May 12 Special Legislative Update

Shenker Russo and Clark LLP Legislative Update

This morning, the Governor held his daily press briefing to update the State on the COVID-19 pandemic and the State’s plan to re-open. As we reported last week, the State’s re-opening plan will happen on a regional, and phased, basis. For a region to begin re-opening, it must meet seven specific requirements, and once those requirements are met, that region will be able to begin Phase One of re-opening businesses. Re-opening of businesses will happen in four phases, with a two-week monitoring period between phases so that the State can analyze how each phase has affected the COVID-19 pandemic in each region. The four phases are:

  • Phase One
    • Construction
    • Manufacturing and wholesale supply chain
    • Retail – curbside pickup
    • Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing
  • Phase Two
    • Professional Services
    • Finance and Insurance
    • Retail
    • Administrative Support
    • Real Estate/Rental Leasing
  • Phase Three
    • Restaurants/Food Services
    • Hotels/Accommodations
  • Phase Four
    • Arts/Entertainment/Recreation
    • Education

Today, the Governor announced that, if the numbers hold through Friday, three regions in the State will be able to begin Phase One of re-opening on Saturday, May 16th. The three regions that have currently met all seven requirements are the Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier, and the Mohawk Valley. Central New York and the North Country are close, meeting 6 out of the 7 requirements. If those regions can meet the final requirement by Friday, they will also be able to begin re-opening on Saturday. However, the Governor did announce that, beginning Saturday, specific businesses will be allowed to re-open statewide. Those businesses are landscaping and gardening, low-risk outdoor recreational activities (i.e. tennis), and Drive-in movie theaters.

The Governor also said that when regions begin re-opening, it will be the responsibility of local governments to ensure that testing and tracing remains in place, monitor the COVID-19 infection rate with hospitals, ensure businesses are complying with the safety precautions the State announced last week, communicate with other local governments, and operate their regional control rooms. A region’s Regional Control Room is a group of regional officials who will be in charge of monitoring and controlling the virus, and re-opening process, throughout their region, and ensuring there is a circuit breaker ready if the region’s COVID numbers begin to increase. Lastly, the Governor announced the members of each Regional Control Room. Each region’s Control Room members are:

Capital Region

  • General Pat Murphy – Commissioner of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
  • Ruth Mahoney – REDC Co-Chair
  • Mike Blue – Capital District Area Labor Federation President
  • Dan McCoy – Albany County Executive
  • Steve McLaughlin – Rensselaer County Executive
  • Rory Fluman – Schenectady County Manager
  • Spencer Hellwig – Saratoga County Administrator
  • Robert Henk – Washington County Vice Chair
  • Ryan Moore – Warren County Administrator
  • Shaun Groden – Greene County Administrator
  • Matt Murell – Columbia County Chair
  • Kathy Sheehan – City of Albany Mayor

Central New York

  • Matt Driscoll – Thruway Authority Executive Director
  • Randy Wolken – REDC Co-Chair
  • Ann Marie Taliercio – President of the CNY Labor Federation
  • Ryan McMahon – Onondaga County Executive
  • Jim Weatherup – Oswego County Chair
  • Paul Heider – Cortland County Chair
  • Aileen McNabb – Cayuga Country Chair
  • John Becker – Madison County Chair
  • Ben Walsh – City of Syracuse Mayor

Finger Lakes

  • Bob Duffy – Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce President
  • Danny Wegman – Former REDC Co-Chair
  • Dan Maloney – Rochester-Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation President
  • Adam Bello – Monroe County Executive
  • Lynne Johnson – Orleans County Chair
  • Rochelle Stein – Genesee County Chair
  • Jerry Davis – Wyoming County Chair
  • David LeFeber – Livingston County Chair
  • Ken Miller – Wayne County Chair
  • John Marren – Ontario County Chair
  • Doug Paddock – Yates County Chair
  • Bob Hayssen – Seneca County Chair
  • Lovely Warren – City of Rochester Mayor

