N.Y. Legislature Deadline Passes, But Debate on Issues Goes On

With a lot of unfinished business on the table, the New York Legislature was likely to continue past the end of the official legislative session, which was yesterday.

A legislative source said that the Assembly would likely to be in session through tomorrow and a Senate spokesman said that body would finish the session last night.

Among the issues that appeared to be unfinished yesterday were a resolution to the standoff between the Senate and Assembly over reform proposals for the state's industrial development agencies, public authority reform and tax increment financing.

Although Gov. David Paterson mentioned that the IDA issue was still under discussion at a news conference yesterday to announce legislative agreements with Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, he did not say where the talks were headed.

Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Westchester, lashed out yesterday at New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for the mayor's comments on proposed public authority reform. According to a document released by Brodsky's office, the mayor opposed a few provisions of authority reform that Brodsky has been pushing, including requiring a fiduciary responsibility for authority board members, having authority contracts approved by the state comptroller and giving the state Authorities Budget Office rule-making authority.

"This is nothing short of an attempt to hijack authority reform and turn it into the kind of imperial control of government agencies that hasn't worked in Washington and won't work here," Brodsky said in a press release. "The impact of his last-minute intervention has already slowed progress, and may have the effect of killing the bill."

Brodsky called on Paterson to intervene.

"Our concerns with the bill today are the same as those we raised last year." Bloomberg spokesman Farrell Sklerov said. "As conceived, the bill would reduce public accountability and hinder economic development. These concerns are neither last-minute nor trivial, but we remain eager to engage in a transparent debate about reform."

A proposal that would allow school district taxes to be included in tax increment financing deals in the state appeared to be stuck in an Assembly committee yesterday. The Senate already passed a version of the bill, but the Assembly cut out many of the provisions, leaving a stripped down version. The Senate would have to reconsider the Assembly's new bill for it to pass.

And it appeared unlikely yesterday that an agreement allowing industrial development agencies to resume selling bonds for civic facilities on behalf of nonprofits would come to pass. Observers have long speculated that the Assembly would return in November following the election to resolve unfinished issues.

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