Heastie has publicly been the staunchest advocate of the law, but the The New York Post is reporting closed-door meetings have been taking place on the issue and it appears to be the speaker’s first admission that bail reform should be revisited.

The new bail reform measures went into effect at the start of this year and involve eliminating the potential to impose bail on those accused of misdemeanor and some “non-violent” felony crimes. Since the law went into effect there has been public outcry over the release of individuals who were then re-arrested and charged with committing more crimes.

Criticism of the law is coming from both upstate and downstate Assembly Democrats, who control the chamber. They join Republican lawmakers along with members of law enforcement. Both those groups have been critical of the reform measures even before the new year began.

Already this year both Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) have indicated they are open to changes to the law.

Local Sen. George Borrello (R-Irving, 57th Senate District) has also been an outspoken critic of bail reform and was recently appointed chair of the newly established ‘Repeal Bail Reform Task Force’ by Senate Republican Leader John Flanagan.

George Borrello

ALBANY – State Senator George Borrello (R-Irving) has been named the chair of the newly established ‘Repeal Bail Reform Task Force’ by Senate Republican Leader John Flanagan.

According to a release from Borrello, the task force will be collecting testimony on the changes that were approved by the state legislature last year and which Borrello says were approved without any input from prosecutors, law enforcement officers, victims, local leaders or the public.

The bail reform changes eliminated bail and pretrial detention for over 90 percent of crimes that the state categorized as mostly “non violent” – although some include manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, violent assault and burglary.

Since the Jan. 1 enactment, there has been an outcry from some members of the public over the changes, which Borrello says is putting violent and repeat offenders back on the streets after their arrests, with nothing more than appearance tickets for future court dates.

The task force will convene on Feb. 6 in Buffalo, with upcoming round tables on Long Island, the Hudson Valley and in Syracuse.

Catherine Young

(Updated March 1 at 10:25 a.m.)

ALBANY – Long time state senator and representative of Chautauqua County Catherine Young (R-Olean) is resigning from her office to take a job at Cornell University.

The unexpected announcement came Thursday, catching many off guard – including her colleagues as well as other elected officials in Chautauqua County.

Young announced she has accepted a position as director of the New York State Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech and begin her new role on March 11.

Since May 2005, Young has represented New York State’s 57th Senate district, which includes all of Chautauqua County, Cattaraugus County and Allegany County, as well as the lower half of Livingston County.

Young won a special election in 2005 following the death of former Sen. and Republican Patricia “Pat” McGee. Prior to serving in the Senate Young was a member of the State Assembly, representing the 149th Assembly district.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon (printed below in its entirety), Young said, “Leaving my job in the Senate – a job that I love – has not been an easy decision and it is bittersweet. I have put my energy, heart and soul into working hard for my district and getting results, and as I travel throughout the region from Ripley to Livonia and everywhere in between, the progress we have made is visible…. Now, there’s a new and exciting opportunity to carry on my public service, by not only continuing to work hard for Western New York, but to advance economic growth and prosperity statewide.”

Young’s announcement comes just two months after her Republican party lost power in the State Senate and just four months after she won reelection to a new term, running unopposed.

It also comes after she lost an internal Republican leadership battle with current leader John Flannigan. After the GOP lost control of the Senate in November, Young led an unsuccessful leadership challenge and following the vote, she was stripped of her leadership role on the chamber’s finance committee and lost control of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee.

According to other media reports, news of the resignation caught the Capitol by surprise on Thursday, with Flanagan being blindsided with news reports of Young’s decision during a live radio interview – when he said that he was not aware of anything and that the GOP certainly wanted Young to stay in Albany.

Young leaves public life with more than half a million dollars left in her campaign account, which is also owed $100,000 by the Senate Republican Campaign Committee.

It’s not known how soon it will be before a replacement is found to serve the remainder of the current term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2020. Governor Andrew Cuomo has the sole power to call a special election through a proclamation. That could come prior to the November General Election, or the seat could remain vacant until that time.

Thursday afternoon she provided the following statement.

Serving the people of our region for the past 23 years truly has been the deepest honor of my life, first as a Cattaraugus County legislator, then as a New York State Assemblywoman and Senator.  I often have reflected about that sunburned and freckled-faced kid with pigtails who spent so much time working and playing on our farm, always having big hopes and dreams but never realizing that I would someday have the opportunity to find my passion of helping others as a Senator.

