ALBANY- Despite speculation, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D, Bronx) says that there will be no special session of the State Assembly this fall. The state legislature, absent of a special session, will return to Albany in January 2024.
Heastie indicated he has no plans for a special session on a recent visit he made to Columbia County, which was part of a tour he takes around the state each year. Last week, Heastie was in Newburgh with Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson.
Speculation existed that the Assembly would return for special session to take up a gaming agreement with the Seneca Nation. The current gaming compact is set to expire on December 9th.
The State Senate already passed a bill in June to approve renewing the Seneca’s gaming compact, but the Assembly gaveled out for the year without taking up the measure. The Assembly was unable to come to an agreement on the extension of the agreement due to resistance from Rochester-based state lawmakers who expressed concerns over a new Seneca Nation casino in Rochester that was part of the deal.
Without special legislative session, lawmakers will be forced to take up the measure after its expiration in the new year.
