January 17, 2025
First, some good news: President Biden announced today that he would commute the sentences of nearly 2,500 inmates serving long prison terms for nonviolent drug offenses, the broadest commutation of individual sentences ever issued by a U.S. president.
The commutations are for offenders who received harsher sentences for drug crimes than they would under current practices, a move aimed at reversing longstanding criminal justice disparities, Mr. Biden said. Those disparities disproportionately affected Black people and fueled mass incarceration, many experts say.
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Opinion piece in today’s Albany Times Union from Christine Khaikin, Senior Staff Attorney at the Legal Action Center, regarding substance use disorder system priorities going forward.
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(NYT, 1/17/25)Maine, like many states, is struggling with the tragic consequences of the opioid addiction crisis. And there’s an unfortunate correlation between addiction and incarceration: More than half of individuals in America’s jails have a substance abuse disorder. Our society largely doesn’t view jail as a place that initiates a path to recovery and healing, but the Somerset County Jail in Madison, Maine, is showing us what that could look like.Until three years ago, Somerset County was using more traditional methods to treat opioid addiction in its jail, administering a daily pill (commonly known as methadone or suboxone) to inmates. It worked — somewhat — but ultimately proved unreliable. Jail is an incredibly difficult setting in which to administer daily medication. So the local sheriff, guided by his conviction that the authorities had a responsibility to save their neighbors, asked Alane O’Connor, an addiction medicine specialist, to find a solution. She turned to an alternative medicine she had been using in her community practice since 2017: Sublocade.
Her pilot program became a game changer for the jail — a story we tell in a new episode of “The Opinions.” There’s no silver bullet for addiction healing. But as O’Connor’s work makes clear, bringing innovative treatments to the incarcerated can do a lot more good than punitive thinking. “I’ve never, ever met anyone who said ‘I want to grow up and be addicted to drugs and end up in jail,’” O’Connor says in the episode. And yet, she continues, “I think society believes that patients can just make the choice to stop using tomorrow, and if they don’t have the appropriate medical treatment, that’s just a totally unreasonable expectation.”
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The state Legislature welcomed 24 new lawmakers from nearly every region of New York. With the legislative session just getting started, each one hopes to create their own legacy, pass bills and address the priorities of their regions. Meet the class of 2025!
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NYC: Mayor’s Budget Proposal Released Yesterday
Mayor Eric Adams unveiled a $114.5 billion NYC budget Thursday afternoon. In contrast to last year, the Democratic mayor isn’t planning any budget cuts — a shift aided by $3.2 billion more in better-than-expected revenue between the current fiscal year and the one beginning July 1. The Citizens Budget Commission, which pushes for fiscal restraint and transparency, said the problem (with the NYC budget) is bad and that the Mayor’s budget essentially obfuscates the true fiscal condition of the City. CBC states that the Adams administration has $4 billion in unaccounted-for costs in the upcoming fiscal year alone, according to its math.
(from a Politico Pro article this morning):
“Mayor Adams’ [budget] is largely as expected: a lackluster proposal, full of budget gimmicks that fails to address the City’s deeper budget challenges head on,” City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is running against Adams in the 2025 Democratic primary, said in a statement.
Lander pegged the under-budgeted costs at around $3 billion — a sum roughly equal to the revenue windfall.
And the Citizens Budget Commission, which pushes for fiscal restraint and transparency, said the problem is even worse. The Adams administration has $4 billion in unaccounted-for costs in the upcoming fiscal year alone, according to its math.
“New Yorkers deserve a clear picture of the City’s finances, including overtime, housing vouchers, and homeless shelters,” CBC President Andrew Rein said in a statement. “Hard choices and better management are needed to improve New Yorkers’ quality of life.”
That chronic under-budgeting, the organization argued, means the city’s outyear gaps are around double the $4 billion to $5 billion Adams is projecting.
And the council, which bested the mayor during the last round of budget negotiations by calling his bluff on revenue figures, is likely to fight for its own priorities. Speaker Adrienne Adams cited $112 million for early childhood education and $10.8 million for the “Fair Fares” program as programs the council will fight for. That dynamic could further complicate the embattled mayor’s reelection bid ahead of the June 24 primary.”
Adams proposes reduction in public health spending, investments in new mental health strategies
Ethan Geringer-Sameth, Crain’s Health Pulse, 1/17/25
Mayor Eric Adams unveiled a $114.5 billion preliminary budget proposal on Thursday, which cuts overall public health spending while adding new funds for a recently announced five-year plan aimed at providing shelter and mental health services to homeless New Yorkers.
While city funding for the Health Department and public hospital system declined, the proposal includes new funding for low-barrier shelter beds, a temporary housing pilot program for people leaving psychiatric care and health clinics for people in custody in the city jail system. It also revises the current fiscal year’s spending in multiple areas, including more money for school nurses and supportive housing – units with attached social services geared toward people at risk of homelessness.
The announcement is the mayor’s first salvo on the city’s next spending plan, kicking off a months-long negotiation process with the City Council ahead of the July 1 start of Fiscal Year 2026. It comes as he faces headwinds from federal bribery and conspiracy charges and a growing list of politically connected opponents in the race for mayor this year.
