Politics Now

By Tom Precious

ALBANY -- Government and industry sources say Gov. Andrew Cuomo and St. Regis Mohawk leaders are hoping to announce a deal this afternoon to settle a dispute and give the tribe exclusive rights to continue to operate a casino in a large section of northern New York.

The Cuomo administration declined comment, though there is talk of an early afternoon news conference at the Capitol.

The looming deal comes a week after Cuomo made an agreement with the Oneida Nation of Indians.

But Cuomo is far apart in coming to terms with the Seneca Nation of Indians over a $600 million revenue sharing dispute. Cuomo is threatening to try to locate another casino in Western New York if the Senecas do not come to a deal soon with his administration. Barry Snyder Sr., the Seneca president, last week called Cuomo's negotiating tactics "childish.''

UPDATE: Cuomo has scheduled a 1:30pm news conference.

 

 

 

By Jill Terreri

Mayor Byron Brown's proposed $482.5 million spending plan is up for a vote by the Common Council during a special meeting at 3 p.m. today in Council Chambers. 

Council leadership and the administration are working out the details this morning, and the amendments have not been printed up, I'm told. 

The Council's budget hearings involved questions to department heads related to many matters outside of what was contained in the budget, so it's unclear what Council members will do to change the proposal. 

By Jerry Zremski

WASHINGTON -- Last week offered only a couple major votes in the House, including yet another near-party-line vote on repealing the Obama health care law. Meanwhile the Senate passed a water resources bill with little controversy.

Here's a closer look at how local members of Congress voted, courtesy of Targeted News Service:

HOUSE VOTES:

House Vote 1:
BLUE ALERT NETWORK: The House has passed the National Blue Alert Act
(H.R. 180), sponsored by Rep. Michael G. Grimm, R-N.Y. The bill would
establish at the Justice Department a national Blue Alert communications
network to issue information when a law enforcement officer is seriously
injured or killed in the line of duty. Grimm said the network "will
notify the media and the public so that we can have the help that we
need to aid in the apprehension of some of the most violent criminals."
The vote, on May 14, was 406 yeas to 2 nays.
YEAS: Rep. Chris Collins R-NY (27th), Rep. Brian Higgins D-NY (26th),
Rep. Tom Reed R-NY (23rd)

House Vote 2:
REPEALING HEALTH CARE REFORM: The House has passed a bill (H.R. 45),
sponsored by Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., that would repeal the 2010
health care reform law, also known as Obamacare. Bachmann said health
care reform consisted of "a lot of promises that can't be fulfilled.
Before we go forward with this train wreck, let's make sure it ends so
we can bring about cures, so we can bring about better developments in
health care." An opponent, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said the bill
would "add to the deficit, and they send us back to the days when
insurance companies were in charge, costs were skyrocketing, and tens of
millions either had no coverage--especially if they had preexisting
conditions--or coverage that they could depend on." The vote, on May 16,
was 229 yeas to 195 nays.
YEAS: Rep. Chris Collins R-NY (27th), Rep. Tom Reed R-NY (23rd)
NAYS: Rep. Brian Higgins D-NY (26th)

SENATE VOTES:

Senate Vote 1:
REGULATING WATER PROJECTS: The Senate has rejected an amendment
sponsored by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., to the Water Resources
Development Act (S. 601). The amendment would have barred guidance for
the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to
adopt an expanded definition of waters of the United States. Barrasso
said the guidance would allow ditches and other small drainage projects
to be regulated by the federal government, which "would grant the
Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Corps of Engineers
virtually unlimited--virtually unlimited--regulatory control over all
wet areas within a State." An opponent, Sen. Barbara A. Boxer, D-Calif.,
said: "For decades the Clean Water Act has provided broad protections
for the Nation's waters. The Barrasso amendment stops the corps from
restoring these longstanding protections, leaving many waters at risk."
The vote, on May 14, was 52 yeas to 44 nays, with a three-fifths
majority required for approval.
NAYS: Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand D-NY, Sen. Charles E. Schumer D-NY