Reaching out a hand to people and communities, growing the economy, nurturing agriculture and being a champion for upstate New York always have been at the top of my priorities.  That calling has inspired, driven and fulfilled me, and there have been countless successes over these many years.  

More than anything, people need good-paying jobs to support themselves and their families.  Upstate New York needs thriving businesses to provide those jobs and to revitalize our communities.  And our farmers need innovative ways to boost profitability.  

Now, there’s a new and exciting opportunity to carry on my public service, by not only continuing to work hard for Western New York, but to advance economic growth and prosperity statewide by leading the Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech.  

Farming and food manufacturing always have been the bread and butter of our region.  To grow New York’s food, beverage and agriculture economy by linking them with the incredible innovation, expertise and resources at Cornell AgriTech so they can expand and flourish is a natural extension of my work that I have done as a Senator.  We have many outstanding food manufacturers in our region that I have helped grow over the years, and I will continue to work hard to expand all of New York State agriculture economy.

Cornell University holds special and personal significance to my family and to me.  My grandparents toiled and struggled during the great Depression, raising four children on the farm in the hardest of times.  In spite of tremendous adversity, they made sure that each of their children focused on getting a good education so that they would have better lives.  In 1949, my father went off to Cornell University, and he and his siblings were the first generation in our family to graduate from college.

My Dad not only showed through his example the vital importance of tenacity and hard work, but he also instilled in me a deep admiration for Cornell.  

Leaving my job in the Senate – a job that I love – has not been an easy decision and it is bittersweet.

I have put my energy, heart and soul into working hard for my district and getting results, and as I travel throughout the region from Ripley to Livonia and everywhere in between, the progress we have made is visible.

There is no greater privilege than to help others, whether it is comforting and finding aid for those whose homes and businesses were ravaged by flood waters, ensuring that a toddler with a brain tumor received the medical expertise and treatment that she needed, or pinning a long overdue medal on a veteran’s chest – these are the experiences that have given me so much and enriched my life.

I have met so many wonderful people along the way and have developed friendships that I treasure.  Our brave firefighters and first responders who save property and lives, veterans who have given their all to protect our freedom, outstanding law enforcement who put our safety ahead of theirs, senior citizens who have life experiences that provide lessons for us all, health care workers who provide excellent care, teachers who make sure our children have the best learning opportunities, captains of industry who invest in our economy, small business owners and farmers who are the backbone of our region, citizens who work hard every day, volunteers who are committed to helping others, elected officials who are making their communities the best they can be – the people in my district are phenomenal and they make me very proud.

It has been a tremendous honor that they have shared their joys and sorrows, tribulations and successes, and hopes and dreams with me, and I am eternally grateful to have had their faith and trust.

I also have been blessed with outstanding staff who have tremendous accomplishments in helping our constituents, and I am thankful for their service to the people in our region.

And finally, I need to give my heartfelt thanks and love to my family – my husband, Dick, and my children – Maureen and Jerry, Patrick and Sydney, and Rich and Kait and grandson Rowan – who have been very supportive and have made sacrifices along the way.  

Being a Senator has been a labor of love.  Thank you to everyone for allowing me to have the most rewarding experience of a lifetime.

• Senator Catherine Young
  Feb. 28, 2019

John Flanagan

ALBANY – New York State Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan (R-Long Island) announced Friday his intention to take a leave of absence in order to help overcome his battle with an alcohol addiction.

In a statement, the Long Island Republican said he recognized the “need to seek some additional help to overcome my battle with alcohol dependency”.

According to Flanagan, he will likely miss the beginning of this year’s legislative session. In his absence, Sen. Joseph Griffo (R-Rome) will oversee operations.

Flanagan has served in Albany for 33 years. He was first elected in the Assembly, then the Senate and then served as Majority Leader when the Republicans had control. He currently serves the 2nd District of New York State, which includes portions of Suffolk County.

The announcement comes after Flanagan was already selected to lead the now-minority party in the Senate, despite being challenged by local Senator Catherine Young (R-Olean).

Sen. Young challenged Flanagan for his position at the helm of the conference, but lost by a 14-9 vote.