Hudson Valley

  • Mike Hein – Former Ulster County Executive
  • Jonathan Drapkin – President and CEO of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress
  • Tom Carey – AFL-CIO Westchester-Putnam Central Labor President
  • Marc Molinaro – Dutchess County Executive
  • Pat Ryan – Ulster County Executive
  • Joshua Potosek – Sullivan County Manager
  • MaryEllen Odell – Putnam County Executive
  • Steven Neuhaus – Orange County Executive
  • George Latimer – Westchester County Executive
  • Ed Day – Rockland County Executive
  • Mike Spano – City of Yonkers Mayor

Long Island

  • Eric Gertler – ESD President & CEO
  • Kevin Law – REDC Co-Chair
  • John Durso – President of the Long Island Federation of Labor
  • Laura Curran – Nassau County Executive
  • Steve Bellone – Suffolk County Executive

Mohawk Valley

  • RoAnn Destito – Office of General Services Commissioner
  • Steve DiMeo – Former REDC Co-Chair
  • Sam DeRiso – UFCW Local 1 & President of the Central New York Labor Council
  • Tony Picente – Oneida County Executive
  • Matt Ossenfort – Montgomery County Executive
  • John Stead – Fulton County Administrator
  • Jim Bono – Herkimer County Chair
  • Dave Bliss – Otsego County Chair
  • William Federice – Schoharie County Chair
  • Robert Palmieri – City of Utica Mayor
  • Jackie Izzo – City of Rome Mayor

New York City

  • Bill de Blasio – New York City Mayor
  • Rossana Rosado – Secretary of State
  • Kathy Wylde – President and CEO of Partnership for New York City
  • Vinny Alvarez – NYC Central Labor Council President
  • Corey Johnson – City Council Speaker
  • Ruben Diaz Jr. – Bronx Borough President
  • Gale Brewer – Manhattan Borough President
  • Sharon Lee – Acting Queens Borough President
  • Eric Adams – Brooklyn Borough President
  • Jimmy Oddo – Statan Island Borough President

North Country

  • Erik Kulleseid – NYS Parks Commissioner
  • Jim McKenna – REDC Co-Chair
  • Ron McDougall – President of the Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence Counties Central Trades and Labor Council
  • Bill Farber – Hamilton County Chair
  • Joe Lightfoot – St. Lawrence County Chair
  • Scott Grey – Jefferson County Chair
  • Lawrence Dolhof – Lewis County Chair
  • Don Dabiew – Franklin County Chair
  • Mark Henry – Clinton County Chair
  • Shaun Gillilland – Essex County Chair

Southern Tier

  • Basil Seggos – DEC Commissioner
  • Stacey Duncan – The Agency Executive Director
  • Dave Marsh – Business Manager, Laborers Local 785
  • Jason Garnar – Broome County Executive
  • Chris Moss – Chemung County Executive
  • Jason Molino – Tompkins County Administrator
  • Jack Wheeler – Steuben County Administrator
  • Tim O’Hearn – Schuyler County Administrator
  • Martha Sauerbrey – Tioga County Chair
  • Kerri Green – Chenango County Chamber of Commerce COE & President
  • Tina Mole – Delaware County Chair
  • Rich David – City of Binghamton Mayor

Western New York

  • Kathy Hochul – Lieutenant Governor
  • Howard Zemsky – ESD Board Chair
  • Richard Lipsitz – WNY Area Labor Federation President
  • Mark Poloncarz – Erie County Executive
  • Becky Wydysh – Niagara County Chair
  • PH Wendel – Chautauqua County Chair
  • Jack Searles – Cattaraugus County Administrator
  • Curtis Crandall – Allegany County Chair
  • Byron Brown – City of Buffalo Mayor
  • Robert Restaino – City of Niagara Mayor
  • Eddie Sundquist – Jamestown Mayor

We are monitoring the State’s re-opening plan and announcements closely. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the State’s re-opening plan or the safety precautions you will be required to put in place once you re-open, do not hesitate to contact us.

We are here to help 24/7.