CHARGE AHEAD: Keep spending under control. That was the message in the annual “charge” letter released today by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s top budget adviser to members of the administration’s Cabinet. Division of Budget Director Blake Washington urged agency and department leaders to submit spending plan requests that are largely flat compared to the current state budget, save for “one-time investments.” The letter does not dive into the pressing issues that will face Hochul and state lawmakers when the legislative session resumes in January, including what sort of replacement plan would be considered for the congestion pricing toll program. Hochul placed the toll plan on an indefinite pause in June and has said a revised proposal to generate money for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority would be made at the start of 2025. Congestion pricing was expected to generate $1 billion in annual revenue and leverage municipal bonds to help pay for mass transit infrastructure projects. But beyond the toll questions, the governor’s budget office pointed to an array of uncertainties that face the state’s fiscal outlook. “While there is a growing consensus that the national economy is proceeding toward a ‘soft-landing’, New York’s status as the world’s financial capital makes it susceptible to a multitude of economic, geopolitical, and market risks,” Washington wrote. The governor has touted a swelled “rainy day” fund that could partially offset the loss of tax revenue due to an economic downturn. But Hochul this year in the budget negotiations opposed broad-based hikes in the state’s personal income tax. The stance could put her on a collision course with left-leaning Democrats in the Legislature. And left-leaning advocates are urging Hochul to do more. “The very rich and corporations are doing great,” said Carolyn Martinez-Class, the campaign director of Invest in Our New York, a group that includes Citizen Action of New York. “But if we’re going to, as her budget director says, 'invest in the programs and services New Yorkers have come to expect,' then Governor Hochul has to do better. New Yorkers expect better and deserve better." — Nick Reisman CUOMO AND COVID: A wrongful death lawsuit against ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and members of his former administration blaming him for the death of a nursing home resident was dismissed. The development comes as Cuomo is weighing a bid for mayor. The controversy surrounding his handling of nursing home policies during the initial months of the Covid pandemic are part of his political baggage. “During the last four years, the debate over COVID in nursing homes has been weaponized, distorted and contorted beyond recognition by those using this situation for their own politics,” Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said. “However, anytime this gets taken out of the political arena, the truth wins.” Cuomo took heated questions in September before a House subcommittee investigating the governmental response to the crisis. “It’s the reason why you’re the former governor of New York state,” Rep. Elise Stefanik told Cuomo during the hearing. “You will never hold elected office again.” — Nick Reisman
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