8 big bills Hochul still has to decide in 2025
Medical aid in dying, the 100-ft. rule, the RAISE Act and five others.
Good afternoon — It’s Wednesday and National Cake Day.
In today’s CapCon:
Hochul has about a month left to either sign or veto more than 200 bills. Here are eight you’ll want to watch between now and the end of the year.
Names in today’s CapCon: Kathy Hochul, Robert Brooks, Alex Bores, Letitia James, Micah Lasher, Leroy Comrie, Liz Krueger, Linda B. Rosenthal
Today’s Capitol Confidential is sponsored by Food & Water Watch.
Tell Governor Hochul to sign the Legislature’s repeal of the 100-foot rule. New Yorkers shouldn’t have to subsidize new gas hookups. End this outdated giveaway and cut costs for families. — Food & Water Watch
🖊️ Hochul has about a month left to consider these 8 bills
There are 253 bills approved by the state Legislature that Gov. Kathy Hochul still has to consider before the end of the year.
That’s an average of seven bills for every day left in the year. Many of them are local bills, which will be quick, easy approvals for Hochul.
Bills have to be sent to Hochul before she can consider them. That starts a 10-day clock for her to make a decision. Because of that, her office will ask for the bills to be sent when they’re ready to consider them.
As of now, Hochul’s desk is clear. That could change by the end of the day.
Several bills will be more difficult to decide than the local measures and will likely be left for the final days of the year. Here are eight of them.
I also created a public dashboard over on Capitol Confidential Pro that all of you can access at no cost to track all of these. You’ll find a link by the ⭐ at the bottom.
1. The Medical Aid in Dying Act (S138/A136)
This is one of the most closely watched bills headed to Hochul’s desk because of the attention it’s received from the public.
Supporters of the bill have ramped up the pressure in recent weeks for Hochul to approve it, organizing events with lawmakers who voted for it.
It would allow doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to terminally ill patients who have been determined to have less than six months to live and are still of sound mind. Two doctors would have to sign off on that assessment.
The request would have to be made verbally by the patient, followed by a written request with two witnesses. It wouldn’t be approved if the patient is driven by a mental health issue.
Its supporters say it would give terminally ill people the option to die on their own terms instead of waiting for the disease to kill them.
The bill’s opponents, which have largely been the New York State Catholic Conference and some disability advocates, have said patients will be coerced into the option and that the state should invest deeper in hospice and palliative care.
Hochul hasn’t telegraphed which way she’s leaning on the bill but told reporters in September it’s something she hears about often.
“There are strong views on both sides of the spectrum, intense views on this and I’m conscious of that,” Hochul said. “It’s going to be a very weighty decision on me between now and the end of the year and is something I take … enormously seriously.”
2. Ending the 100-ft. rule for natural gas hookups (S8417/A8888)
State law requires utility companies to install natural gas connections at no cost to property owners who request them. The utility company eats the cost. That’s called the “100-ft. rule.”
This would still allow property owners to request natural gas connections but they would have to cover the cost of that installation instead of the utility company. It’s intended to deter people from using natural gas in newly constructed buildings.
It’s a remnant of the NY HEAT Act, a bill that would have ended the 100-ft. rule and enacted a statutory cap on utility bills for low-income ratepayers. Lawmakers split this bill off from the HEAT Act when it became apparent it wouldn’t pass.
Supporters of the bill view it as an important measure to disincentivize people from relying on natural gas. They want property owners to invest in electric heating and cooking instead as a way to reduce emissions from burning fossil fuels.
Opponents of the bill say there are rural areas of the state where it’s not feasible to rely on electricity alone. They want homeowners to have the choice to use gas as a reliability safeguard.
Hochul hasn’t said what she plans to do with this bill but has recently shifted to an “all-of-the-above” energy approach, much to the ire of environmental advocates.
Her administration has approved a controversial natural gas pipeline downstate and agreed to delay the state’s mandate for all-electric buildings.
“We need to govern in reality,” Hochul said earlier this month.
As the state works to develop more renewable energy, she’s “adopted an all-of-the-above approach that includes a continued commitment to renewables and nuclear power to ensure grid reliability and affordability.”
3. The omnibus prison oversight bill after the death of Robert Brooks (S8415/A8871)
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