Alliance Note: The NYS legislative session ends this Thursday, June 6th. While there have not been many pieces of major legislation after the budget was finalized, legislators are looking to push a few bills across the line with just a few days left. One area Governor Hochul and other lawmakers hope to tackle is youth mental health, including reducing the possible harms of social media by introducing legislation to regulate how these social media feeds are presented to youth and a bill to protect youth’s data. The Alliance will continue to monitor action in Albany and alert you all when new information comes out. See below to learn more about the bills the NYS legislature is considering during the final days of session.
NY Social Media Regulation, Bottle Refunds on Deck as NY Legislative Session Ends
By Jon Campbell | Gothamist | June 3, 2024
New York state lawmakers will spend the last four scheduled days of their 2024 legislative session passing hundreds of bills that will head to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk.
But with the session set to come to a close on Thursday, there’s still plenty of major policy issues left unresolved — ranging from a pair of bills to crack down on how social media platforms interact with young people, to a push to double the state’s 5 cent bottle deposit, to a measure that could start the process of moving New York City’s elections to even years.
Here’s a look at five issues lawmakers may — or in some cases, may not — tackle before they leave the state Capitol in Albany for the year:
A tougher stance on social media
Gov. Kathy Hochul launched a public offensive in recent weeks, using her platform to try and will a pair of social media-focused bills over the finish line. She said it’s her only major priority for the end of the legislative session.
One measure would prohibit social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram from showing “addictive feeds” to users under the age of 18. Instead of using algorithms to show minors content designed to keep them on the app longer, the platforms would essentially be required to only show posts from accounts the user follows, in chronological order, unless a parent or guardian consents to the algorithm.
The second bill would prevent those same companies from collecting or selling data about underage users.
“We really can see where there’s a close connection between these influences and the onslaught of low self-esteem and desperation and depression, and social media platforms like Instagram — and they just keep pulling our kids into this virtual darkness and they need help,” Hochul said Friday.
Hochul and legislative leaders said they’re hopeful they can reach a deal after they were unable to do so during the state budget process in April. The bills have major support from Attorney General Letitia James, and are sponsored by Sen. Andrew Gounardes of Brooklyn and Assemblymember Nily Rozic of Queens.
But tech organizations like Tech:NYC, whose clients include Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) and Google (which owns YouTube), have been raising concerns about the measures.
Marjorie Velázquez, Tech:NYC’s vice president of policy, said the organization “supports the mission to protect children’s safety online.” But she added that Hochul and lawmakers have yet to answer serious questions about the bills, including how they intend to implement age verification while still protecting users’ privacy, particularly for those who don’t have government IDs.
Cutting down on plastic packaging?
The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, as it’s currently written, would require producers of single-use plastic packaging to gradually reduce their plastic waste by 50% over the next 12 years.
Supporters include various environmental groups, including Beyond Plastics, which is led by former regional Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Judith Enck, and is dedicated to fighting plastic waste.
The bill’s opponents include the state Business Council and the American Chemistry Council, which includes manufacturers that produce chemicals used in plastics.
The bill seems to be gaining momentum in recent weeks, with state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) confirming it’s been part of end-of-session negotiations.
But an open question is whether the bill gets passed in its current form, or if the plastic reduction goal is lowered first.
If lawmakers are uneasy about reducing plastic waste by 50% — perhaps worried about costs being passed on to consumers, as business organizations warn — might they go to, say, 30% instead?
“It’s on the list for us to try to come up with a resolution,” Heastie told reporters on Thursday. “So it’s hard for me to say what I can live with [or] not live with when I feel like we’re in an honest stage of trying to figure something out.”
Increasing the bottle deposit
For years, environmentalists have been pushing to double New York state’s 5-cent deposit on certain plastic bottles and aluminum cans, which has been in place in some form since 1983.
They also want to expand the deposit to include practically all beverage containers — not just carbonated beverages and water bottles.
This year, it seems to have a shot. The Senate and Assembly have been talking it over, with Heastie confirming that Assembly Democrats recently discussed it in private.
“Members came up with some considerations,” he said. “So we’ll see where that goes.”
Environmental groups and the state Association of Redemption Centers are pushing for the measure and planning a news conference at the Capitol on Monday. Among those lobbying against it are the Business Council and beverage giants like Coca-Cola.
Even-year elections in New York City
Last year, Hochul and state lawmakers moved many county- and town-level elections from odd years to even years so that they line up with the presidential election, when more people head to the polls.
But doing the same in New York City and other municipalities across the state would require a constitutional amendment, which involves a multiyear process that requires passage by consecutively elected terms of the Legislature before it goes to the public for a vote.
It remains to be seen whether the Legislature will take the first step in passing a constitutional amendment to make it happen before lawmakers go home this week.
Sen. James Skoufis of Orange County, Sen. Robert Jackson of Manhattan, and Sen. Sean Ryan of Buffalo held a joint news conference pushing for the amendment last week.
But it’s unclear whether it will get a vote. As of Thursday, the measure didn’t have a sponsor in the Assembly — though Skoufis said one is in the works.
Heastie, meanwhile, said he’s unsure whether it has a shot this year.
“I’ll have to get back to you on that one,” he said Thursday.
Republicans contend Democrats are moving elections to even years to benefit themselves, since New York tends to vote heavily for the Democratic presidential candidate and votes could trickle down the ballot. They’re suing to overturn the county and town-level law approved last year.
Setting NYC casino deadlines
State regulators are set to distribute New York’s final three private casino licenses to facilities in New York City and the surrounding area. But in March, the state Gaming Commission revealed the winners likely won’t be announced until late 2025.
That rankled some pro-casino members of the Legislature, including Sen. Joseph Addabbo of Queens and Assemblymember Gary Pretlow of Mount Vernon, who introduced a bill to speed the timeline up.
Their bill would require bids by prospective casino companies to be submitted by July 31 of this year and licenses to be awarded by the end of March 2025.
It’s unclear whether their bill, as written, has a chance of getting a vote, nor has Hochul weighed in. But it’s possible lawmakers could in some way firm up the Gaming Commission’s current deadlines, which currently give the regulator some leeway for when the decision-making clock begins.
NY social media regulation, bottle refunds on deck as NY legislative session ends – Gothamist