Gov. Cuomo Isn’t ‘optimistic’ about Child Victims Act Passing before Legislative Session’s End

By Kenneth Lovett
New York Daily News
June 16, 2017

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/gov-cuomo-isn-optimistic-child-victims-act-passing-article-1.3253614

“I’m not optimistic about passage of a Child Victims Act, but hope springs eternal,” Gov. Cuomo said. (MARY ALTAFFER/AP)

Gov. Cuomo on Friday said he does not see the Child Victims Act and other big-ticket items passing before the state legislative session ends next week.

Just two days after giving victims hope by introducing his own bill designed to help survivors of child sex abuse seek justice as adults, Cuomo threw a cold dose of reality on them.

The governor said while he supports the Child Victims Act and would be open to working on compromise legislation, he doesn’t see it happening.

“I’m not optimistic about passage of a Child Victims Act, but hope springs eternal,” he said.

The Legislature is scheduled to end its annual session on Wednesday.

Survivors were incensed at what they saw as Cuomo raising the white flag.

“Maybe he should come up to Albany and negotiate,” said upstate investor and abuse survivor Gary Greenberg of Cuomo, who has spent little time in recent weeks at the Capitol. “Get back here and get us a Child Victims Act.”

Greenberg called the comments “deflating” for survivors and suggested Cuomo should be taking a more aggressive stand by calling on the Senate GOP to pass the bill.

“Let him call the individual senators like he did with the marriage equality bill, call the senators and work them over,” Greenberg said. “He has a lot of power as governor, a lot of strings he can pull and that’s what we expect of him.”

Cuomo’s bill is identical to one that passed the Assembly last week, but is being blocked by the Republicans in the state Senate.

Assembly bill sponsor Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) also expressed surprise at Cuomo’s comments.

Almost 100 people march across the Brooklyn Bridge to tell Albany legislators to pass the Child Victims Act that would eliminate the statute of limitations on how long survivors can seek justice on June 4. (JEFFERSON SIEGEL/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)

“It’s not a very positive statement going in (to the last week of session),” Rosenthal said. “I would hope he’d approach passage of the bill with a little more gusto.”

Cuomo also expressed pessimism about the Legislature passing an extension of the expiring law giving Mayor de Blasio control over the city school system or dozens of local tax extenders, including the New York City personal income tax.

He said the taxes expire toward the end of the year and he expects the Legislature will likely return later in the year to pass them and see then if there is any movement on mayoral control.

“It could change, but that’s what I would bet right now,” Cuomo said.

The Senate wants pro-charter school provisions passed in exchange for extending the mayoral control law. Cuomo on Thursday floated the idea of a three-year mayoral control extension coupled with a charter school component.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has repeatedly ruled out any trading mayoral control for charter school provisions.

The Assembly recently passed its own bill that included a straight two-year extension of the mayoral control law as well as renewals for dozens of local taxes that the Senate GOP wants to deal with separately.

“We don't see a need to come back later this year because we have already passed all the local extenders,” Assembly Democratic spokesman Michael Whyland said Friday afternoon.

A spokesman for Mayor de Blasio said it’s now time for Albany politicians to work, not just throw their hands up.

“State government's work is not done and officials shouldn't leave Albany next week until it is. Our city's 1.1m school kids depend on it,” tweeted the rep, Eric Phillips.

Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) with Child Victims Act bill sponsors Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) and Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) rally Thursday with sex abuse survivors for the Senate GOP to allow a vote on the measure. (KEN LOVETT/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)

Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan said, “With just one week left in the legislative session, I am committed to working with all parties to extend mayoral control and achieve common sense reforms that ensure every child receives the first-class education they deserve.”

“It's time for everyone to get to the table and work in the best interest of the 1.1 million New York City schoolchildren and their families,” he added.

The Senate this week passed three separate mayoral control bills that would extend the law by up to five years, but with various strings attached, including charter school provisions.

Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx) has proposed a two-year mayoral control extension bill that would also grant more power to parent-run community education councils.

De Blasio, who has been at war with the Senate Republicans, said Friday during his weekly appearance on WNYC’s “Brian Lehrer Show” that he acknowledges there could be the need for compromise.

But he added Heastie’s contention that “mayoral control should be treated onto itself, not some part of some give and take, is a very, very fair notion.”

Should the law expire, the city would return to the much maligned Board of Education system where the mayor would appoint just two members and each of the borough presidents five.

It would also lead to the re-creation of the 32 local community boards.

“What will it result in? I will show you at some point, Brian, all the lurid headlines, how many school boards unfortunately became corrupted, jobs made available literally for a price tag, totally ... incompetent people, people without any appropriate background being hired into jobs that are supposed to service our children, massive educational failure across school districts and no accountability. No one held accountable."

“We start down that bad path down again on July 1st if this does not resolve.”