As a result of his maintaining the leadership role for his party in the Senate, Flanagen awarded three top leadership posts to upstate Republicans who backed his bid to continue leading the conference.

Griffo, of Rome, was chosen as deputy minority leader.

Meanwhile, Sen. James Seward (R-Milford) will serve as ranking member of the Senate finance committee – replacing Young in that position.

And Sen. Fred Akshar will replace Young as head of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee.

The Senate Republicans lost eight seats in November’s election, landing them in the minority.

The State Capitol, Albany NY.

ALBANY – A three-way agreement has been reached on Lavern’s Law: legislation that would extend the amount of time a person can file a suit for a missed cancer diagnosis.

The announcement came over the weekend from Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and Speaker Carl Heastie.

The legislation is named after Lavern Wilkinson, who died in 2013 after a missed cancer diagnosis. The bill amends the statute of limitations to sue for a missed cancer diagnosis to two-and-a-half years after the time that the patient learns of the error. Current law limits suits for cases like Ms. Wilkinson’s to 15 months after when the misdiagnosis was made.

“No one should have to go through what Lavern Wilkinson and her family did, and this agreement will help protect cancer patients and their loved ones, while also addressing concerns from the medical field,” Governor Cuomo said. “With this reform, we will help make New York a healthier, fairer state for all.”

Under current state law, the statute of limitations applicable to medical malpractice actions can expire in some cases before some patients know they have been injured. The bill (S.6800) cures that problem for cases involving failures to diagnose cancer and malignant tumors. Under this agreement, the two and a half year statute of limitations would run from the date that the plaintiff knew or should have known of the negligence and injury, instead of the date when the negligence occurred, with an outer limit of seven years from the date of occurrence.

The State Capitol, Albany NY.

ALBANY – It appears that a deal has not been reached in the effort to pass a new state budget, now nearly a week overdue.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

Budget talks between the legislature and governor collapsed Wednesday night after members of the Senate left the Capitol, with lawmakers from both parties blaming Gov. Andrew Cuomo for scuttling negotiations over the spending plan, now several days late.

Members of the Senate and Assembly insist they were close to an agreement and hoped to pass a budget this week after blowing past a Saturday deadline. Those hopes eroded Wednesday night after Cuomo summoned reporters to his office to say that while he would continue to negotiate, there were still significant disputes when it came to key budget priorities.

On Monday, at Cuomo’s insistence, lawmakers passed a two-month budget extension to ensure vital government functions continued until a final budget deal was approved. Cuomo said the extension, which also included funds for several big transportation and economic development projects, would give lawmakers time to reach a good deal.

Republican Senate Leader John Flanagan of Long Island said he would call the Senate back into session when a deal is reached. Members of the Assembly said they would return Thursday in hopes of reviving the talks.

Major sticking points included education spending and an affordable housing tax credit for New York City developers. Another dispute centered on a Democratic proposal to raise the age of adult criminal responsibility from 16 to 18. As late as Wednesday evening, lawmakers said they were close to resolution, and both chambers had begun voting on budget bills, but that was before the governor announced he still had reservations regarding the budget plan.

Senator Catherine Young (R-Olean)

Senator Cathy Young (R-Olean), who serves as the Senate Finance Committee Chair, released the following statement Wednesday night:

“The Senate worked through the wee hours of the morning passing budget bills on Tuesday, and we were in the Capitol working, ready to pass the remaining budget bills on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the New York City-controlled Assembly blew up the process by going back on issues that already had been agreed upon. I am fighting for tax relief and making sure the people of my district get their fair share. New York City legislators are trying to take for themselves our school aid for rural districts, and our upstate hospital funding. The Assembly speaker also reneged on a common sense agreement regarding Raise the Age that would protect public safety. The Senate’s position all along has been that juvenile offenders should not be incarcerated in adult prisons, and that troubled youth should receive counseling and other needed services. However, violent crimes such as rape and murder should not be decriminalized. We have ensured that government will keep on running because of the budget extender bill that was passed, and I urge the Assembly speaker to keep his word and agree to pass a responsible final budget that will cut taxes, grow jobs, properly fund our classrooms, protect public safety, and give everyone the opportunity to succeed.”