Senate Vote 2:
BEACH RENOURISHMENT TIMELINE: The Senate has rejected an amendment
sponsored by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to the Water Resources
Development Act (S. 601). The amendment would have eliminated a bill
provision to extend federal funding for beach renourishment projects
from 50 years to 65 years. An opponent, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md.,
said beach renourishment projects help limit damage from hurricanes and
other storms while also sustaining recreational use of beaches. The
vote, on May 15, was 43 yeas to 53 nays.
NAYS: Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand D-NY, Sen. Charles E. Schumer D-NY

Senate Vote 3:
REVIEWING WATER PROJECTS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored
by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to the Water Resources Development Act (S.
601). The amendment would have removed restrictions on the authority of
the Infrastructure Deauthorization Commission to recommend the
cancellation of water projects. Coburn said excluding projects that have
begun since 1996 from the commission's authority would protect special
interests and allow wasteful projects to go forward. An opponent, Sen.
Barbara A. Boxer, D-Calif., said the amendment would allow projects "to
be stopped midstream--active projects, projects that have local funds
flowing into them and private funds flowing into them." The vote, on May
15, was 35 yeas to 61 nays.
NAYS: Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand D-NY, Sen. Charles E. Schumer D-NY

Senate Vote 4:
BUY AMERICAN RULE FOR WATER PROJECTS: The Senate has passed an amendment
sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., to the Water Resources
Development Act (S. 601). The amendment would require the use of
American iron, steel, and manufactured goods for water infrastructure
pilot projects. Merkley said: "It makes sense for American business, for
the American economy, for our workers to do as much of the work as
possible to create that supply chain in America." An opponent, Sen. Mike
Lee, R-Utah, said the requirement "could increase the cost of materials
in some Federal projects by close to 25 percent." The vote, on May 15,
was 60 yeas to 36 nays.
YEAS: Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand D-NY, Sen. Charles E. Schumer D-NY

Senate Vote 5:
WATER PROJECTS: The Senate has passed the Water Resources Development
Act (S. 601), sponsored by Sen. Barbara A. Boxer, D-Calif. The bill
would authorize Army Corps of Engineers projects to improve the
transportation and navigability of U.S. waterways and develop water
resources. Boxer said the projects were needed to prevent flooding, ease
the movement of goods between ports, and improve the environmental
quality of bodies of water such as the Everglades and Chesapeake Bay.
The vote, on May 15, was 83 yeas to 14 nays.
YEAS: Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand D-NY, Sen. Charles E. Schumer D-NY

Senate Vote 6:
CONFIRMING DISTRICT JUDGE FOR CALIFORNIA: The Senate has confirmed the
nomination of William H. Orrick III to serve as a U.S. District Judge
for the Northern District of California. A supporter, Sen. Dianne
Feinstein, D-Calif., cited Orrick's 25 years of experience as a
commercial lawyer in San Francisco and four years of experience
overseeing the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Justice
Department. Feinstein said Orrick "has proven throughout his career that
he has the intellect, skill, and temperament to do an outstanding job on
the Federal bench in San Francisco." An opponent, Sen. Chuck Grassley,
R-Iowa, said: "I was troubled by his intervention in Utah, Arizona,
South Carolina, and Alabama. In those States he led the effort to strike
down the statutes in those States addressing the Federal Government's
failure to enforce immigration laws." The vote, on May 15, was 56 yeas
to 41 nays.
YEAS: Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand D-NY, Sen. Charles E. Schumer D-NY

Senate Vote 7:
CONFIRMING ENERGY SECRETARY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of
Ernest J. Moniz to serve as Energy Secretary. A supporter, Sen. Ron
Wyden, D-Ore., cited Moniz's experience as an Energy Department official
during the Clinton administration, professor at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, and director of MIT's energy initiative. Wyden
said Moniz "is well qualified to spearhead our efforts to evolve our
country's energy system, to increase domestic sources, emit less carbon,
and to bolster our economy." The vote, on May 16, was unanimous with 97
yeas.
YEAS: Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand D-NY, Sen. Charles E. Schumer D-NY

By Jerry Zremski

WASHINGTON -- With the IRS/tea party scandal still rocking Washington, Politico tells us that the IRS has offered up a prototype on how not to handle a scandal.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post notes that the IRS scandal and other recent travails have not hurt President Obama's approval ratings.

