New York Note – Congressional Maps, Comptroller M/WBE Report, NYS Budget Amendments

February 20, 2024

IRC Approves New Congressional Maps

New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) voted to approve new congressional lines. Small changes have been made to a few upstate districts, but the congressional districts have remained largely the same. The Legislature will now need to determine whether they will accept the IRC’s maps or attempt to draw their own. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins have not offered opinions on the new map. A supermajority is needed to approve the new congressional maps, and the Assembly and Senate will return to session next week.

Comptroller Releases Annual M/WBE Report

NYC Comptroller Brad Lander released his annual report on Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses. The report indicates that city agencies registered only 9.8% of eligible contracts to M/WBE vendors in Fiscal Year 2023. Black, Hispanic, and women-of-color owned businesses each received around 1% of contract value for FY23. The City Council also recently held a hearing focused on the City’s M/WBE procurement goals. In FY23, NYC had about 11,000 registered M/WBEs, but only 2,200 were awarded a city contact. The Adams administration has a goal of awarding at least $25B in city contracts to M/WBEs by 2026, and $60B by 2030.

Governor Hochul’s 30-Day Budget Amendments

Governor Hochul has released amendments to her Executive Budget, which are due 30 days after the release of the Governor’s budget. Most of the amendments were technical or clarifying, with no major changes to her bigger agenda items. The Governor did add a new policy about deceptive AI practices, and included a provision making to-go drinks from restaurants permanent. Despite critique from the legislature and Mayor Adams, the Governor did not alter her recommended funding for education or asylum seekers. These are the final edits that the Governor can make before budget negotiations begin with the Legislature. Both the Assembly and Senate are expected to release their one-house budgets in the coming weeks.

Authors

About Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies

Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, an affiliate of the international law firm Cozen O’Connor, is a bipartisan government relations practice representing clients before the federal government and in cities and states throughout the country. With offices in Washington D.C., Richmond, Albany, New York City, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Chicago, and Santa Monica, the firm’s public strategies professionals offer a full complement of government affairs services, including legislative and executive branch advocacy, policy analysis, assistance with government procurement and funding programs, and crisis management. Its client base spans multiple industries, including healthcare, transportation, hospitality, education, construction, energy, real estate, entertainment, financial services, and insurance.

About Cozen O’Connor

Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 775 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle-market companies, Cozen O’Connor serves its clients’ needs through 31 offices across two continents.

Explore Articles and News

See All News