CONGESTION PRICING: A group of Democratic lawmakers are making a push for congestion pricing “done right” which means free busing, increasing bus frequency and reliability. The new proposal, put forth by Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, requests $90 million for the MTA for bus frequency and free-fares — efforts that have already led to a 20 percent increase in ridership on the free routes. “We need to get people out of their cars and we need better bus service to make that happen,” Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris said. “And we get people back on the buses, which is what we have been trying to do since the pandemic. We've had some success, but we have to go a lot farther.” MTA buses are the slowest in the nation, moving at an average of eight miles an hour despite the MTA being the largest transit authority in the country. “Most of us [New Yorkers] can walk faster than that,” Mamdani said. Bus riders are also not satisfied with the bus systems, with 38 percent being satisfied with the reliability. “It's a lifeline for people to get to work and economic activities, as well as the school as well as the other appointments. Anything that requires you to walk around you need transportation,” Sen. John Liu said. — Shawn Ness HOCHUL NOMINATES PSC MEMBERS: Hochul has nominated two women to the powerful Public Service Commission, which oversees the state’s gas, electric and water utilities. Hochul has sent over two nominees to the Senate: Denise Sheehan, a former commissioner for the Department of Environmental Conservation, and Uchenna Bright, an environmental advocate, according to a person familiar with the moves. This is Hochul’s first move toward reshaping the powerful Public Service Commission, which oversees the state’s gas and electric utilities and will play a pivotal role in the path forward for New York’s climate targets. All the current commissioners were selected by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Sheehan works at a management consulting firm and is a senior policy adviser for the New York Battery Energy Storage Consortium (NY-BEST), the leading trade group for energy storage companies in the state. Bright previously worked at the Natural Resources Defense Council for seven years in various roles and has been with a business group supporting environmental policies called Environmental Entrepreneurs since 2020. She’s the eastern advocate for the group with a focus on New York and Pennsylvania. — Marie J. French NY NEEDS FIREFIGHTERS: The New York State Fire Safety Alliance is calling for new legislation to get more volunteer firefighters as the state is number one in fire fighter deaths in the country. The number of volunteer firefighters has decreased by over 20,000 over the last 20 years, despite an increase in calls. A report from FASNY found that volunteer firefighters save New Yorkers taxpayers over $3 billion because the volunteers work without pay. “The Firefighters Association of New York is a staunch supporter of fire safety public education and is working steadfastly to bring awareness to this issue and create change,” FASNY Association President Edward Tase said in a statement. FASNY also wants to improve tax benefits, local property tax exemptions for volunteers and to boost recruitment efforts. “While volunteer fire and ambulance providers do not choose to serve their neighbors for the incentives, these benefits, including the state income tax credit, do provide real assistance to those who give so freely of themselves for the protection of others,” state Sen. Monica Martinez said in a statement. — Shawn Ness SENATE EDUCATION BILLS ON THE MOVE: The Senate Education Committee moved several bills to the floor today. Among those pushed forward was a bill that would require public schools to be compliant with art education requirements that would be overseen by the commissioner. Another bill calls for a mandate that nonpublic and private schools conduct background checks and submit fingerprints for prospective employees. The last bill on the docket proposed by committee chair Sen. Shelley Mayer would require nonpublic schools to have external defibrillators on school grounds. Of the six bills voted on, five were sent to the floor and one was sent to the finance committee. — Katelyn Cordero
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