Brad Lander’s lawsuits

Jul 25, 2024

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander stands at a lectern.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is hoping to unpause congestion pricing by supporting various legal efforts. | Layla Melendez/Office of NYC Comptroller

DECONGESTANT EFFORTS: City Comptroller Brad Lander unveiled a pair of lawsuits today aimed at Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 11th hour decision to nix congestion pricing.

Flanked by several plaintiffs — The City Club of New York, the Riders Alliance and the Sierra Club — Lander argued at a press conference that the governor’s decision imperiled public transit upgrades intended to be funded with revenue from the toll plan.

“She single-handedly deprived millions of subway and bus riders of that $15 billion of investment in trains that run on time, in accessible stations, in less congestion, in cleaner air,” said the Democratic city official, who is planning to run for mayor next year. “And at the same time, in addition to all of that, she violated several state laws.”

The comptroller is leading a coalition of transit, environmental and disability rights advocates who are livid at Hochul’s decision, and is helping coordinate the pro bono attorneys who penned the legal salvos.

One suit argues the congestion pricing law mandated the program — which was set to take effect last month — and did not provide Hochul with the legal authority to single-handedly nix it. The other asserts Hochul is flouting the state’s landmark greenhouse gas reduction law.

Hochul’s last-minute decision to tank the plan to charge drivers in parts of Manhattan was partly motivated by concerns from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that it would harm Democrats running in competitive congressional races in the New York City suburbs.

Lander rejected that argument, pointing to Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi’s support for congestion pricing and his decisive win in Nassau County earlier this year. And a recent change at the top of the Democratic ticket, he added, obviates any concern over the $15 toll.

“The elevation of [Vice President] Kamala Harris to being our presumptive nominee dramatically outweighs, in enthusiasm for the fall, anything that would be related to congestion pricing,” he said.

Lander also said he has had a respectful dialogue with the governor on the congestion pricing issue — an assertion Hochul’s office called into question.

“Get in line. There are now 11 separate congestion pricing lawsuits filed by groups trying to weaponize the judicial system to score political points,” a gubernatorial spokesperson said. “But Governor Hochul remains focused on what matters: funding transit, reducing congestion, and protecting working New Yorkers.” — Joe Anuta and Ry Rivard

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FROM THE DELEGATION

New York City firefighters pause outside of Engine Company 10 and Ladder Company 10 across from One World Trade Center, the Freedom Tower, in lower Manhattan during commemoration ceremonies for the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers from New York are working to get health care funding for first responders who were at the scene and cleanup of the September 11, 2001 attacks. | Getty Images

BIPARTISAN PRIORITY: Congress could be sending more aid for 9/11 responders and survivors — and New York leaders want it done by the end of this year.

Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand, Chuck Schumer and Dan Goldman and Republicans Andrew Garbarino and Anthony D’Esposito came together this morning in Washington to introduce the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2024.

The bill would provide mandatory funding for the World Trade Center Health Program and ensure 9/11 survivors have funding for healthcare through 2090.

“The people who got sick later deserve the treatment and healthcare that the people who got sick earlier got,” Schumer said.

In a particularly divided Congress — especially ahead of a contentious election in four months — Democrats and Republicans are often at odds. But securing aid for 9/11 first-responders and survivors has long had bipartisan buy-in.

As for timing, Gillibrand said nothing is determined yet. The next step would be the House taking it up in the Energy and Commerce Committee before it gets a vote on the House floor.

The bill, if passed, would make funding fixes past 2034 and extend the program to 2090. It would also fund research and data collection on 9/11 conditions, in addition to updating technical issues to prevent any funding shortfalls in the future.

“Together, we have successfully chipped away at the funding shortfall,” Garbarino said. “Today, we hope to move past the piecemeal funding and make this permanent so we never have to come back here.”

It’s helpful that both chambers’ top Democrats hail from New York City. Schumer has already committed to getting the bill passed in the Senate. Gillibrand said the Senate plans to attach it to a bill that is certain to pass, such as the yearly defense bill.

“I am optimistic that we will get a vote that is deeply bipartisan in the Senate,” Gillibrand said. “We have opportunities, but I’d like to it this Congress. We have such a great coalition this Congress.”

And on the House side, Garbarino said he believes Speaker Mike Johnson will be supportive of the bill. — Mia McCarthy

From the Capitol

Zellnor Myrie speaks.

State Sen. Zellnor Myrie wants to boost voting registration for young New Yorkers. | NYS Senate Media Services

GET OUT THE VOTE: State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, one of Mayor Eric Adams’ reelection challengers, wants schools Chancellor David Banks to ramp up efforts to register public school students to vote.

“As you know, this year’s presidential election will be pivotal to the future of our nation,” Myrie wrote in a letter to Banks Wednesday. “We are writing to ask you for your partnership in ensuring our young people are equipped with the tools they need to register to vote this year and actively participate in our democracy.”

Twenty-three state senators and three Assemblymembers — all in the city’s delegation in the state Legislature — signed onto the missive.

Myrie urged the Department of Education to ensure all eligible pupils receive their voter registration forms and to work with the city Board of Elections to hold registration drives in high schools ahead of the Oct. 26 deadline to enroll for the November election.

Sixteen- and 17-year-olds can pre-register to vote. Earlier this year, the state Senate passed legislation requiring all graduating high school students be provided with the forms, but the city has long struggled with low voter turnout.

There are 67,000 12th graders citywide, according to the state Education Department. — Madina Touré

IN OTHER NEWS...

— VOTER FRAUD: Six people were indicted for voter fraud in Queens today in connection with a June 2023 primary campaign for New York City Council District 20. (Queens Chronicle)

— REPEAT SHOOTINGS: NYPD data shows most shootings occur on the same blocks, year after year. (Gothamist)

— SCHOOL AID: Discussions over a change in the state school aid formula are already coming to a head on Long Island. (Newsday)

Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? Read it here.

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