Overall, Adams’s proposed Health Department spending is $646 million less than what is budgeted in the current fiscal year. Some of that money will likely be added back over the course of the year, said Ana Champeny, vice president of research at fiscal watchdog Citizens Budget Commission.
The city’s funding for New York City Health + Hospitals also declined by about $401 million between the current budget and the mayor’s new proposal. That does not include operating revenue from patient services and other sources, which go directly to the public hospital system.
The preliminary budget includes $137 million of a $650 million plan to address the unmet mental health needs of homeless New Yorkers in Fiscal Year 2026. That plan, unveiled in Adams’ State of the City address last week, calls for 900 new “safe haven” beds – temporary shelter slots with fewer restrictions than traditional beds – which would bring the city’s total to 4,900.
It also includes money for a temporary housing facility to be operated by the public hospital system, which will provide private rooms and on-site behavioral health and medication services to people exiting a psychiatric hospital stay. That program is expected to begin accepting patients in Fiscal Year 2027, said Dr. Mitchell Katz, president and CEO of New York City Health + Hospitals.
Of the new spending on homelessness, $32 million will go toward a new high-security health clinic at H+H’s Woodhull Medical Center for people in city custody that is scheduled to open in Fiscal Year 2027.
Some of the $137 million money will pay for 100 new shelter beds for runaway youth, which would bring that total to 913, and a pilot voucher program to help expecting parents in the shelter system find permanent housing.
The plan also adjusts the Fiscal Year 25 budget, which runs through June, by close to $2.6 billion in additional program spending, offset by close to $1.1 billion in savings, according to budget documents. That includes more than $200 million for school nurses, with $129 million going to the education department and another $96.2 million for school nurses in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s program. Another $64.2 million will go to supportive housing.
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Patrick Wildes ’16, Former Human Services Leader in NY Governor’s Office, to Lead Albany Law School’s Government Law Center
Albany Law School has announced that Patrick Wildes will serve as the new Director of Albany Law School’s Government Law Center (GLC).
Before joining Albany Law School, Wildes, an attorney and career public servant, spent nearly five years in the New York State Governor’s Office, most recently as Assistant Secretary for Human Services and Mental Hygiene. He is a member of the Albany Law School Class of 2016.
“We are thrilled to welcome Patrick Wildes as the new Director of Albany Law School’s Government Law Center,” said Cinnamon Carlarne, President and Dean of Albany Law School. “Patrick is a dynamic field leader who brings a depth of experience in government law, a deep and proven commitment to public service, and a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm to the position. As a proud Albany Law alumnus and committed public servant, Patrick understands and embraces the unique and essential role that the Government Law Center plays in the lives of our students, our community, our state, and beyond. Under his leadership, I am confident that the Government Law Center will thrive and continue to be a hub for learning, collaboration, and leadership on some of the most important issues of our time.”
“It is an incredible honor to lead the Government Law Center. As a proud graduate of Albany Law School, longtime Capital Region resident, and passionate public servant, I know the critical role the GLC plays in government,” Wildes said. “I look forward to building upon the Government Law Center’s rich legacy by training the next generation of leaders in the public sector and cultivating important dialogue and analysis on some of the most pressing issues of our time.”
The GLC was established in 1978 and serves as a bridge between government and academia, providing diverse services to government leaders, public officials, students and the community. For more than 40 years, the Government Law Center has been an essential source for the nonpartisan legal research and analysis that state and local governments need to better serve their communities. The GLC brings together a diverse and inclusive group of lawyers, students, scholars, and community partners, and prepares students for careers as skilled and leading attorneys in public service.
“Since his graduation from Albany Law School, Patrick Wildes has demonstrated his dedication to our institution by devoting significant time serving on the National Alumni Association and mentoring our students. “His ability to forge strong connections, coupled with his dedication to public service, will serve the Government Law Center and Albany Law School well. Pat is an intelligent, hard-working professional with a passion for policy and upholding the rule of law, as well as an unwavering compassion for the greater good,” said The Honorable Leslie E. Stein ’81, former Associate Judge of the New York Court of Appeals who served as GLC director for nearly three years. “I look forward to witnessing Pat’s success in this leadership role, and I know he will be a significant asset to the Government Law Center and will continue to enhance the GLC’s impact upon our students and our community.”
In his most recent role with the Governor’s Office, Wildes managed the operations of several state agencies, including the Office of Mental Health and the Office of Addiction Services and Supports. He played a critical role in the formulation and execution of the Governor’s human services policy agenda, and was a key player in the implementation of the Governor’s significant investments of over $1 billion into New York State’s mental health system. Wildes also previously served as a FOIL Attorney in the Governor’s Office, where he advised on risk and compliance matters.
Earlier in his career, he served in several legal roles at the New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. In these capacities, he represented the state in legal proceedings and advised on investigations related to the protection of vulnerable New Yorkers.
Wildes holds a Juris Doctor from Albany Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Skidmore College. He is actively involved in the community, having served in AmeriCorps, on the law school’s National Alumni Association Board, and as a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region.
Wildes follows The Honorable Leslie E. Stein ’81, who served as GLC director for nearly three years following her retirement as Associate Judge on the New York Court of Appeals. Judge Stein retired from the law school in June 2024.
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