Today, the Legislature returns (mostly remotely) to Albany to pass several bills addressing the effects that COVID-19, and the State shutdown, have had on the State. Both Houses will be holding several Committee meetings today and tomorrow, all of which can be streamed online on the Assembly and Senate websites. The Legislature will also hold Session tomorrow, and we expect Session to continue through Friday.
Some of the issues the Legislature plans to address over the next few days include rent, unemployment, death benefits for front-line workers, and financial help for small businesses. We do not expect the Legislature to act on any non-COVID-related legislation, nor do we expect any omnibus legislation of any kind to be introduced this week.
After this week, it is unclear what the Legislature’s plans are for the rest of the year. This week was originally scheduled to be the second-to-last week of the 2020 Legislative Session, with a scheduled end date of June 2nd so that lawmakers could return to their districts early to campaign for the State Primaries. Despite the pandemic, the State has not cancelled the State Primaries, so we do not expect the Legislature to return next week. Instead, if the Legislature were to return a second time this year, it would most likely be in the late summer or early fall. We will continue to monitor the Legislature’s actions over the next weeks and months and keep you informed of any Session updates we learn.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us directly.