Email from NYS Senate Updates and Upcoming Events   Dear Neighbor, It has been a very news-heavy month in our city, our state, our country, and around the world, including news from the Legislature in Albany. We finished up this year's legislative session, making significant progress on some important issues, with many others, unfortunately, left unfinished. Below you will find updates on what happened at the end of session, recent actions by the Trump Administration impacting New Yorkers, and upcoming events and other useful information affecting our district. As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, please email or call my office at [email protected] or 212-490-9535. Liz Krueger State Senator End of Session Legislative Update The legislative session in Albany ended in the very early morning of June 13th for the Senate, and a few days later for the Assembly. There is always a rush to get through hundreds of bills at the end of session, which was made worse this year by the fact that the budget was over a month late, leaving even less time post-budget. Although I am proud that the Senate passed many critical bills this session to address affordability, sustainability, good government, housing rights, consumer protection, and many other vital issues for New Yorkers, it has become an unfortunate reality that more and more good bills, even those that would easily pass, simply languish and die in the Assembly without being voted on. The following is an end-of-session update on some of the bills that I sponsor. I also co-sponsor and support a much longer list of bills, which will be included in a comprehensive legislative update of the session that my office will mail out in the coming months. Passed Both Houses and Await the Governor's Action: S.590, which would repeal the “bumping” provision in state law that allows the mayor of New York City to use a Charter Revision Commission to block ballot proposals initiated by New Yorkers or the City Council. S.8417, which would repeal the so-called "100-foot rule" that forces existing utility gas customers to subsidize the cost of hooking up new customers to the system, which costs ratepayers over $200 million every year. S.700, which implements expert recommendations to ensure low-income New Yorkers who owe back taxes do not face having their driver's license suspended, potentially preventing them from being able to work. S.1163, which prohibits rent minimums in all mortgages, providing commercial building owners the flexibility to negotiate rental terms with tenants that reflect real market conditions, rather than having the rents dictated to them by the bank that holds their mortgage. S.8498, which closes loopholes in the State Financial Services Law that allow business entities that require a license, but fail to obtain one, to avoid penalties that would apply to licensed entities, including the penalty for failing to obtain a license. Passed the Senate, Died in the Assembly: S.8472, the Customer Savings and Reliability Act, is a compromise version of the NY HEAT Act, which would save gas ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars every year while planning for the long-term transition to a fossil fuel-free future. S.1162, which requires third-party food delivery services like Uber Eats or GrubHub to carry no fault insurance coverage for delivery people working on their behalf. This insurance will help pay medical bills for both pedestrians and bike delivery workers hurt in accidents. S.7880, the NY PROTECT Act, which maintains state-level tax-exempt status for non-profits targeted by the Trump Administration. S.2433A, the Ground Lease Co-op Bill, which addresses longstanding gaps in state law that leave more than 25,000 ground lease co-op residents vulnerable to displacement. S.2134A, which restores protections for rent stabilized tenants in demolition cases that existed before the First NY v DHCR 2022 appellate court decision. S.561, which would require city and state housing agencies and building owners to notify renters about their potential eligibility for the SCRIE and DRIE Rent Freeze programs and how to apply. S.704, the New York Gift Certificate Scam Prevention Act, which would increase the product security of gift certificates sold at retail stores. S.1280, the Healthy Homes Right to Know Act, which would require labels to be affixed to gas stoves sold in stores informing customers of the scientific consensus around negative indoor air pollution and health impacts. S.1476A, which would require certain health care providers to notify current and new patients of the licensee’s disciplinary status with the Office of Professional Medical Conduct or a court of law, and would permit patients to decline care from that provider without penalty if they choose. S.1477, which would strengthen New York's champerty laws to protect sovereign nations from predatory investors buying up their debt for the purpose of initiating litigation. S.1574, which would create a rebate program to encourage landscapers and institutions to switch to quiet, clean electric landscaping equipment. S.2436, which would ban the sale of ATV's and off-road motorbikes in New York City. S.7203, the Tropical Rainforest Economic and Environmental Sustainability (TREES) Act, which would prevent New York State from driving tropical deforestation through our government procurement spending. S.7713, which would help to protect abortion patients, providers, and individuals who help abortion patients access care in New York by prohibiting users of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) from sharing information for purposes of enforcing a law that impedes the right to choose or access any lawful health care services. Did Not Pass Either House: S.705, the Fair Pricing Act, which would lower costs for routine outpatient services performed by doctors in large hospital systems. S.3606, the Stop Climate Polluter Handouts Act, which will save New York taxpayers over $350 million every year on subsidies that promote fossil fuel use. S.1572, the End Hedge Fund Control of New York Homes Act, which would