Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin, Esq.
BRONXVILLE, NY – June 15, 2021 – This year’s New York State government ended on Friday, June 10th. It ended after six months of dealing with many bailouts for the Covid pandemic and the passage of a $ 212 billion budget.
As I mentioned in previous columns, lawmakers voted at the beginning of the session to legalize marijuana and mobile sports betting, raise income taxes for wealthier sections of New Yorkers, and raise school aid to a record $ 29.5 billion .
In contrast to almost all meetings in the recent past, this meeting did not end with the usual draft law and midnight votes, but ended with a whimper, which in the eyes of many legislators remained unfinished.
As a background, New York is one of 38 states that have a so-called trifecta, in which all three branches of government are controlled by the same party: 23 of them are in republican and 15 in democratic states. New York is also one of 22 states that have a veto-proof super majority in both chambers, with the New York State Senate having 42 Democrats and 21 Republicans, and a state assembly of 106 Democrats, 43 Republicans, and one Independent.
Some of the initiatives that many elected officials felt remained on the table were another overhaul of the state’s probation system. The main goal of some was to give those released more opportunities to clear their files. Law was passed preventing people paroled from being sent back for technical violations, but an agreement failed to automatically seal most convictions after a certain number of years or to shift the focus of hearings on Probation will be achieved on the rehabilitation potential of the prisoners the extent of their original crime.
The proposed law on adult victims also remained unsolved. You may recall that in 2019 lawmakers passed a Child Sacrifice Act that allows individuals who were molested when they were under the age of 18 to sue regardless of the statute of limitations. Many current lawmakers have believed that adults who have been abused should have the same time frame, as it often takes many years to deal with abuse. However, the issue was not voted on in the assembly and even the Children’s Law provides for a forfeiture rule that expires this August.
On another front, restaurant and bar owners called for a law to be passed that would allow the sale of spirits on a permanent basis. However, they encountered strong opposition from liquor stores. Currently, an executive order from the governor allowing such takeaway beverages expires on July 4th unless the governor decides to renew it again.
The bidding process for new casino licenses is of particular importance to our neighbors in Yonkers and those in Queens and Manhattan. The law currently allows seven casino licenses in New York State – four go to upstate communities and three are currently unused. Empire City in Yonkers has been keen to convert their video lottery parlors into a full-fledged casino with slots and live gaming tables, but this is not going to happen in the near future.
Other initiatives that did not have the necessary effect before the beginning of the legislative period, despite a lot of advance press, were the concepts of a pay-in health system and initiatives for CO2 tax.
Lawmakers also haven’t removed the name of Donald J. Trump from 436 acres of land he donated to New York State in the city of Yorktown.
The expanding executive power of Governor Cuomo in relation to the pandemic was also not restricted or waived or a sunset ruling was received at this point.
Some initiatives passed will have an impact on our residents, albeit not in the order of magnitude of the laws passed in the first few months of the session, such as the legalization of cannabis and the increase in taxes.
In the future, companies like Netflix and Hulu will no longer be able to automatically renew services without direct customer consent. In addition, the mechanisms of the renewal process must be explained in detail, and it is also forbidden to advertise anything as free if it is attached to an automatic renewal.
Because the Thruway system makes tolls completely cashless and eliminates the work of toll payers, those paying without an EZ Pass will see a 30 percent increase in fees as well as an additional service fee of $ 2.00 attached to the bill will be sent home.
Due to the horrific stretch limo accident in New York State, all limos must be buckled up for each passenger.
Due to questions about election winners and margins, the legislature passed a bill that requires automatic recounting if the winning margin is 20 votes or the margin is 0.5% or less. In the event of an election in which more than 1 million votes are cast, a margin of less than 5,000 votes automatically triggers a recount.
The Senate also passed a bill giving it legal authority to continue the impeachment proceedings against Governor Cuomo if the assembly votes on impeachment after the investigation is complete.
There is some discussion about the reconstitution of the legislature during the summer months to address the issues that remain on the table.
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Mary C. Marvin is mayor of the village of Bronxville, New York. Share your thoughts by emailing mayor@vobny.com
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SOURCE: Mary Ann Maglioto | Assistant to the Mayor & Village Administrator | Bronxville City Hall