ALBANY – Meeting Speaker Carl Heastie torpedoed a bipartisan invoice that may have commemorated the horrific Oct. 7, 2023 assault on Israel.
The Bronx pol went to extraordinary lengths Friday to make sure that the measure wouldn’t make it to the Meeting ground for a vote, stacking a committee with compliant Democratic allies who’d vote to scuttle it, sources mentioned.
The invoice, sponsored by Republican Assemblyman Lester Chang, would have enshrined Oct. 7 alongside different days of commemoration within the Empire State, corresponding to “Rosa Parks Day” and “Susan B. Anthony Day.”
Sources prompt that Heastie, essentially the most highly effective Democrat within the Meeting, seemingly didn’t need a invoice with a Republican as its major sponsor attain the ground for a vote — despite the fact that a lot of Dems co-sponsored it.
“It shouldn’t be controversial simply because I’m a Republican,” mentioned Chang (R-Brooklyn).
“It’s ugly. It’s damaging. It’s hurtful for either side,” Chang mentioned of Heastie’s actions, including, “And it’s vital that we bear in mind 1,200 victims.”
The transfer to kill the Oct. 7 invoice follows chaotic behind-the-scenes drama that unfolded this week when Heastie permitted placing up a decision honoring Palestinian Individuals onto the ground earlier than yanking it on the final minute.
The decrease chamber’s methods and means committee additionally killed a invoice by Assemblyman Ari Brown (R-Nassau) that may’ve required New York faculties to show about Oct. 7, along with making it a day of commemoration like Chang’s measure.
Brown, who’s Jewish, accused the Democrats of “veiled antisemitism.”
“Albany’s legislature is rotten with veiled antisemitism, and their sabotage of my invoice, A06557, to honor October seventh victims and battle hate, is proof,” Brown mentioned.
“If this had been a invoice for the Black or Hispanic group, it could’ve handed with reward and fanfare. This isn’t simply obstruction; it’s a vile, calculated betrayal of Jews as a minority, letting hatred win with their cowardly techniques.”
Different lawmakers piled on condemning the Democrats’ allegedly craven — or worse — motivations.
“It’s notably disheartening to see a invoice held for purely political causes,” mentioned Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Nassau), the highest GOP lawmaker on the methods and means committee.
“These payments are designed to make sure we bear in mind the atrocities of October 7, 2023 and assist fight antisemitism, neither of which ought to ever be partisan or political.”
The Oct. 7, 2023 assaults by terrorist group Hamas and Israel’s subsequent battle in Gaza have roiled New York politics and uncovered bitter rifts amongst Democrats.
The divide might be clearly seen in New York Metropolis’s mayoral race, the place old-school Democrat Andrew Cuomo has offered himself as a steadfast supporter of Israel and its battle in opposition to Hamas.
Cuomo is the competition’s frontrunner, however Israel critic Zohran Mamdani — a Democratic socialist Meeting member from Queens — is nipping at his heels.
Many progressive Dems and leftists have claimed Israel’s actions quantity to genocide in opposition to Palestinians. Professional-Israel advocates have mentioned that stance is antisemitic.
One high-ranking Democratic Massive Apple lawmaker mentioned uniting over commemorating the 1,200 victims and dozens of hostages nonetheless being held by Hamas ought to be a no brainer.
“There ought to be no controversy of a day commemorating the biggest slaughter of Jews because the Holocaust,” the lawmaker mentioned.
The invoice’s highway to legislative purgatory started when methods and means committee Chair and high Heastie lieutenant Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-Westchester) introduced that 4 common members of the panel could be substituted by different, “appearing” members.
The 4 members included one Jewish lawmaker and one other who res a district with a major Jewish inhabitants, in addition to Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D-Brooklyn), would’ve voted in opposition to killing it, her spokesperson mentioned.
However the spokesperson famous that Bichotte Hermelyn would’ve most popular the invoice had a Democratic sponsor.
Chang mentioned that he’d be keen to let a Democrat take over because the invoice’s sponsor if it meant passing it.
Substitutions on committees aren’t remarkable, however the maneuver is often made to spare a member from making a tricky vote or when management expects a few of its members to vote out of line, as occurred Friday.
A number of Democrats – Assemblymembers Ed Braunstein, William Colton, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Nily Rozic, Rebecca Seawright, and Amanda Septimo and David Weprin, who’re all from New York Metropolis – broke from their social gathering to help the commemoration invoice.
“Nobody ought to use Oct. seventh as a political pawn. We owe the 56 hostages and their households greater than that,” Rozic mentioned.
The sudden switcheroo on the commemoration invoice committee got here after Heastie additionally put the kibosh on a decision honoring Palestinian Individuals, sponsored by lefty Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher (D-Brooklyn), earlier this week.
Tens of hundreds of such resolutions are handed by the Meeting yearly, and are often not controversial.
A replica of the draft decision obtained by The Publish signifies it could have learn that “Palestinian Individuals in New York are more and more concerned in advocacy, activism, and civil rights work, notably associated to Center Japanese points, anti-racism, and immigrants.”
Sources mentioned Heastie allowed the decision onto the ground with strict directions for Gallagher to maintain her remarks particular to it, which means he didn’t need her to opine on the Israel-Gaza battle.
However Heastie caught wind that that Republicans had been going to name for a roll name vote — which means each member must be recorded as voting in help or in opposition to her decision — a extremely uncommon, if not completely remarkable transfer, sources conversant in the backroom dealings mentioned.
Heastie then pulled the measure, in order to keep away from any drama on the Meeting ground.
A spokesperson for Heastie didn’t return a request for remark.
— Further reporting by Matt Troutman
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