NY Legislature convenes: Top issues for 2018 session

ALBANY (NY)
The Associated Press

January 1, 2018

New York lawmakers will gavel in the 2018 legislative session Wednesday. Here’s a look at some of the top issues expected this year:

NEW YORK CITY SUBWAYS: The aging system has been beset by chronic breakdowns and delays. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers have pointed fingers at each other and floated different ideas for how to raise money for needed upgrades. Those ideas have included congestion pricing, which would impose added fees on motorists entering busy parts of the city, as well as a long-shot proposal to raise taxes on the wealthy.

CHILD SEX ABUSE: A proposal to loosen the statute of limitations for child molestation has failed repeatedly in Albany but supporters are hoping national attention on sexual misconduct gives their cause fresh momentum. The bill would give victims more time to file civil lawsuits or seek criminal charges against abusers and create a one-year window for past victims to file civil suits. Victims now have until they turn 23 to sue.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT: Cuomo says he will propose a comprehensive state policy for combating sexual harassment. Several lawmakers have already advanced their own ideas.

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