Packaging reduction bill faces headwinds in Assembly after Senate approval

And a package of prison reform bills is under consideration in the Assembly.

Good afternoon — it’s Wednesday and Hamburger Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act is scheduled to pass the Senate today. It’s fate in the Assembly is less clear.

• The Assembly is considering a package of prison overhaul bills — but one that’s already passed the Senate remains in limbo.

• A few artificial intelligence bills will be moving through committee in the Senate on Thursday.

• New bills seek to prevent copper wire thefts and corruption involving state contracts.

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(Jim Franco/Times Union)

🕥 What to expect over the next two weeks

After tomorrow, there will be just seven legislative session days left for the year — well, depending on who you ask.

The Assembly has said it plans to extend its time in Albany by a few more days while the Senate hasn’t yet made that commitment. Neither chamber has decided which bills will be prioritized in those final days.

But there’s one thing you can expect to hear over and over again in the meantime: The month-late state budget has left lawmakers without enough time to consider legislation that might have otherwise made it to the floor.

Behind the scenes, lawmakers are trying to plot out which bills will be the exception to that rule. Some of them have already started to move.

The Senate is scheduled to pass the Grieving Families Act on Wednesday but hadn’t gotten to it as of this writing. Lawmakers are still expected to approve it tonight.

That bill — which would allow families to seek damages based on their emotional anguish in a wrongful death case — has been vetoed thrice by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

I’ve been running around the Capitol all day trying to track down updates on some of the key bills being considered by lawmakers. I’ll tell you about two big ones today and continue with the list tomorrow.

♻️ The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act

The Senate is scheduled to pass this extended producer responsibility bill Wednesday (if it hasn’t already by the time this reaches your inbox). That’s not a surprise; the chamber approved the bill last year as well.

It would require companies to reduce their packaging by 30% over the next 12 years and ban a list of toxic chemicals that could be used in that packaging.

The measure’s fate in the Assembly is less clear. It’s facing an army of lobbyists hired by the plastics and chemicals industries to stop the bill from reaching the floor in the lower chamber.