Hochul confident on gun laws and abortion rights
ALBANY — Gov. Hochul said Tuesday that she is confident lawmakers will take action on abortion rights and gun laws before the legislative session comes to a close next week.
The governor said the recent mass shooting in Buffalo that left 10 dead and a leaked Supreme Court draft ruling that could overturn Roe v. Wade quickly became eleventh-hour priorities.
“It’s not unusual to have a mountain of work to do in the final weeks. It’s the nature of Albany,” Hochul said after a ceremonial bill signing at the state Capitol.
Exactly what would be in a package of reproductive rights bills is unclear.
Hochul and lawmakers were already discussing legislation related to gun violence before an 18-year-old white man killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket May 14.
Hochul also said that extending mayoral control of New York City schools is a key issue that needs to be addressed before lawmakers break for the remainder of the year.
“It is something that I believe is critically important for the children and their parents to have that stability, not just one year, not just have it be a political football,” she said, noting that she spoke with Mayor Adams recently.
The mayor said Monday he’s confident that state lawmakers will green-light the remaining items on his Albany wish list before they wrap up June 2.
“I know Albany. The last week is when stuff gets done up there,” Adams said during an event in Harlem.
However, one of Hochul and Adams’ priorities seems much less likely to happen as the governor conceded that passing a replacement for the controversial 421-a tax abatement for real estate developers appears unlikely.
“The mayor and I are in sync with this one as well,” she said. “I need to have more affordable housing in the City of New York and across this state.”
Hochul has pushed since January with little luck for an extension or replacement of the soon to expire tax break meant to spur the development of affordable housing.
Lawmakers have been less than enthusiastic about the abatement as critics say most of the units built under the program are still unaffordable for most New Yorkers.
Hochul says that if she can’t persuade lawmakers to sign off on an extension or replacement of the program it will be a priority for her next year.
“This is not resolved yet,” she said. “If it is not resolved within this session then I would say we’ll certainly be revisiting this early next year as a priority.”