Although it was Senate Republicans who pulled the plug on a special legislative session this week, many Assembly Democrats are blaming Governor Cuomo. They believe Cuomo went back on deal that would have granted them their first legislative pay increase in 18 years. State House Reporter Zack Fink explains this dynamic, and why Cuomo may be facing a rebellion in his own party.
After plans for a special legislative session fell through, and with it lawmakers' chances of receiving their first pay raise since 1999, many Assembly Democrats are directing their ire at Governor Cuomo.
"How do we possibly negotiate with the Executive branch not knowing if any bill that we do going forward is really being negotiated in good faith or will he undermine something in the future," said Queens Assemblyman Mike Dendekker.
In 2015, Cuomo and legislative leaders agreed to create an independent commission to approve pay raises. But when it came time to vote last month, Governor Cuomo's appointees to the Commission refused to participate, killing a pay increase.
Cuomo then tried to cull together a special voting session before the end of the calendar year so that lawmakers could vote themselves a pay raise - and Cuomo could push other legislation as well.
"Special session is not like a normal legislative session," Cuomo said. "You can't go to Albany and discuss over a period of days and issue to come to resolution. You have to have all resolved before. So it's just harder to execute."
But plans for that special session collapsed when Senate Republican Leader John Flanagan pulled the plug. Now Democrats say Cuomo never should have intervened with the pay commission to begin with.
"He the meddles with the commission, and then tries to hold us hostage and basically blackmail us into doing work that needs to be discussed and talked about," Assemblyman Dendekker said.
Cuomo lays the blame with Republicans.
In a text message to Democratic Assembly members over the weekend, a Cuomo Administration official wrote, "Happy Holidays! Best to you and yours. How do you feel about Flanagan blowing up the deal?"
In a statement, a Cuomo administration official says, "The Governor wouldn't support a pay raise unless the legislature did the people business and we make no apology for seeking comprehensive ethics reform as part of that -- a position shared by a vast majority of New Yorkers. If they wants a pay raise let them come back raise their hand and vote for it. The real problem on a raise is the senate won't vote for it, republicans or democrats, and that's why it's not passing."
Lawmakers were expected to take up a number of other bills during the special legislative session in addition to the pay raise which included expanding Uber upstate and authorizing a hate crimes task force. It remains to be seen whether the same level of enthusiasm exists for those other bills when the Governor and legislators return to the Capitol just next week for the new legislative session, or if that enthusiasm dampens now that a pay raise is off the table.