State Election Update
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
At a press conference on Monday, Democrats in the New York State Senate announced to the press that their caucus will have a two-thirds supermajority in the upcoming legislative session. In doing so, the legislature has secured an unprecedented veto-proof majority in both houses (Democrats have long held a supermajority in the Assembly). Legislative leaders hope that this new development will shift the power dynamic between the legislature and executive, especially during the upcoming budget negotiations.
This announcement came as it became evident that Senator Harckham would be successful in his re-election bid over former Westchester County Executive and former gubernatorial candidate Robert Astorino. The senate race between Democrat John Mannion and Republican Angi Renna to represent a portion of Onondaga County remains uncalled due to a stoppage in absentee ballot counting due to a COVID-19 outbreak among staff at the county’s board of elections.
It is not yet clear how the Democratic supermajority in both chambers will impact the relationship between the governor and legislature. Both Gov. Cuomo and Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins downplayed the chances that the Senate would invoke their newly found veto override powers, noting that they are more often than not in agreement when it comes to policy. However, the challenging financial climate will affect education policy on everything from potential for current year aid reductions to school aid in the 2021-22 state budget.
|
|
Email to a Friend