The top Democrat in the New York state Assembly is throwing cold water on a published report this week that says lawmakers are preparing for a return to Albany for a special session this fall.
A story this week from The Daily Gazette in Schenectady said that several members of the Assembly indicated a special session was being discussed before a gaming compact with the Seneca Nation expires on December 9.
But Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie didn’t give any indication that would happen, at least not when he was asked by reporters about that possibility on Tuesday.
“Um, no, I think at this point, listen, it’s only (August), we haven’t had any discussions about coming back,” Heastie say during a visit to Columbia County Tuesday.
The potential for a new Seneca Nation casino in Rochester had initially been part of the negotiations between the Senecas and New York state as they worked on coming up with a new gaming compact.
But local state lawmakers pushed back on that idea, and in June, Heastie had said with that reaction and the potential loss of union jobs, the Assembly could not move forward with a vote on a new gaming compact at that time.
In any case, The Daily Gazette story quoted a source in the state Senate as saying they are not currently considering returning to Albany for a special session this year since the Senate in June already passed a bill to move forward with plans to renew the gaming compact.
This story includes reporting by WAMC in Albany.