The failure to reach a deal is a defeat for legislative leaders and Cuomo, a possible White House contender in 2020 who touted a string of on-time budgets early in his tenure as evidence Albany had ended its tradition of government dysfunction.

John Flanagan

ALBANY – The leader of the Senate Republicans and members of the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM)  have come out against Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to require local governments in each county to offer government consolidation plans to go before voters in November.

According to the Albany Times-Union, Senate leader John Flanagan (R-Suffolk County) on Monday addressed a meeting of NYCOM, saying that the governor’s proposal, while “laudable in its intent,” is too “convoluted” and forces local voters to dive too deeply into the sausage-making of local government.

Flanagan also said he doesn’t think there are too many local governments, as Cuomo has contended. He said if the public thinks the number of local entities is too high, there are ways under the present law to dissolve those governments.

The conference of mayors also opposes the governor’s proposal, and in a media released called it “another top-down state mandate that ignores the root causes of high property taxes.”

The mayors are asking for $133 million in state aid that they said has been cut in recent years from the budget.

A spokesman for Cuomo said the governor understands that some people want to “protect their fiefdoms at all costs,” but the governor’s plan is to get municipalities to talk to each other and actually lower costs for property taxpayers.

The State Capitol, Albany NY.

ALBANY – A group of breakaway Democrats will stick with Republicans who control the state Senate, continuing a coalition that has helped to keep the GOP in charge of the 63-member chamber despite their showing in the November elections.

The Independent Democratic Conference said Monday that its seven members will join with the GOP to form a majority coalition because “we know how important it is to engage and get things done,’’ said Sen. Jeff Klein (D-Bronx), head of the group.

Six lawmakers from downstate and one from upstate make up the group.

As a result the Senate will continue to be led by Senator John Flanagan (R-Suffolk County). Keeping control of the Senate also means that Chautauqua County’s representative in the upper Chamber, Cathy Young (R-Olean), will continue to keep her position as chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

The state Legislature will return Wednesday for a six-month session that will be stressed by a strained relationship with Gov. Andrew Cuomo after its first pay raise in 17 years was scuttled.

Key issues that will be focused on during the next six months will be the State Budget, ethics reform, and the legalization of ride-hailing services, such as Uber and Lyft, in upstate.

The State Capitol, Albany NY.

ALBANY – New York State lawmakers have been able to reach an agreement on another on-time state budget.

On Thursday, Governor Andrew Cuomo joined Senate leader John Flanagan and Assembly leader Carl Heastie in announcing the agreement on the $154 billion spending plan, which covers the states’ fiscal year beginning today and continuing to March 31, 2017.

MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE

The budget includes a number of initiatives that the governor had pushed for and which he said would strengthen opportunity for working and middle class families. They including raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour in every region of the state, although at different time intervals.

While New York City would see the minimum raise increase to $15 by Dec. 31, 2018, it will take a longer time to be phased in in upstate, including Chautauqua County. There, the wage would increase to $9.70 at the end of 2016, then another .70 each year after until reaching $12.50 on Dec. 31, 2020. After that date, the minimum wage for Upstate New York will continue to increase to $15 on an indexed schedule to be set by the Director of the Division of Budget in consultation with the Department of Labor.

PAID FAMILY LEAVE AND OTHER INITIATIVES

The budget agreement also includes the longest and most comprehensive paid family leave program in the nation. When fully phased- in, employees will be eligible for 12 weeks of paid family leave when caring for an infant, a family member with a serious health condition or to relieve family pressures when someone is called to active military service. Benefits will be phased-in beginning in 2018 at 50 percent of an employee’s average weekly wage, capped to 50 percent of the statewide average weekly wage, and fully implemented in 2021 at 67 percent of their average weekly wage, capped to 67 percent of the statewide average weekly wage.

The budget also includes a record $24.8 billion in education aid, and also grows the economy with a $4.2 billion middle class tax cut over a five year period. And the spending plan includes critical statewide infrastructure investments – including a new $55 billion State Transportation Plan that commits $27.14 billion for Department of Transportation and Thruway programs and $27.98 billion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

BIG WINS FOR DUNKIRK

A rendering of what the future Athenex facility in Dunkirk will look like once completed.