And The New York Times takes a close look at the rising immigrant death rate at the southern border.

By Tom Precious

ALBANY -- The response by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to the news that Buffalo Assemblyman Michael Kearns is quitting the Democratic conference in protest because Silver will not resign over his handling of the Vito Lopez matter has gone up a notch from this afternoon's initial "not surprising'' reaction.

Tonight comes this from Michael Whyland, Silver's spokesman: "Two members left the Democratic conference today, Vito Lopez and Mickey Kearns. One was a closet harasser, one a closet Republican. Neither one will be missed.''

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By Tom Precious

ALBANY – The Assembly will investigate moving to a new policy to have sexual harassment and other complaints against lawmakers handled by an outside, private investigator and not through internal channels, according to a Democratic Buffalo lawmaker.

Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes said she believes the new system will be recommended later this afternoon by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in the wake of how he and his top staff secretly handled sexual harassment claims against former Assemblyman Vito Lopez. She said a task force that Silver appointed her to three weeks ago has already been looking into the idea.

Peoples-Stokes said officials are also examining a new policy to require mandatory reporting of suspected abuse cases.

"If my staff saw me doing something wrong, they'd be required to report it,'' she said of the policy being drafted.

The lawmaker joined other Democrats emerging from a closed-door session with Silver this afternoon giving the longtime Assembly leader a vote of confidence. Silver, she said, recognized he mishandled the Lopez case.

"And he apologized for it. A lot of people when they make mistakes are not going to apologize for it,'' she said.

She said a leadership change this late in the session would create "total chaos.''

By Tom Precious

ALBANY – When Andrew Cuomo in late 2010 was preparing to take office as governor, one of the questions swirling about Albany at the time was this: When will he try to take out Sheldon Silver as Assembly speaker?

The theory, of course, was that Silver and Cuomo did not get along and would never get along.

But in the past week, Cuomo has been the state’s top government official to beat back calls that Silver should resign following revelations of how he secretly handled sexual harassment accusations brought by female employees of now-former Assemblyman Vito Lopez.

"People say the speaker should resign. … I said, I don’t," Cuomo told reporters today. Cuomo repeated what Silver himself has said, which is that the Assembly leader made mistakes in how he handled the Lopez episode last year. And Cuomo said, again, how governors do not have a direct say in Assembly leadership decisions.

"The Assembly will decide who is the leader of the Assembly. They vote. I don’t vote," Cuomo said.

Cuomo's defense of Silver shows how the relationship between the two men has evolved over the years. Moreover, it shows a basic understanding by Cuomo that a leadership battle at this point in the waning weeks of the 2013 legislative session could result in a political bloodbath in the Assembly. Such a battle  would all but halt work on any number of initiatives Cuomo is trying to resolve before the June 20 scheduled session end date. 

By Tom Precious

Albany -- Vito Lopez is no longer a member of the Assembly as of 9 am today. He resigned over the weekend rather than face an expulsion vote by colleagues over allegations he sexually harassed numerous female members of his staff.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, facing calls for his ouster over his handling of the Lopez affair, meets behind closed doors later this afternoon with his fellow Democrats for the first time since two reports were issued last week by a special prosecutor and a state ethics agency. While pressure is coming from outside forces to get Silver to quit as leader, he appears, for now, to have the support of his conference, including female legislators who say Silver already apologized for his handling of complaints brought last year by female staffers against Lopez.

Here is a photo of the desk of the once mighty Lopez, who was also Brooklyn Democratic Party chairman, taken in the Assembly chamber taken at 9am. Apparently no rush to get his name off what was his assigned seat.

 

By Jerry Zremski

So the Republicans see the recent D.C. scandals as a political gift -- and the New York Times questions what they will do with it.

And Newt Gingrich tells NPR that the GOP may go too far in trying to exploit the scandals.

Meanwhile, the Times' Nate Silver asks whether presidents really face a second-term curse.

Bernard Tolbert's bid to unseat Mayor Brown could be viewed as a David vs. Goliath undertaking. But News Political Reporter Bob McCarthy tells Brian Meyer that Tolbert is a credible candidate with an ability to raise money and highlight key issues: