed a “home rule” request asking the State Legislature to renew the law.

Further, Assemb. Fred Thiele (D-Sag Harbor), who isn’t running for reelection, said Suffolk was having trouble finding a senator from the county delegation to carry the bill in that chamber in Albany. Thiele sponsored it in the Assembly.

Sources said backers were hoping the Suffolk bill would get folded into a “big ugly” — the Albany term for an end-of-session kitchen-sink bill, so that no one lawmaker would have to officially sponsor it. But that idea didn’t gain traction.

Late Friday, Thiele called the Suffolk bill “dead.”

That said, if in the slim possibility the State Legislature reconvenes before December, Suffolk could get another chance.

In contrast, Nassau County's reauthorization for red light cameras sailed through Albany.

Stony Brook U. bill loses steam

A late-moving bill would have allowed Stony Brook University to negotiate a lease to bring Veeco, a maker of semiconductor equipment, in as the fifth tenant in the university’s research and development park.

The Senate approved the bill, 51-4. But it had stalled in the Assembly — hurt by concerns from the faculty union that job protections for union members were not strong enough in the bill language.

Bill sponsors Sen. Monica Martinez (D-Brentwood) and Assemb. Steve Stern (D-Huntington) amended the bill during the final week to add union-protection language, but it wasn’t enough.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy