Where lawmakers and Hochul can agree
Originally published in
Politico
on
.
New York’s budget is more than 10 days late as Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers remain at odds over a range of thorny issues surrounding housing and Medicaid spending.
But the disagreements have also masked some areas where there is less daylight between the governor and top Democrats in the state Assembly and Senate.
Retail theft: Boosting penalties for assaulting a retail worker as Hochul proposed remains a heavy lift for Democratic lawmakers.
“It’s really important that we send a message with the retail workers,” state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, a Staten Island Democrat and a supporter of increasing the penalty, said. “We send a message that we support them, that their lives are valuable.” — Nick Reisman
