Latest news with #CarlHeastie
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Editorial: Stopping future Harvey Weinsteins — The NY Assembly must join the state Senate and pass the similar crimes bill
Harvey Weinstein is guilty, in a Manhattan state courtroom, of a 2006 sexual assault, again, just like he was found guilty in a Manhattan state courtroom five years ago of the same 2006 sexual assault. Weinstein's first conviction was thrown out and a new trial was needed because New York law does not allow the use of evidence from other, prior sexual offenses. That law needs to be changed and the state Senate passed a reform last year sponsored by chamber's No. 2 leader, Sen. Mike Gianaris, with a remarkable and overwhelming tally of 55-4. The Assembly and Speaker Carl Heastie need to match that before they break for the summer next Tuesday or another year will go by and prosecutors won't have all the tools they need to pursue horrible monsters like Weinstein. This is not a partisan matter; Gianaris is a Democrat, but every Republican senator voted for his measure, along with almost every Democrat. The numbers in the Assembly will be similar, provided Heastie brings forward the bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin. Under the fix put forward by Gianaris and Paulin, New York would join the federal standard, which is also used by a good number of states, which permits admitting evidence of a defendant's prior sexual offenses in certain circumstances. What happened in the initial Weinstein prosecution in 2020 was the Manhattan district attorney asked the trial judge if it was permissible to use such testimony and the judge approved it, as did a unanimous appellate bench. Under New York law, that is occasionally allowed, on a case by case basis. But when it reached the state's highest court, it was narrowly overruled, tossing the whole Weinstein case and forcing this new trial. This time, the Manhattan DA didn't include any witnesses to testify about Weinstein's previous assaults and the jury still convicted him. But the law still must be reformed. As one expert points out, this verdict is yet further evidence that juries are capable of hearing evidence about multiple charges involving different victims without being overcome by prejudice, as they convicted Weinstein on one 2006 sex charge yesterday, but acquitted him of another from that same year. As to the third charge, from 2013, the jury will continue its deliberations today. The Gianaris/Paulin similar crimes bill, which 16 other states have, is fair to defendants and fair to victims. Such laws have been challenged in state and federal courts and determined to be constitutional. The sponsor's memo in the bill's justification mentions Harvey Weinstein and the reverse of his first conviction as the need for the legislation. That such an awful criminal is being invoked for something constructive to improve New York's criminal prosecution system is a tiny bit of justice. If the Assembly passes the bill and Gov. Hochul signs it, Weinstein can spend his coming many years in state prison thinking how he helped change the laws of New York in a positive way. But should Heastie not even allow a vote, Weinstein will still be heading to prison, but the law will remain badly out of date, denying future victims their chance for justice. Bring the bill to the floor, Mr. Speaker. _____
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Andrew Cuomo refuses to condemn Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for killing bipartisan bill commemorating Oct. 7 attack on Israel
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo refused to condemn state Assembly Speaker and longtime ally Carl Heastie for torpedoing a bipartisan bill that would have commemorated Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on the Jewish state. Cuomo, the frontrunner heading into the June 24 NYC Democratic mayoral primary, told The Post Saturday he was unaware of the bill or that the Bronx pol went to extraordinary lengths to ensure it didn't reach the Assembly floor for a vote. 'I don't know how it happened, but I have no doubt that the Democrats in the Legislature would all honor the memory of Oct. 7 and stand in unity in honoring Oct. 7,' he insisted after leaving the Attneu Synagogue on the Upper East Side, where he addressed members of its congregation. Although Cuomo wasn't willing to attack Heastie, he quickly jabbed Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani — a socialist who has been polling second only to the former governor in the Democratic mayoral primary race. 'The Democratic Party is 100% in support of the Jewish community, and I'm sure would stand in solidarity in condemning Oct. 7,' he said. 'Democratic socialists, Zohran Mamdani, that's a different story.' 'The outlier is Zoran Mamdani and the Democratic socialists who said they won't visit Israel, who said they don't acknowledge Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, but he does not represent the majority of Democrats in the city,' said Cuomo. Cuomo said he personally '100% support[s]' commemorating Oct. 7. The bill, sponsored in February by Brooklyn Republican Assemblyman Lester Chang, would enshrine Oct. 7 alongside other days of commemoration in the Empire State, such as 'Rosa Parks Day' and 'Susan B. Anthony Day.' Sources told The Post Friday they believe Heastie, the most powerful Democrat in the Assembly, likely didn't want a bill with a Republican as its primary sponsor to reach the floor for a vote, even though 13 Democrats have already signed on as co-sponsors. Chang said he'd let a Democrat take over as the bill's sponsor if it meant the measure would pass.
New York Post
07-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Andrew Cuomo refuses to condemn Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for killing bipartisan bill commemorating Oct. 7 attack on Israel
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo refused to condemn state Assembly Speaker and longtime ally Carl Heastie for torpedoing a bipartisan bill that would have commemorated Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on the Jewish state. Cuomo, the frontrunner heading into the June 24 NYC Democratic mayoral primary, told The Post Saturday he was unaware of the bill or that the Bronx pol went to extraordinary lengths to ensure it didn't reach the Assembly floor for a vote. 'I don't know how it happened, but I have no doubt that the Democrats in the Legislature would all honor the memory of Oct. 7 and stand in unity in honoring Oct. 7,' he insisted after leaving the Attneu Synagogue on the Upper East Side, where he addressed members of its congregation. 4 Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo insisted Saturday he's an avid Israel supporter — but refused to condemn state Assembly Speaker and longtime ally Carl Heastie for torpedoing a bipartisan bill that would have commemorated Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on the Jewish state. William Farrington Although Cuomo wasn't willing to attack Heastie, he quickly jabbed Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani — a socialist who has been polling second only to the former governor in the Democratic mayoral primary race. 'The Democratic Party is 100% in support of the Jewish community, and I'm sure would stand in solidarity in condemning Oct. 7,' he said. 'Democratic socialists, Zohran Mamdani, that's a different story.' 4 Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) went to extraordinary lengths Friday to ensure it didn't reach the Assembly floor for a vote – such as stacking a committee with Democratic allies who'd vote to scuttle it, sources said. Hans Pennink 'The outlier is Zoran Mamdani and the Democratic socialists who said they won't visit Israel, who said they don't acknowledge Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, but he does not represent the majority of Democrats in the city,' said Cuomo. Cuomo personally '100% support[s]' commemorating Oct. 7, he said. The bill, sponsored in February by Brooklyn Republican Assemblyman Lester Chang, would enshrine Oct. 7 alongside other days of commemoration in the Empire State, such as 'Rosa Parks Day' and 'Susan B. Anthony Day.' 4 Smoke rises from Israel after Hamas terrorists infiltrated areas of southern Israel, as seen from Gaza, October 7, 2023. REUTERS 4 Socialist Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani — who is a staunch Israel critic — is polling second only behind Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary. Daniel Efram/ZUMA / Sources told The Post Friday they believe Heastie, the most powerful Democrat in the Assembly, likely didn't want a bill with a Republican as its primary sponsor to reach the floor for a vote, even though 13 Democrats have already signed on as co-sponsors. Chang said he'd let a Democrat take over as the bill's sponsor if it meant the measure would pass.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NY Assembly Dems accused of ‘veiled antisemitism' after killing bipartisan bill to commemorate Oct. 7 attack on Israel
ALBANY – Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie torpedoed a bipartisan bill that would have commemorated the horrific Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The Bronx pol went to extraordinary lengths Friday to ensure that the measure would not make it to the Assembly floor for a vote, stacking a committee with compliant Democratic allies who'd vote to scuttle it, sources said. The bill, sponsored by Republican Assemblyman Lester Chang, would have enshrined Oct. 7 alongside other days of commemoration in the Empire State, such as 'Rosa Parks Day' and 'Susan B. Anthony Day.' Sources suggested that Heastie, the most powerful Democrat in the Assembly, likely didn't want a bill with a Republican as its primary sponsor reach the floor for a vote — even though a number of Dems co-sponsored it. 'It shouldn't be controversial just because I'm a Republican,' said Chang (R-Brooklyn). 'It's ugly. It's destructive. It's hurtful for both sides,' Chang said of Heastie's actions, adding, 'And it's important that we remember 1,200 victims.' The move to kill the Oct. 7 bill follows chaotic behind-the-scenes drama that unfolded this week when Heastie permitted putting up a resolution honoring Palestinian Americans onto the floor before yanking it at the last minute. The lower chamber's ways and means committee also killed a bill by Assemblyman Ari Brown (R-Nassau) that would've required New York schools to teach about Oct. 7, in addition to making it a day of commemoration like Chang's measure. Brown, who is Jewish, accused the Democrats of 'veiled antisemitism.' 'Albany's legislature is rotten with veiled antisemitism, and their sabotage of my bill, A06557, to honor October 7th victims and fight hate, is proof,' Brown said. 