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New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Assembly Democrats effectively kill bipartisan bill commemorating Oct. 7 attack on Israel
ALBANY – Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie torpedoed a bipartisan bill that would have commemorated the horrific Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The Bronx pol went to extraordinary lengths Friday to ensure that the measure would not make it to the Assembly floor for a vote, stacking a committee with compliant Democratic allies who'd vote to scuttle it, sources said. The bill, sponsored by Republican Assemblyman Lester Chang, would have enshrined Oct. 7 alongside other days of commemoration in the Empire State, such as 'Rosa Parks Day' and 'Susan B. Anthony Day.' Advertisement 4 Heastie took extraordinary measures to make sure the bill wouldn't pass the Assembly floor for a vote. Getty Images Sources suggested that Heastie, the most powerful Democrat in the Assembly, likely didn't want a bill with a Republican as its primary sponsor reach the floor for a vote — even though a number of Dems co-sponsored it. 'It shouldn't be controversial just because I'm a Republican,' said Chang (R-Brooklyn). Advertisement 'It's ugly. It's destructive. It's hurtful for both sides,' Chang said of Heastie's actions, adding, 'And it's important that we remember 1,200 victims.' The move to kill the Oct. 7 bill follows chaotic behind-the-scenes drama that unfolded this week when Heastie permitted putting up a resolution honoring Palestinian Americans onto the floor before yanking it at the last minute. The lower chamber's ways and means committee also killed a bill by Assemblyman Ari Brown (R-Nassau) that would've required New York schools to teach about Oct. 7, in addition to making it a day of commemoration like Chang's measure. Brown, who is Jewish, accused the Democrats of 'veiled antisemitism.' Advertisement 'Albany's legislature is rotten with veiled antisemitism, and their sabotage of my bill, A06557, to honor October 7th victims and fight hate, is proof,' Brown said. 'If this were a bill for the Black or Hispanic community, it would've passed with praise and fanfare. This isn't just obstruction; it's a vile, calculated betrayal of Jews as a minority, letting hatred win with their cowardly tactics.' Other lawmakers piled on condemning the Democrats' allegedly craven — or worse — motivations. 'It's particularly disheartening to see a bill held for purely political reasons,' said Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Nassau), the top GOP lawmaker on the ways and means committee. Advertisement 'These bills are designed to ensure we remember the atrocities of October 7, 2023 and help combat antisemitism, neither of which should ever be partisan or political.' 4 Sources say Heastie didn't want a bill with a Republican as its primary sponsor. Hans Pennink The Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by terrorist group Hamas and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza have roiled New York politics and exposed bitter rifts among Democrats. The divide can be clearly seen in New York City's mayoral race, where old-school Democrat Andrew Cuomo has presented himself as a steadfast supporter of Israel and its fight against Hamas. Cuomo is the contest's frontrunner, but Israel critic Zohran Mamdani — a Democratic socialist Assembly member from Queens — is nipping at his heels. Many progressive Dems and leftists have claimed Israel's actions amount to genocide against Palestinians. Pro-Israel advocates have said that stance is antisemitic. 4 Republican Assemblyman Lester Chang, who sponsored the bill, said, 'It shouldn't be controversial just because I'm a Republican.' Hans Pennink One high-ranking Democratic Big Apple lawmaker said uniting over commemorating the 1,200 victims and dozens of hostages still being held by Hamas should be a no-brainer. Advertisement 'There should be no controversy of a day commemorating the largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust,' the lawmaker said. The bill's road to legislative purgatory began when ways and means committee Chair and top Heastie lieutenant Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-Westchester) announced that four regular members of the panel would be substituted by other, 'acting' members. The four members included one Jewish lawmaker and another who res a district with a significant Jewish population, as well as Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D-Brooklyn), would've voted against killing it, her spokesperson said. But the spokesperson noted that Bichotte Hermelyn would've preferred the bill had a Democratic sponsor. Advertisement Chang said that he'd be willing to let a Democrat take over as the bill's sponsor if it meant passing it. Substitutions on committees aren't unheard of, but the maneuver is usually made to spare a member from making a tough vote or when leadership expects some of its members to vote out of line, as happened Friday. Several Democrats – Assemblymembers Ed Braunstein, William Colton, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Nily Rozic, Rebecca Seawright, and Amanda Septimo and David Weprin, who are all from New York City – broke from their party to support the commemoration bill. Advertisement 'No one should use Oct. 7th as a political pawn. We owe the 56 hostages and their families more than that,' Rozic said. The sudden switcheroo on the commemoration bill committee came after Heastie also put the kibosh on a resolution honoring Palestinian Americans, sponsored by lefty Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher (D-Brooklyn), earlier this week. Tens of thousands of such resolutions are passed by the Assembly every year, and are usually not controversial. 