As the governor’s race narrowed this year, work in Albany slowed to a veritable standstill.
No legislation has been vetoed by the governor in the past 30 days while 12 have been signed into law. Those 12 bills are also the only pieces of legislation sent to the governor over the past 30 days, according to the state Assembly’s bill tracking website.
During the same 30 days in 2021, 296 bills were presented for Hochul’s signature, with 40 vetoed and 338 signed into law.
Among the bills that have waited for approval since the end of the legislative session in June is a ban on cryptocurrency mining at old fossil fuel plants has also been left in the lurch.
The state Assembly passed A.7389C midway through the legislative session to create a two-year pause on crytocurrency mining operations that use proof-of-work authentication methods to validate transactions.
The moratorium passed 91-56 with Assemblymen Andrew Goodell, R-Jamestown, and Joe Giglio, R-Gowanda, voting against the measure. The bill passed the state Senate on the next-to-last day of the legislative session in a 35-28 vote with Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, voting against. The legislation has not yet been delivered to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her signature.
According to the Associated Press, access to cheap and reliable electricity is a key component of Bitcoin mining. Many economists and environmentalists have warned that as the still widely misunderstood digital currency grows in price — and with it popularity — the process of mining that is central to its existence and value is becoming increasingly energy intensive and potentially unsustainable.
According to the New York Post, New York City Mayor Eric Adams asked Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto the legislation.
The Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill (Senate Bill S1130) was approved by the Senate earlier this year and now awaits being signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The law would make it illegal for pet retailers to sell dogs, cats and rabbits. These commercially bred pet store animals are shipped to New York from out-of-state “mills” that subject animals to abuse including overcrowding, overbreeding, lack of veterinary care and socialization.
According to the The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), New York is one of the puppy mill industry’s largest markets. If the Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill is signed into law, New York will join five other states with laws prohibiting the sale of puppies in pet stores.
The Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill was first introduced to state lawmakers in January 2021 by Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) and co-sponsored by Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan).
“Puppy mills breed cruelty. Banning the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in New York pet stores will deal the puppy mill-to-pet store pipeline a near-mortal blow,” said Rosenthal in a statement released last Friday.
Still awaiting a signature as well is legislation that would restore the state comptroller’s authority to pre-audit contracts and sign off on spending. The authority was taken away by formed Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2011. A.7295A/S.6809A. The bill passed the Assembly 141-8 and passed unanimously in the Senate.
“The Comptroller’s independent contract review is an essential and important deterrent to waste, fraud and abuse. I applaud the Legislature for taking this important step to increase oversight, accountability and transparency in state procurement,” Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said in a statement in June. “By reviewing contracts before they are awarded, my office helps ensure the integrity of the procurement process and protects taxpayers, agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations and other vendors by uncovering significant fiscal and integrity issues. Our oversight of billions of dollars of taxpayer money is also a deterrent to those who might try to game the system.”
Only 22 bills have been proposed in the past month as well. Compare that to the same 30-day window in 2021 when 216 bills were proposed by legislators. Among the bills proposed so far are S.9574, which authorizes the state Energy Research And Development Authority to develop a temporary middle income home energy assistance program and suspend taxes on home heating fuels; S.9578, which requires social services districts to automatically re-enroll eligible persons or households for the low-income HEAP program; S.9582, which requires the State Police to have a local liaison within the New York state intelligence center who alerts municipalities of certain suspected domestic extremism threats; and S.9587, which would enact a “Coal to Gas Plant Conversion and Redevelopment Blueprint Act.”
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