State Senator Cathy Young (R,C,I- 57th District), who represents Chautauqua County, says she’s ecstatic that the state has delivered on a promise to move the Athenex project forward.  The project, announced in February, will deliver $200 million in state funding for the proposed north county pharmaceutical manufacturing center, which will create 900 jobs in Chautauqua County.

Young said that the project wasn’t a done deal, with the some member of the Assembly trying to remove it from its  one-house budget resolution. However, Young said that both she and Assemblyman Andy Goodell (R-Chautauqua) fought to ensure the $200 million would be passed.

Senator Young joined Governor Cuomo and other officials in February to announce that an agreement had been reached between SUNY Polytechnic Institute and Athenex to build and staff a $1.5 billion, 300,000 square foot pharmacy oncology manufacturing facility in Dunkirk area.

Senator Young also announced that she successfully has led the charge to secure a $30 million power plant mitigation fund in the state budget to offset property tax losses in communities across the state, including Dunkirk.

NRG Power Plant in Dunkirk

She said the Senate ensured that the final budget language was changed so that mothballed plants such as NRG would qualify, and the county would be added as a recipient of funds.

The state power plant mitigation fund will cover 80 percent of the lost revenues from mothballing. In January, NRG notified the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency that its total PILOT payment of $8,197,474 would be reduced by 85 percent to $1,229,621.

As a result, the city, school and county would see nearly a $7 million loss of revenues this year.

April 1 is the deadline for the 2016-17 state budget. This week the process is focused on Assembly leader Carl Heastie and Senate leader John Flannigan meeting with Gov. Andrew Cuomo to hash out a final deal.

Among the sticking points is an effort to settle on a final minimum wage increase for the state, with the GOP controlled senate pushing for a lower increase than the $15 an hour supported by Gov. Cuomo and the Democratic controlled Assembly.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s initial proposal calls for a $15 minimum wage to be phased in by 2018 for New York City and 2021 for the rest of the state. But Republicans in Albany say the increase would create a hardship for small upstate businesses along with farmers.

In addition to the minimum wage issue, lawmakers are also trying to settle on final numbers for education funding, tax relief, and also seeing if a final paid family leave agreement can be worked into the budget. The latest reports say that the paid family leave will be in the budget, but details on how it will be phased in need to be ironed out.

MUNICIPAL AID STRONGEST IN ASSEMBLY BUDGET

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi

Another issue that differs between the Governor, Assembly and Senate budgets is municipal aid for local governments. Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi has been banging the drum for more municipal aid for the past several years, noting that the state funding the city receives now is actually lower than the aid it received in 2008, prior to the start of the great recession. Teresi says even though the state economy has since rebounded from the recession, that rebound hasn’t been reflected in the amount of aid earmarked for local government.

“the last I knew the governor had proposed no increase whatsoever in general purpose revenue sharing, freezing it at the same amount that its been at for cities and villages across the state, dating back to 2008. In 2009 and 2010 there was an actual cut for villages and some cities like Jamestown and there’s been no restoration with that, as there has been for school aid,” Teresi told WRFA on Monday.

Teresi said that this year, there has been an effort to increase state aid for local government in both the governor’s version of the budget and the Assembly’s version, but not in the Senate’s version.

“The Senate version of the budget does not give any increase whatsoever to cities, but does restore the funding for some villages in the state and, interestingly enough, the Senate actually gives funding to the five new villages that have been created in New York  State during the past five years or so. So in an era when it’s been the policy of the state government to reduce the number of small village units of government, the Senate’s budget actually rewards new villages that have been created elsewhere around the state,” Teresi said.

The mayor said that of the three budget versions, the Assembly’s would be the most favorable for Jamestown.

“The Assembly budget gives a 10 percent increase as a way to begin the corrective process of what has been taken away or frozen for local governments. That 10 percent increase for Jamestown would result in a much needed $460,000 increase in state revenue for Jamestown,” Teresi explained. “Had that happened in time for this year’s budget, we would have not only stayed within the 2 percent property tax cap, we would have had no property tax increase at all, had state revenue sharing kept pace over the past five or six years.”

Budget discussions between the three state will continue Wednesday in Albany, with a final budget compromise expected to be announced either Wednesday night or sometime on Thursday.