4 The bill would've made Oct. 7 enshrined alongside other days of commemoration in the Empire State, such as 'Rosa Parks Day' and 'Susan B. Anthony Day.' New York State Assembly Advertisement A copy of the draft resolution obtained by The Post indicates it would have read that 'Palestinian Americans in New York are increasingly involved in advocacy, activism, and civil rights work, particularly related to Middle Eastern issues, anti-racism, and immigrants.' Sources said Heastie allowed the resolution onto the floor with strict instructions for Gallagher to keep her remarks specific to it, meaning he didn't want her to opine on the Israel-Gaza war. But Heastie caught wind that that Republicans were going to call for a roll call vote — meaning every member would have to be recorded as voting in support or against her resolution — a highly unusual, if not totally unheard of move, sources familiar with the backroom dealings said. Heastie then pulled the measure, so as to avoid any drama on the Assembly floor. A spokesperson for Heastie did not return a request for comment. — Additional reporting by Matt Troutman
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NY lawmakers back controversial assisted suicide bill as state wrangles with Hochul over budget
ALBANY — New York state lawmakers are getting behind a proposal to legalize assisted suicide, The Post has learned. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) told lawmakers during a meeting behind closed doors Tuesday that the bill – which proponents call medical aid in dying – has the votes to pass, according to a source with knowledge of the discussion. The meeting about the controversial measure — which several sources said could be brought for a vote as soon as next week — came as the Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul continue to hammer out a deal over the state budget, which was due April 1. The bill would allow a mentally competent, terminally ill adult with six months or less to live to request a fatal cocktail of drugs from a doctor. Several sources also told The Post that it could be put up for a vote in the Assembly as soon as next week. Heastie has previously said he supports the bill, but it's never been brought up on the Assembly floor, a sign it didn't have the votes to pass. Supporters of the measure claimed it also has enough support in the state Senate. 'Everyone should have the right to choose for themselves,' state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a backer of the bill, told The Post Tuesday. 'If they are of sound mind and want to end unbearable suffering with no prospects of recovery, they should be able to choose the way they die.' Corinne Carey, local senior director of Compassion & Choices, one of the groups pushing for the measure, said it was part of a campaign to 'ensure terminally ill New Yorkers have access to a full range of end of life options.' But the New York State Catholic Conference urged lawmakers to oppose the measure, saying it sends the wrong message. 'At a time when the state is facing a suicide crisis, particularly among young people, we are sending the message that some lives are not worth living,' Dennis Poust, the religious group's executive director, said in a statement. 'Cardinal Dolan and the state's Catholic bishops implore legislators to reject this terrible bill,' Poust added. Lawmakers meanwhile on Tuesday again voted to keep the state government running on a temporary basis as negotiations over Hochul's $252 billion proposed fiscal year 2026 budget entered their fourth week. One of the major stumbling blocks, Hochul's proposal to make it easier to force mentally ill people into treatment has largely cleared, a source close to the talks said Tuesday. Hochul said over the weekend that the crafting of the spending plan was in its 'final chapter.' Heastie said legislative leaders were 'close' on an agreement over the measures earlier this month, and that the governor was agreeing to some concessions meant to win over lawmakers who were in opposition. Those concessions include increasing and beefing up pilot programs where county-level behavioral health counselors accompany police on some 911 calls and discharge planning when someone is released from commitment. 'I think the hope is we reach agreement on things this week and pass them next,' state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) told reporters Tuesday, hinting that a tentative handshake agreement could feasibly come before week's end.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State budget talks: Lawmakers come to deal on discovery before breaking for holiday weekend
Apr. 17—ALBANY — Progress seems to have been made on changes to the state's discovery laws in the after hours of Wednesday as budget negotiations continued. Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, D-Bronx, told Spectrum News Capitol Tonight reporter Kate Lisa Wednesday night that "discovery's done," after a meeting with the Senate majority leader and Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul. Albany's leaders do not discuss specifics of the deals they reach in private regarding policy until the entire budget package is completed and presented to the state legislature for a vote. Heastie's comments came just hours after Hochul, speaking in Manhattan, pushed again on her proposed changes to alter the state's discovery laws and said that talks were not completed yet but at the "five yard line," using a football analogy. On Tuesday, Heastie told reporters he had developed the "framework" of a deal on discovery after spending the Passover weekend talking with the five district attorneys in New York City. Hochul, who was at the same time speaking in Kingston, Ulster County, wasn't quick to sign onto that deal on discovery language, and spent Tuesday night and most of Wednesday negotiating tweaks with the legislators. In her original pitch to lawmakers, Hochul had asked to adjust the scope of what evidence a prosecutor has to turn over to the defense in a criminal case, allow for less severe penalties than dismissal when an issue with the prosecution's conduct in discovery is found, and set a deadline for when the defense can file a complaint with the court regarding discovery. Hochul has argued those changes will protect the victims of crimes by ensuring the cases against their abusers aren't thrown out over technical mistakes. She's tied the issue with domestic violence, retail theft and other crime issues, and leaned on DAs from around the state to argue that the current discovery rules were hurting otherwise concrete cases. Evidence of this is thin, however; when a case is dismissed it becomes sealed, so the public and the press haven't been able to review any of the cases the DAs or the governor claim were dismissed over discovery issues. And some progressive lawmakers have argued that goes too far, and would allow prosecutors to withhold evidence they find that could exonerate defendants. A source close to the internal discussions told the Watertown Daily Times on Thursday morning that discovery is settled, and lawmakers are moving on to the final few issues to settle. Lawmakers still have to come up with a deal on involuntary commitment standards, which those close to discussions say are less likely to be as controversial as the discovery debate has been. Lawmakers voted to pass another bill to fund the state government through Wednesday of next week and promptly left the Capitol Thursday ahead of the Easter weekend.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some progress made on discovery reforms as state budget talks continue
Apr. 15—ALBANY — Some progress has been made on the state budget, as lawmakers passed another extender to fund state government to Thursday. Now 17 days overdue, Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul and the legislative leaders, Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, D-Bronx, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea A. Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, have been hammering away at a handful of policy issues in the budget. Hochul and the lawmakers debated a mask ban, a change to the state's involuntary commitment laws for mentally ill people on the streets, and a statewide school cellphone ban. Most controversially, lawmakers have been discussing a plan to tweak language in the state's discovery laws to undo a small part of the 2019 reforms that gave prosecutors strict deadlines and transparency requirements when turning over evidence to the defense in a criminal trial. In that discovery debate, Hochul took the side of district attorneys and the victims of crimes, seeking to connect the issue with cases of domestic violence and sexual abuse. The lawmakers, representing the concerns of their Democratic-led chambers, pushed back. Some lawmakers in the Senate and Assembly said they'd reject any reforms, while others said what the governor originally wanted was too much but they'd be open to other possible changes. At issue is her ask that a part of the law be changed to narrow the focus of what evidence a prosecutor has to turn over to the defense. The law currently requires all "related" evidence, which includes many items that have little to no bearing on the case collected over the course of the investigation. Hochul wants to change that to "relevant," which she says would help cut the volume of evidence the prosecution has to process and hand over to the defense. Additionally, Hochul wants to permit less severe penalties when the prosecution misses a deadline to turn over evidence they've collected, and remove the automatic dismissal statute. She also wants to set a deadline for when the defense can file a complaint over the prosecution's conduct in discovery of 35 days. Heastie told reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon that he'd been meeting with DAs in New York City over the long Passover weekend, and he and his conference had presented the framework of a deal on discovery reforms to the governor. "We have a framework on having the discovery issues resolved," he said. The governor, meanwhile, was delivering remarks defending her discovery proposals in Kingston, Ulster County, and when asked, told reporters that she was eager to review what the deal was. "I believe there are conversations going on as we speak, which is why I'm anxious to get back to the Capitol," she told reporters in the Hudson Valley city. "There could be a resolution in sight." Discovery has been the main issue holding up progress on the budget in recent days, as Heastie and Stewart-Cousins have told reporters. Hochul has pushed hard on the topic, holding up final passage of the budget and suggesting even this week that the budget could drag on until May. She's maintained that New Yorkers don't care about the budget being passed on time. "I have yet to be asked by a regular New Yorker, who's not a member of the press corps, why the budget is taking so long," she said Monday at a press conference in New York City. "They don't care." Progress could come as early as Wednesday, but lawmakers aren't scheduled to be back in session in the Senate or Assembly until Thursday.