increase housing availability by discouraging predatory hedge funds from hoarding 1- to 4-family homes. Update on Trump Administration Impacts Once again I would like to highlight a very small sample of some of the less flashy but very impactful actions of the Trump Administration that will have concrete, negative impacts on New Yorkers. Click on these links to find previous reports from February, March, April, and May: The degree of corruption, graft, and self-dealing in the Trump Administration has reached levels far beyond what was ever conceivable for a US president, from the unconstitutional gift of a $400 million plane from Qatar, to cryptocurrency scams, to openly selling access for donations or investments and other pay-to-play schemes. The Trump Administration’s reconciliation bill moving through Congress, which I refer to as the “Big Bad Bill,” will hit New Yorkers hard on several fronts. As passed by the House, it would eliminate $13.5 billion in federal Medicaid funding every year, and result in 1.5 million New Yorkers losing their health insurance. It would cause an additional 240,000 New Yorkers to see their health insurance costs rise by more than $238 per month, and up to 80,000 New Yorkers to lose Marketplace healthcare coverage. Medicaid cuts, as well as cuts to SNAP and housing aid, could lead to total costs to New York State of around $20 billion. It would also, not incidentally, “defund” Planned Parenthood, stranding over a million Americans who rely on the organization for critical reproductive healthcare that goes far beyond abortion care. I recently signed on to a letter from over 150 state legislators from across the country urging the Senate to reject cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and education. The Big Bad Bill also includes a provision that would remove the ability of courts to hold federal officials in contempt if they refuse to abide by judicial orders, essentially decapitating one of the three branches of the federal government. Trump’s proposed budget, which is separate from the reconciliation bill, includes a cap on how long “able bodied adults” can receive federal housing assistance through HUD, which NYCHA estimates could result in 316,000 NYCHA residents losing their homes. The New York Housing Conference estimates Trump's budget would lead New York State to lose nearly half of the annual federal housing funds it receives, substantially increase evictions and mortgage defaults, and destabilize the housing market. And his proposed cuts to various security grants would leave New York City “woefully unprepared to prevent and respond to a second 9/11.” Elon Musk has finally left his position as unelected co-president, having left a trail of cruelty, nihilism, ignorance, and destruction in his wake. In fact, instead of saving the government money, Musk’s reckless blundering at his absurd “Department of Government Efficiency” may actually end up costing taxpayers well over $100 billion dollars to clean up the mess he made (here’s the administration desperately trying to hire enough meteorologists to deal with hurricane season after firing hundreds of seasoned National Weather Service employees). Trump’s bans, restrictions, and invasive scrutiny of people entering the country could cause significant staff shortages for many hospitals, which rely on foreign medical residents to ensure they have adequate staffing. A renewed push by the regime to add a question to the census about citizenship status, and to unconstitutionally exclude non-citizens from Congressional apportionment, would have a devastating impact on New York’s representation. Nearly 2 million New Yorkers, 10% of our population, are non-citizens. Lee Zeldin, Trump’s head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has announced his intention to rollback a host of environmental protections that, if fully repealed, would result in an additional 30,000 American deaths and $275 billion in increased costs for Americans every year. Zeldin also announced that the EPA will be removing limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, as well as protections against mercury, arsenic, and lead pollution in our air, while, in an extraordinary example of the pot calling the kettle black, he referred to those who acknowledge the overwhelming global fact-based scientific consensus on climate change as being in a “cult.” The administration’s own analysis found that removing emissions limits would result in a public health cost of more than $130 billion, in addition to the massive economic cost of the climate crisis. Trump’s birthday parade (which was held on the same day that up to 6 million Americans took to the streets for No Kings Day) will cost taxpayers an estimated $45 million, including $16 million to repair damage to the streets of the nation’s capitol. As I said in my last email, this is a time when "we the people" must speak out against the administration's egregious initiatives. I have included several resources here to learn about defending democracy against authoritarianism, to help understand what is in the federal reconciliation bill, and to help push back against these harmful initiatives: How Democracies Defend Themselves Against Authoritarianism 5 Calls App for advocacy calls Send a Letter through Moveon - Tell your representatives: Reject cuts to essential, life-saving programs! Oral History Association - Call for participants: New joint Oral History Project on Federal Workers! Congressional Progressive Caucus Center: This is a good resource for understanding what is in the federal reconciliation bill Free Online Harvard Courses about U.S. Government Senator Krueger Testifies before the Rent Guidelines Board This week I submitted written testimony to the New York City Rent Guidelines Board strongly encouraging the Board to enact significantly lower guidelines than those they have proposed. Click Here to View Sen. Krueger's Testimony to the Rent Guidelines Board Senator Krueger Responds to Governor's Push to Build New Nuclear Plants in New York Earlier this week, Governor Hochul announced that she has directed the