With just nine days left until the rent laws expire, negotiations are heating up in Albany as the real estate industry and tenant advocates jockey to influence lawmakers. Intense tenant protests on Tuesday outside the state assembly led to the arrest of 61 tenants from the Upstate-Downstate coalition. While dueling press releases from Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Speaker Carl Heastie attempt to shift the blame, Albany insiders say that the real three-way negotiations have only just begun.
Real estate lobbyists and tenant advocates are intensifying their efforts ahead of Tuesday, when the bills would have to be printed to make the June 15th deadline. That scenario is looking less and less likely, and that means we’re headed to The Big Ugly — an omnibus bill that would give Cuomo a seat at the table in the negotiations.
Reporters Georgia Kromrei and Kathryn Brenzel discussed what’s happened and what’s yet to come at the capitol. Check out the video above.