New York Times
16-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
New York Leaders Agree to Ease Evidence Requirements for Prosecutors
After weeks of infighting and political grandstanding, Democratic leaders in New York said on Tuesday that they had reached agreement on a contentious issue holding up this year's state budget negotiations: criminal discovery. For years district attorneys have pushed for changes in state law governing the timing and scope of what evidence prosecutors must produce, which is known as discovery, before a trial. Prosecutors argued that they lacked the staffing and resources to comply with the demands and deadlines laid out in the law, resulting in serious cases being dismissed. Their campaign was backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, who spent considerable political capital pushing to loosen the rules for prosecutors — even going so far as to refuse to sign any budget that would not reduce the number of criminal cases that are dismissed on procedural grounds. She has held numerous public events to push for the new measures, including as recently as Tuesday afternoon in Ulster County. Ms. Hochul said at the event that 'there could be a resolution in sight,' and that she was eager to return to Albany to seal the deal. Yet the framework of the agreement was announced on Tuesday by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. He said he and his staff had been speaking directly to prosecutors from New York City and their aides in recent days to find a middle ground and address concerns from some Democrats that criminal defendants would be at a disadvantage as their lawyers prepared for trial. 'The governor always said to me she wanted the D.A.s to be in a good place,' Mr. Heastie said. 'The D.A.s seem to be in a very good place. Her team was briefed on the language last night and they seemed to be fine.' While the exact bill language has yet to be released, Mr. Heastie said the deal reduces the amount of evidence that prosecutors must hand over to defense lawyers. They would have to turn over evidence 'related to the charges of a particular case,' rather than just any evidence related to the case. Mr. Heastie said that judges would also have more discretion in deciding how to punish prosecutors who do not hand over evidence. The deal, which was confirmed by Mike Murphy, a spokesman for the Senate Democrats, will allow state budget negotiations to begin in earnest, two weeks after the April 1 deadline. The state's current discovery rules were crafted in 2019 as a corrective to a yearslong practice by prosecutors of withholding vital evidence until the 11th hour. The rules intentionally place the burden on prosecutors to turn over materials to criminal defendants or risk having the charges dismissed. But almost immediately, prosecutors began to complain that the law went too far. Last year, prosecutors unsuccessfully pushed for discovery rules to be loosened. This year, Ms. Hochul made their campaign a priority, inviting district attorneys and victims of violence from across the state to make their case at the Capitol. Michael E. McMahon, the Staten Island district attorney who was one of the prosecutors working with state leaders, said he was hopeful that the deal balanced the competing priorities of various interests. 'The deal makes clear to the judges that if the district attorney acts in good faith and shows due diligence, that a remedy to not handing over certain evidence should be fashioned that is proportionate to any potential harm to any defendant,' said Mr. McMahon, who also leads the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York. 'It also requires the defense bar to raise objections in a more orderly fashion,' he said, 'rather than waiting until the last minute to try to force a dismissal.' The governor's requests were met with opposition in the Legislature, however, as many lawmakers worried that the changes would wipe out years of hard-won progress toward making the criminal justice system fairer to the accused. The Legal Aid Society, which fought for the changes to the discovery law in 2019, had opposed Ms. Hochul's rollback proposals. A spokesman said that the organization would reserve comment on the new deal until public defenders had a chance to review the text of the bill. Ms. Hochul has repeatedly found herself at odds with lawmakers over criminal justice. Almost immediately upon assuming office, Ms. Hochul began pushing to undo some of the Legislature's signature changes to state bail laws. Those changes had aimed to ensure that poor people did not languish in jail for minor offenses because they could not afford bail. While she was ultimately successful in winning significant changes, she spent nearly all her good will. Even so, Ms. Hochul placed discovery reforms at the center of her public safety agenda this year. A key supporter of the effort was the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, who was elected on a promise to balance public safety with fairness to criminal defendants. Speaking with reporters earlier this month, Mr. Bragg stressed that the changes he was seeking were not meant to undo the criminal justice reforms passed in 2019. 'No one's trying to go back,' he said.
