With help from Shawn Ness
new from new york
What’s happening now:
- Michael Carey, an advocate for disabled patients and a regular attendee at the state Capitol, said he was pressured by state Sen. Kevin Parker.
- The state Legislature’s labor leader wants to do more to protect retail workers.
- Efforts to move immigrants to five northern counties are progressing slowly.
- Today there was a graduation ceremony for a new member of the State Police.
Battle of the Capitol: State Sen. Kevin Parker shoved disability rights advocate Michael Carey before the start of today’s Senate Energy Committee meeting, according to Carey and two other people who witnessed the altercation.
Carrey, known for being an active voice for lawmakers, shared a copy of his police report with POLITICO, which you can read here.
According to the report and subsequent interviews, Carey claimed the congressman got in her face, yelled, “I don’t care,” then placed his hands on her twice and pushed her in front of a room full of people.
As the incident unfolded, shouting was heard in a recording of the Election Commission meeting next door on the first floor of the National Assembly building.
Parker did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Playbook.
He is known for explosive outbursts and physical altercations, including shoving a legislative staffer, breaking a New York Post photographer’s camera and swearing at other lawmakers. Carrey said he knew nothing about the history, which included an altercation with a Post photographer that resulted in him being convicted of a misdemeanor.
“This is a mixed bag,” Carey said. “He is a danger to others. He was dangerous to me.”
The disability advocate said the incident began minutes before the committee meeting when he asked Parker to co-sponsor the 911 Civil Rights Act, which seeks to create legislation to honor the memory of his son who died in a group home in 2007.
When Energy Committee Chairman Parker said he was looking into the matter, Carey told Parker that the issue was similar to Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight against discrimination and reminded Parker of his son’s death. According to Carey, Parker allegedly yelled, “I don’t care,” as Carey raised her dead son and pushed him away, inches from Carey’s face.
Witnesses, who were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, said Carey also yelled at Parker during the incident.
Carey said he then left the meeting and requested that state police come to the scene. He asked the officer to inform Parker that he would not press charges if he apologized to Carrie. Parker did not apologize, but instead asserted his right to an attorney, Carey said.
“I was kind of shocked. He didn’t apologize,” he said.
State Sen. Mario R. Mattera, a Long Island Republican and ranking member of the Energy Committee, also said he witnessed the altercation but declined to provide details.
“There was tension, there was tension, it was unfortunate in many ways, but it’s something that Senator Parker and that gentleman have to overcome and hopefully they can,” Matera said.
He also said it was inappropriate for Carey to discuss bill issues in committee meetings instead of speaking with Parker in his office.
Carey said he wanted a restraining order against the senator.
“We understand that if people don’t address their anger issues, they will continue to hurt others,” Carey said. — Jason Bipperman
Retail Crime Isn’t Over Yet: Gov. Kathy Hochul has worked hard to hammer out a budget deal that includes cracking down on retail theft, but the state’s labor chairman said the state must do more to protect workers.
“There are several things done in the budget that are punitive for retail workers and law enforcement,” said Rep. Harry Bronson, a Rochester Democrat. “We need more than that.”
The budget raised assaults on retail workers from a misdemeanor to a felony. It also created a retail theft task force for state and local law enforcement and added $5 million in tax breaks for store security cameras and other theft prevention costs.
But labor advocates say more proactive rather than “punitive” measures are needed to protect retail workers.
They are pushing the Retail Worker Safety Act, sponsored by Bronson and state Sen. Jessica Ramos. The bill would require retailers in the state to train employees in de-escalation and violence prevention tactics.
Both lawmakers also rallied on three other labor bills this week. To reduce warehouse worker injuries; It sets standards for temperature extremes while working in agriculture, construction and other industries, and a third oversees the rights of nail salon workers.
“We have a very important decision to make: whether we want to tip the scales towards the workers or whether we continue to tip the scales towards the bosses,” Ramos said at Tuesday’s rally. Capitol. “And I say no to that. We say ‘yes’ to worker protections.”
The Retail Council of New York State is working to respond to Ramos and Bronson’s Retail Worker Safety Act.