'If this were a bill for the Black or Hispanic community, it would've passed with praise and fanfare. This isn't just obstruction; it's a vile, calculated betrayal of Jews as a minority, letting hatred win with their cowardly tactics.' Other lawmakers piled on condemning the Democrats' allegedly craven — or worse — motivations. 'It's particularly disheartening to see a bill held for purely political reasons,' said Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Nassau), the top GOP lawmaker on the ways and means committee. 'These bills are designed to ensure we remember the atrocities of October 7, 2023 and help combat antisemitism, neither of which should ever be partisan or political.' The Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by terrorist group Hamas and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza have roiled New York politics and exposed bitter rifts among Democrats. The divide can be clearly seen in New York City's mayoral race, where old-school Democrat Andrew Cuomo has presented himself as a steadfast supporter of Israel and its fight against Hamas. Cuomo is the contest's frontrunner, but Israel critic Zohran Mamdani — a Democratic socialist Assembly member from Queens — is nipping at his heels. Many progressive Dems and leftists have claimed Israel's actions amount to genocide against Palestinians. Pro-Israel advocates have said that stance is antisemitic. One high-ranking Democratic Big Apple lawmaker said uniting over commemorating the 1,200 victims and dozens of hostages still being held by Hamas should be a no-brainer. 'There should be no controversy of a day commemorating the largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust,' the lawmaker said. The bill's road to legislative purgatory began when ways and means committee Chair and top Heastie lieutenant Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-Westchester) announced that four regular members of the panel would be substituted by other, 'acting' members. The four members included one Jewish lawmaker and another who reps a district with a significant Jewish population, as well as Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D-Brooklyn), would've voted against killing it, her spokesperson said. But the spokesperson noted that Bichotte Hermelyn would've preferred the bill had a Democratic sponsor. Chang said that he'd be willing to let a Democrat take over as the bill's sponsor if it meant passing it. Substitutions on committees aren't unheard of, but the maneuver is usually made to spare a member from making a tough vote or when leadership expects some of its members to vote out of line, as happened Friday. Several Democrats – Assemblymembers Ed Braunstein, William Colton, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Nily Rozic, Rebecca Seawright, and Amanda Septimo and David Weprin, who are all from New York City – broke from their party to support the commemoration bill. 'No one should use Oct. 7th as a political pawn. We owe the 56 hostages and their families more than that,' Rozic said. The sudden switcheroo on the commemoration bill committee came after Heastie also put the kibosh on a resolution honoring Palestinian Americans, sponsored by lefty Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher (D-Brooklyn), earlier this week. Tens of thousands of such resolutions are passed by the Assembly every year, and are usually not controversial. A copy of the draft resolution obtained by The Post indicates it would have read that 'Palestinian Americans in New York are increasingly involved in advocacy, activism, and civil rights work, particularly related to Middle Eastern issues, anti-racism, and immigrants.' Sources said Heastie allowed the resolution onto the floor with strict instructions for Gallagher to keep her remarks specific to it, meaning he didn't want her to opine on the Israel-Gaza war. But Heastie caught wind that that Republicans were going to call for a roll call vote — meaning every member would have to be recorded as voting in support or against her resolution — a highly unusual, if not totally unheard of move, sources familiar with the backroom dealings said. Heastie then pulled the measure, so as to avoid any drama on the Assembly floor. A spokesperson for Heastie did not return a request for comment. — Additional reporting by Matt Troutman
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State lawmakers pass budget
May 8—ALBANY — The New York state budget has passed — lawmakers in the state Assembly and Senate wrapped up voting on the $254 billion state spending plan late Thursday night. In a series of nine bills, the state legislature and Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul agreed on a wide-ranging array of policy and spending goals, putting a billion dollars into environmental issues and funding public school districts at a record-high level, while also expanding the use of involuntary commitment to mental hospitals for people living on the streets and adjusting the rules around discovery in criminal trials. The legislature also moved to give Hochul near-unilateral power to cut up to $2 billion from the spending plan, with the legislature retaining the option to come back to Albany and reverse the cuts if they so choose. Albany flaks and lawmakers widely agreed — this