This year was supposed to be the year Albany finally got serious about creating new housing in New York.
Gov. Kathy Hochul kicked off the 2023 legislative session by unveiling a plan she claimed would create 800,000 new housing units over the next decade, calling it her biggest priority. But the session is coming to an end with Hochul and legislative leaders pointing fingers, blaming each other for failing to reach consensus.
The Senate wrapped up its final voting session in the wee hours Saturday morning and the Assembly finishes up later in the day — meaning lawmakers will leave town without passing any major housing measures at all.
Now, despite the Legislature passing hundreds of bills, this year’s annual session will be remembered just as much for what didn’t get done as what did. Here’s a look at what lawmakers passed — and what they didn’t — as the Legislature wraps up its six-month session Saturday.
Passed: Clearing the way for possible slavery reparations
New York is set to become the second state to create a commission to recommend possible compensation for those harmed by the legacy of slavery — if Hochul signs the bill into law.
Lawmakers struck an under-the-radar deal this week on a bill to launch a nine-member commission, which would be tasked with studying the history of enslaving African people in New York, as well as the role the state, city and federal governments played in keeping freed slaves from going back to their homeland.
Based on that history, the commission would then be tasked with recommending remedies to the Legislature, including possible compensation and criteria for determining who is eligible.
If signed into law, the governor, Senate leader and Assembly speaker would all appoint three members to the panel. A final report would be due a year and a half after Hochul’s signature — but its recommendations wouldn’t be binding. It would be up to the Legislature to implement them.
The governor hasn’t taken a position on…
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