New York Power Authority to begin the planning process for the construction of one or more new nuclear power plants in New York State. I issued the following statement in response: "Building a robust, reliable, modern electric grid with sufficient capacity to affordably transition our economy away from fossil fuels is one of our most important tasks as a state over the next few decades. That is why it’s critical to answer several key questions before any significant public money is committed to developing new nuclear generation: Is it the most cost-effective use of our clean energy dollars, or would they be better spent building out proven, genuinely renewable technologies? Can the process of planning, siting, and building new facilities be completed in a short enough time frame to have a material impact on our short- and medium-term generation and emissions-reduction needs? Can the radioactive material be disposed of in a satisfactory way, or will New Yorkers be stuck dealing with more long-term storage sites like West Valley? Is there no alternative to nuclear, or are there other options to address renewable intermittency, like battery storage, pumped hydro, or geothermal storage? Can new nuclear be sited with full informed consent from impacted communities and avoid further burdening disadvantaged communities? "I have yet to see any real-world examples of new nuclear development for which all of these questions can be answered in the affirmative, and I am skeptical that I ever will. I will be keeping a close eye on the process that NYPA is undertaking to ensure that it is thorough, transparent, and unbiased, and responsive to New Yorkers’ input." Free Summer Activities Guide for 2025 My office has just released a guide to free summer activities around our district for people of all ages. Special thanks to two of our interns, Julia and Dylan, for their excellent work compiling the information and designing this guide. Click Here to View or Download the Summer No Fee Activities Guide Older Adult Benefits Clinic Free Summer Meals Starting June 27, 2025, and running through August 29, 2025 (no service on July 4), all children (18 years old and younger) will be eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch at sites across the City, including schools, parks, libraries, and pools, in all five boroughs. No identification or application is required and meals will be available Monday through Friday. Breakfast will be served from 8:00am to 9:15am and lunch will be served from 11:00am to 1:15pm at designated sites. For more details and a list of locations, please go to the NYC Public Schools Summer Meals Website: [link removed]. MTA Capital Plan Improvements in Our District I am happy to announce that the MTA recently released a revised capital plan memo and included information about some specific projects they are adding to their planned work. Eleven of these new projects are located in my Senate District. This work will help make public transit in the district more accessible to those with disabilities and older adults, will help speed up subway service, and will improve the overall rider experience by making subway stations cleaner and more pleasing to be in. This list is subject to change, but as of today, here are the projects we can expect to see in our district over the next few years:  Signal modernization on the N/Q/R/W lines New railcars for the B/D/N/W/1/6 trains. New accessibility projects at: 23 Street Station (1 train) 23 Street Station (C/E trains) A station renewal at the 51st Street Station (6 train). Elevator replacements at: 47-50 Street-Rockefeller Center 57 St-7 Avenue 59 St-Columbus Circle Times Square-42 Street Escalator replacements at: 34 Street-Herald Square (B/D/F/M trains) Lexington Avenue/53 Street (E/M trains) Lexington Avenue/59 Street (N/R/W trains) Roosevelt Island (F train) Times Square-42 Street (7 train) Communications systems upgrades at 16 stations Power improvements on the 6/E/F/M, and N/Q/R/W lines Structural repairs on the A/B/C/D, and B/D/F/M lines More subway structure repair work at Broadway-Seventh Avenue (1/2/3 train) and Lenox (2/3 train) lines. A new pump room project (which helps to prevent flooding in stations) at 74 Street/Lexington Avenue (4/5/6 trains) Marketplace Plan Premium Rate Increases for 2026 For those of you who have health insurance through the New York State Marketplace (ACA or Obamacare insurance), you have likely already received notification from your health insurance provider of the premium rate increase that is being requested for 2026. It is not unusual for health insurance providers to request an increase in premium rates, but the increases that have been requested by half of the individual plan providers are excessively high. The seven highest proposed premium rate increases are listed below. To view the complete list, as well as the list of proposed premium rate increases for small group policies, please click here to view the information on the NYS Department of Financial Services (DFS) website. Health Insurance Company Name Requested 2026 Rate Increase Oscar 17% Highmark (Formerly HealthNow) 23.9% Excellus 24.8% Aetna Life 36.4% UnitedHealthcare of NY Inc. 36.6% IHBC 38.4% UnitedHealthcare Ins Co NY 66.4% As you may be aware, DFS is the agency that is responsible for overseeing insurance companies, which includes evaluating proposed premium rate increases for health insurance each year. From DFS's website: "Under the prior approval statute, the Department may disapprove or modify an insurer’s request for a premium rate increase if it is unreasonable, excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory. Many factors are considered in making this determination. The Department reviews the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR), or past claims experience under the policy. The MLR reflects the cost of medical care and prescription drugs used by the policyholders in the previous year (the Department often reviews claims history more than one year back). The Department also reviews “utilization,” which is how often policyholders use medical services and prescription drugs, and how the insurer “trends” that claims experience and utilization into the future. The Department will also look at the insurer’s history of rate changes, its financial condition, administrative costs, profits and other sources of revenue, and any other factor the insurer uses to calculate its premium increase." If you are concerned about the proposed premium rate increase that your health insurance provider is requesting for 2026, the following are actions that are important for you to take right away: Call my office to express your concerns, and Submit a public comment to DFS, expressing your concerns about the proposed rate increase. DFS considers public comments when evaluating proposed rate increases, which is why it is critical that New Yorkers submit their comments. There are two ways that you can submit a public comment to DFS: The quickest way to submit your public comment is online. Please click here to complete the DFS web form. If you do not have access to the internet, please call my office and we will provide assistance with completing the web form. You can also submit a public comment by regular mail. Mail your public comment to following address: New York State Department of Financial Services One Commerce Plaza Albany, NY 12257 Finally, it is also important to contact your U.S. Representatives to express your concerns about the impact of Trump Administration policies. Part of the reason that the proposed rate increases are egregiously high is due to the Trump Administration's tariffs (which increases the cost of pharmaceuticals) and other regulatory changes that the Trump-Vance administration is making to ACA policy. For more information, please see this KFF article, this CBS News Article, and this NY Times article. Click Here to Submit A Public Comment Online Know the Signs of a Medicare Scam Medicare.gov has shared important information to help you identify the signs of a Medicare scam so that you can protect yourself. Medicare scammers try to get your personal information, such as your Medicare number, by reaching out and pretending to be a legitimate Medicare representative. If you receive a phone call, email, or text that includes messages such as the following, there is a very high likelihood that it is a scam: "You need to activate or renew your Medicare card." "We'd like to send you a free genetic testing kit." "Medicare has authorized us to send you a free (knee, back or elbow) brace." "You qualify for a refund on your Medicare costs." Keep in mind: Caller IDs and email addresses can be faked, so if you're not sure who is calling, do not provide any of your personal information. Instead, call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to ask if the outreach is legitimate. And remember, Medicare will never contact you unless you've contacted Medicare first. Remember, never give your Medicare card or number to anyone except your doctor or people you know should have it. For more information about Medicare scams, fraud, and abuse, please click here. If you are concerned about other types of scams, my office released a comprehensive guide last year to identifying and responding to a wide range of scams that is available online here. Click Here to Learn More about Medicare Scams, Fraud, and Abuse Manhattan Plan Public Survey The NYC Department of City Planning is conducting a survey to gather information on the Manhattan Plan, a plan to build 100,000 new homes across the borough. As the plan is developed over the coming months, the Department of City Planning wants to hear from you. Visit www.manhattanplan.nyc to take a short survey about your housing experiences, priorities, and ideas — including where new housing should go in Manhattan and what policy changes could help make it happen. At the end of the year, the City will publish a public report summarizing the ideas shared by New Yorkers—a toolkit of strategies to help create the housing our borough urgently needs. This is a great opportunity to help shape the future of housing in Manhattan. Make your voice heard! Click Here to Take the Manhattan Plan Survey NYC Urban Forest Plan The City of New York is developing its first Urban Forest Plan and is looking for your feedback. The plan will outline strategies to protect and equitably expand the city’s tree canopy. To ensure the plan addresses the needs, concerns, and strengths of all neighborhoods and communities, New Yorkers are being asked to fill out a short survey. Click here t0 share your input on the Urban Forest Plan. Visit urbanforestplan.nyc for more info. Broadway Vision Survey Since the 2009 Greenlight for Midtown, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) has worked in partnership with Business Improvement Districts and other community stakeholders to further enhance Broadway for pedestrians and cyclists. As part of this ongoing work, NYC DOT has developed a comprehensive vision for a vibrant and safe Broadway from Union Square to Columbus Circle which supports local business, community, and culture. Through a flexible toolkit, block types ranging from basic, to slow, to shared, to pedestrianized plazas can be organized to meet a variety of stakeholder needs, amplifying the public realm of each unique neighborhood while building a cohesive transportation network. As part of this vision, NYC DOT is working with 34th Street Partnership, Garment District Alliance, Times Square Alliance, local businesses, and other stakeholders to develop a design proposal for Broadway between 35th St. and 42nd St. Please take 10 minutes to complete this short survey—your feedback is greatly appreciated! Click Here to Complete the Broadway Vision Survey Pop-Up Cooling Station and Heat Health Info District Office: 211 East 43rd Street, Suite 2000 | New York, NY 10017 | (212) 490-9535 | Fax: (212) 499-2558 Albany Office: Capitol Building, Room 416 | Albany, NY 12247 | (518) 455-2297 | Fax: (518) 426-6874 Email: [email protected] | On the Web: krueger.nysenate.gov   Senator Liz Krueger | 211 E 43rd St #2000 | New York, NY 10017 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice