Behind-the-scenes back-and-forth between Suffolk and Albany

Daily Point

Will Suffolk build a convention center ... or rehab a bridge?

The Suffolk County Legislature called a special meeting for 9 a.m. Monday — in the hopes of approving a home rule message to support a new state bill in Albany that would shift how the county's hotel-motel tax revenue is allocated.

There were just two problems.

First, there was no bill, no bill number and no language upon which to base a home rule message.

And secondly, powerful labor leaders and other local advocates were objecting loudly.

Behind the possible change was a larger battle over attempts to develop the southern half of the Ronkonkoma Hub, the land just south of the Long Island Rail Road station. Existing state law earmarks some of the county's hotel-motel tax money for a proposed convention center at that site. But county officials and lawmakers had hoped to change that, especially after the county legislature's presiding officer, Anthony Piccirillo, emphasized during a capital budget hearing last month that he'd oppose development on the southern portion of the Ronkonkoma Hub.

So, by Monday, no bills were ready first thing in the morning. The county legislature recessed — for hours, briefly appearing several times only to extend the delay, as state officials tried to adjust and figure out what the final proposed legislation would look like, and as those involved kept saying finalized bills were "imminent."

It wasn't until after 9 p.m. that the bills were finished and printed, and it wasn't until 11 p.m. when the legislature finally reconvened, quickly approving a home rule message that supported the bill introduced late Monday in Albany by Assemb. Steve Stern and State Sen. Monica Martinez.

Ultimately, that legislation looked different from what had been anticipated.

Initially, sources said, proposals to change the hotel-motel tax law would have committed that portion of revenue to a wide array of county infrastructure projects, like roads and sewers, not including the convention center, thereby making a convention center for the Hub virtually impossible. Among the other initial proposed changes previously discussed: eliminating a portion of the funding that's for the county's designated tourism promotion agency, currently Discover Long Island.

But backlash ensued. In a flurry of activity behind the scenes Monday, advocates reached out directly to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office, fearing the proposed changes would damage county tourism efforts and kill any possibility of building a convention center, developing the land at the Ronkonkoma Hub, or moving the Long Island MacArthur Airport terminal to the northern end of the airport land, closer to the LIRR station. Among those objecting, sources told The Point, were key labor leaders, along with business and tourism advocates.

Ultimately, the legislation that was introduced — and supported by county officials in their home rule message late Monday night — settles into a middle ground. The legislation doesn't eliminate Discover Long Island's hotel-motel tax funding stream, instead lowering it from $6 million to $4.5 million, while making some additional tweaks in how other pots of money are distributed. Most significantly, it still allows the money to be used for a convention center, although nowhere does it specify that the center would have to be in Ronkonkoma. But it also adds alternative uses, saying the revenue could be used for "capital improvements" for a broad range of possibilities, including parks, golf courses, museums, performance venues, the Shinnecock Canal, the Smith Point or Ponquogue bridges, and sewer and coastal resiliency projects. That second option, however, contains a sunset clause, saying county officials have until Dec. 31, 2029, to use the funding for such alternative infrastructure efforts. After that time, the legislation would revert to the current law, which commits the entire stream to the convention center proposal.

"Such additional work will ensure that revenues collected will be put to use immediately to create good paying construction jobs," the bill's justification stated, in a likely nod to labor leaders who had objected to previous language.

How all of that will work in practice — and what it might mean for the Ronkonkoma Hub's future — remains to be seen. But first, the legislation has to make its way through the Albany gauntlet, as the session comes to a close this week.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

For what it's worth

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Final Point

State lawmakers race the clock to juggle budget priorities

With just a few days left of this year's state legislative session, Long Island lawmakers are making a last-minute effort to push their priority bills to the top of the pile.

They admit, however, that it's going to be an uphill struggle. With broader issues, including a possible moratorium on data centers and a constitutional amendment on redistricting taking center stage, local bills may get swept aside.

"We're running low on time," Assemb. Steve Stern told The Point, in a refrain oft-repeated by area lawmakers recently.

For Stern, approving a bill that would allow for professional certifications in the building permit process, which would speed up that permitting, is "at the top of the list." He's also working on a bill that would waive permitting fees for disabled veterans seeking to modify their homes to accommodate those disabilities, one that would allow social workers awaiting certification to continue to practice and treat patients while that certification is pending, and one that would provide better financing opportunities for commercial property owners seeking to make climate resiliency-related improvements.

State Sen. Siela Bynoe voiced similar frustrations, pointing to four bills she's particularly pushing as the session comes to a close. She's most hopeful about legislation that would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to assess whether there are enough wheelchair-accessible vehicles for taxis and rideshares to meet the needs of the population. The bill requires the DMV to work with municipalities outside of New York City that don't have enough vehicles to establish solutions to the issue. It has passed the State Senate, but still requires Assembly approval.

Other pieces of legislation, however, have a tougher road. Bynoe wrote two pieces of legislation to address significant Newsday news investigations — one on medical misconduct, and another on escrow accounts. Both, however, may run up against the clock.

"These two bills are off of the news and they have to be dealt with precision and that requires time," Bynoe said. "We could have had some real robust conversations on these bills ... if we had had more time."

Then there's legislation particularly relevant to the Libraries Committee that Bynoe chairs. Bynoe has proposed a bill that would allow a library board of trustees to utilize additional land owned by the library for affordable housing or other potential development. Bynoe calls the bill a "win, win, win," as it would provide additional operating funds for a library, allow some libraries to finally complete long-deferred capital projects, and establish a new path to creating more housing. But, she said, there are hurdles still to overcome and questions to answer — and the clock is ticking.

Assemb. Michaelle Solages is focused on a surveillance pricing-related bill she's sponsoring that would ban digital labels on store shelves in an effort to avoid personalized and dynamic pricing that increase the cost of goods that, she said, can be "based on who you are and where you are."

But Solages said she's not as concerned about the limited time frame, noting that she expects both the Senate and the Assembly to act quickly on multiple pieces of legislation.

"People think we won't get stuff done but I think the houses are ready to vote on a record number of bills," Solages said.

For State Sens. Monica Martinez, a Democrat, and Anthony Palumbo, a Republican, finalizing a conservation easement that would protect the Greenway that stretches across part of the former Lawrence Aviation Industries parcel is a top priority. It's passed the Assembly, where Assemb. Rebecca Kassay sponsored it, but is still awaiting Senate passage.

And they each have other bills in the works. Martinez has a bill that would allow for the unsealing of unfounded Child Protective Services files when such records are necessary for a grand jury investigation or potential prosecution. Kassay, meanwhile, is also "working feverishly" to move forward a bill that would require cannabis shop licensing approvals to take local zoning control into account. Kassay noted that currently, some licenses have been issued to shops in the Town of Brookhaven that don't meet the town's zoning requirements. That could mean having a cannabis shop in a strip mall or other locations, rather than limiting them to areas zoned for what the town calls "light industrial."

But with the sheer amount on the to-do list, it's likely some bills will be approved by either the Senate or Assembly — but not the other, therefore never moving on to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk.

Predicted Bynoe: "We might end up this session with a lot of one-house bills."

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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