Albany 2014: The Final Countdown

This week is the last scheduled week of the 2014 legislative session in Albany, leaving lawmakers with just four (or possibly five) days to wrap up their business and make a last-minute push on high-priority bills before heading out of town (and, in most cases, hitting the campaign trail).

Here are five things to pay attention to as the session winds down, including legislation that still could get done, which bills are long shots and which ones are all but dead this year.

1. Medical marijuana

A bill to legalize marijuana for medical use could end up as the one high-profile piece of legislation that gets passed as the session comes to a close. Last week Gov. Andrew Cuomo told The Capitol Pressroom’s Susan Arbetter that a compromise could still be reached, although he stressed that the Compassionate Care Act, which would set up a full-fledged medical marijuana system, still needed to be tweaked to ensure it would be done correctly and not be vulnerable to abuse. State Sen. Diane Savino, a sponsor of the legislation, told reporters that three-way talks were under way between Cuomo’s office and the Senate and Assembly, and that she hoped to reach a deal by Monday—the last day bills can be printed to meet the required three-day aging process for a Thursday vote.

The legislation has been building steam this session and all of the key parties have expressed at least qualified support for it. In January Cuomo announced a pilot program for medical marijuana that would make the drug available at 20 facilities across the state without any new legislation, which some criticized as too limited. The administration signaled a few weeks later that it could be open to a more comprehensive program. Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos told the Daily News in May that he expected medical marijuana to come up for a vote in some form, and it is clearly a top priority for Savino and Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein of the Independent Democratic Conference. The bill has already passed in the Democrat-led Assembly, and was advanced to the Senate Rules Committee last week.

2. A crackdown on heroin

The rising heroin epidemic in New York has drawn the attention of both Democrats and Republicans this year, with the Senate holding a series of hearings across the state and the Assembly following suit with hearings of its own. Last week Senate Republicans touted the passage of 23 bills designed to crack down on heroin abuse, including expanded options for addiction treatment and tougher penalties for dealers. Assembly Democrats support many of the bills passed in the Senate, although they have indicated that they are unlikely to support some of the measures that increase penalties for drug users and dealers. Cuomo, who last week announced expanded availability of an overdose antidote and a near doubling of staff for the State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team, has also indicated support for legislative action.  

3. The Women’s Equality Act

A 10-point legislative package originally announced by Cuomo early in 2013 stalled that year because of Republican opposition to a controversial measure that would codify the U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling in state law. This year could shape up to be a repeat of last year, with the Republican-controlled Senate again having passed other measures in the Women’s Equality Act package and the Democratic-led Assembly facing calls from Republicans to allow individual pieces to come up for a vote.

What’s different this time around is that some Democrats are no longer fully committed to the all-or-nothing strategy that resulted in nothing passing last year. Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, a Democrat, has been outspoken in her support for a measure included in the package that would crack down on human trafficking. On Tuesday afternoon Paulin and other lawmakers will be joined by NYC NOW, the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition and others to draw attention to the Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act and lobby for its passage. Meanwhile, Cuomo recently dismissed the full package's chances of passing this year.

4. Education measures

Some lawmakers have joined the state teachers union in a push for a moratorium on using exams based on new Common Core standards as part of teacher evaluations, especially since the change was made for students after flaws were identified with the tests. With negotiations ongoing as of last week, Cuomo said that an outright moratorium on teacher evaluations was a non-starter, but he did say that he was open to a solution that would take the problems with the tests into account for teachers. Another pending education-related bill that has garnered bipartisan support is an education tax credit that is being championed by state Sen. Simcha Felder, as well as Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Senate Republicans say that it continues to be a priority, although Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver recently shot it down and it is unclear how it would move forward at this point.

5. Election year politics

Cuomo and Senate Republicans achieved a lot of what they wanted done this year as part of the state budget process, leaving them with few measures they need to pass in the second half of the session—perhaps with an eye to getting a jump on campaigning in an election years for the governor and for state lawmakers. Meanwhile, Assembly Democrats have continued to press for a higher minimum wage and passage of the Dream Act, which would allow young undocumented immigrants to qualify for state financial aid. However, sources said that those two measures, as well as a proposal for a comprehensive public campaign financing system, are unlikely to pass this session, even after Cuomo pledged to push for them as part of a deal to win the backing of the Working Families Party. Cuomo’s maneuvering to secure the WFP’s line also included a pledge to push for a Democrat-controlled Senate, which Republicans say has restricted cooperation on legislation. Once the session ends, the Women’s Equality Act is expected to remain an issue on the campaign trail, with Democrats likely attacking Republicans for failing to pass an abortion rights law.