“Costly mandates proposed in the bill, including onerous record-keeping requirements, panic buttons and additional security guards, do little to address repeat offenders who enter stores with the intent to engage in illegal activity such as shoplifting and assault. “No,” said Melissa O. ‘Conner, the group’s chairman, wrote in his dissenting memorandum.
Hochul’s spokesman, Justin Henry, did not comment on the union’s bill but instead pointed to Hochul’s comments about retail theft earlier this month.
“No one wants to see their local shops crowded. Because business owners just say, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ It just doesn’t work. It’s not worth it,’ Hochul said at a post-budget retail theft press conference. “This threatens the vitality of this community, and I will stop at nothing to protect it.” — Jason Bipperman
Migration Relocation: Since the state launched the program in August to relocate immigrant families moving to New York City to upstate areas, only 283 have been relocated, according to the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, which administers the program. Only the furniture was moved. Read the full story here..
Only five counties received families: Albany, Erie, Monroe, Westchester and Suffolk; All have below-average housing vacancy rates. Nearly 1,000 households were placed on a waiting list or deemed ineligible after being referred to the program.
“We are almost at our limit. We have reached our maximum. There are only 320,000 residents in this county and we are already facing a housing crisis,” said Albany County Executive Dan McCoy. “We have problems placing people in housing.”
And plans to offer bonuses and incentives for homeowners to participate in the program haven’t been very successful. Despite these challenges, the state is still doing its best to relocate families.
“OTDA is committed to supporting immigrant families who choose to immigrate through the Immigrant Relocation Assistance Program,” the agency said in a statement. — Sean Ness
Hail SZN: State police now have 4,977 officers after Hocheol congratulated 228 new officers graduating from the academy today.
“Today’s graduates have dedicated themselves to lives of public service and have a commitment to serve and protect all New Yorkers,” Hochul said in a statement.
Three other awards were also presented to a select few graduates. Nicholas Krafft received the Academic Achievement Award. Matthew Grant received the Firearms Proficiency Award. Dominick Battaglia received the Investigator Joseph T. Aversa Physical Fitness Award.
“Today’s event is one of our greatest traditions and introduces a new generation of highly trained men and women to the New York State Police. These new police officers will serve New Yorkers with honor, integrity, and courage. I welcome them to our ranks,” State Police Chief Steven James said in a statement. — Sean Ness
Poll watcher pushes: Advocates are urging lawmakers to pass legislation authorizing nonpartisan groups to send neutral observers to polling places on Election Day.
“In this extremely polarized situation, having a neutral set of eyes to see what’s really happening in polling places, which 99% of the time is organized exactly as we want, helps increase and improve transparency. It’s the public’s belief in elections.” said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York.
She pointed out that under current law, the only people who can be certified as observers are those elected by candidates and political parties.
State Senator James Skoufis, who introduced the bill with Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, said: “This seems like a very simple, common-sense solution to the problem that sometimes arises where voters are inappropriately turned away for whatever reason. — Bill Mahoney
Migration crisis: Representative Ed Ra and other members of the Republican Minority Conference are demanding legislative hearings with New York City officials and organizations contracted to provide immigration services.
The Times Union reported on Monday about ongoing concerns about one of its major vendors, DocGo.
“This year’s state budget allocates $2.4 billion to address the immigration crisis, a significant increase in spending for New York taxpayers. Without the necessary guardrails for fiscal responsibility, these funds are at risk for the fraud and abuse we have become accustomed to from emergency government contracts that lack transparency and oversight guidance,” Ra, a Long Island Republican, said in a statement.
Republican lawmakers are also calling for passage of one of Ra’s bills that would mandate reporting and auditing of how money for immigrant programs is spent. It is co-sponsored by fellow Republicans. — Sean Ness
— Two New York Democrats were reintroduced. Two years after the Buffalo Tops shooting, a federal bill would restrict public access to body armor. (political situation)
— State lawmakers are trying. Pass legislation to encourage emergency medical service providers to continue working. (times union)
— Seneca Indian Tribe There are still tense negotiations with the state over the agreement. (For politicians)