year's budget process was a weird one. Speaker of the Assembly Carl E. Heastie said in February that the budget was among the best executive budgets he had ever seen, although he was only cautiously optimistic about negotiations on the final product. "The hell is in the details," the speaker said at the time. The state budget in Albany is frequently critiqued for being negotiated largely in private, between essentially three people; the governor, the Senate majority leader and the speaker. Sen. Mark C. Walczyk, R-Sackets Harbor, calls it "three Democrats in a room," frequently on social media. And for months, those three people and their staff members debated a handful of policy issues to be included in the state spending plan. Because the state budget requires that the governor initiate the legislation and court decisions have given the executive significant power over the budget, governor's for years have pushed their policy agendas mainly through the state budget process. Hochul has chosen to fight, this year, for changes to discovery rules, involuntary commitment to mental hospitals, a cell phone ban in schools, a criminal face mask ban, and an "inflation refund check," as well as a late-introduction ask for power to choose her lieutenant governor pick for the party primaries and an adjustment to the rules around hiring state prison security staff and early release for a limited group of incarcerated people. She was largely successful on those goals, although Hochul's efforts to get changes to the discovery rules was watered down by lawmakers last-minute, even as Hochul and her chief counsel outlined the final agreement as a win on her terms. That wasn't apparently the whole picture, and the ultimate legislation now in place falls far short of where Hochul and her team had outlined it on April 28. Hochul outlined a plan that would have essentially taken the dismissal of a case off the table as a penalty for when prosecutors failed to turn over evidence in a timely manner, and state rules on speedy trials were also being violated. But the language now in law keeps dismissal on the table in those cases — when a judge finds the prosecutors did fail to turn over evidence. But lawmakers did agree to language that would expand the use of involuntary commitment for people deemed unable or unwilling, because of mental illness, to provide for their own shelter, food, clothing or medical care. The state will also send $200 to $400 checks to about 8.2 million New Yorkers, a slightly watered down version of Hochul's "inflation refund checks" plan outlined in January. Her ask to cut the middle-class tax rate has also been deferred by a year. Democrats lauded the budget after it passed as a commitment to families and average New Yorkers. Heastie pointed to the inclusion, last minute and after Gov. Hochul had said it wouldn't happen, to pay off the state's roughly $7 billion debt to the federal unemployment system, largely left over from the pandemic which resulted in higher costs for businesses who pay into the unemployment system. "This budget invests in our people and in our state," Heastie said in a statement. "While the federal government proposes policies that are causing economic insecurity and worries about the future, we are fighting to support our small businesses, put money back into the pockets of hardworking families and invest in programs that will allow our children to reach their full potential. After it passed, state Republicans largely hammered the budget plan for its size, the policy inclusions and its tardyness. Assembly Minority Leader William A. Barclay, R-Pulaski, hammered the agreement in a statement. "Most of the policies that held up budget talks for more than a month represent small steps when comprehensive action was needed. Actions to address involuntary commitment, discovery reform and the statewide mask ban could have gone further, and hopefully they will do so in the future," he said. Assemblyman Scott A. Gray, R-Watertown, had a more bipartisan take on the budget; he voted in favor of most of the appropriations bills and two of the policy-laden bills. He approved of the bills that increased school funding and enacted universal free school meals for legislators, as well as the bill that included a move to allow some school districts to delay the 2032 deadline to fully electrify their school bus fleets. Gray also said he approved of the discovery changes, which he said will help to streamline criminal cases and reduce the number of cases dismissed based on technical mistakes. He voted down on four of the nine budget bills, including the bill that allows for the closure of 3 state prisons next year, the mental hygiene law that expanded involuntary commitment, and the transportation, economic development and environmental protection. "While the overall budget is larger than I'd like, I won't vote 'no' just because my job is to do a deeper dive into these bills and see what they deliver for the north country and all New Yorkers," Gray said. "This budget is imperfect, but it includes important initiatives that benefit our communities. I supported the measures that responsibly invest in our future and opposed those that went beyond what I believe is prudent."
