ALBANY — State leaders cleared a logjam of controversial bills yesterday — from rent regulation to property-tax caps — and set the stage for a face-off over gay marriage in what will be the finale of an already historic legislative session.
Gov. Cuomo and legislative leaders announced the breakthroughs that will extend and expand rent regulations for 1 million city apartments, raise tuition at state and city universities, and create tax caps for suburban and upstate homeowners.
Deals on the legislation were needed before Senate Republicans would decide on when and if to bring gay marriage to a vote in the chamber, where the bill is still one vote short of the 32 needed to make New York the sixth and largest state to allow same-sex nuptials.
While gay marriage could come up as early as today, Senate insiders predicted the earliest a vote would be taken would be Thursday — if the GOP permits it.
“The people are entitled to a vote on this issue. Let the elected officials stand up and say yea or nay,” Cuomo said last night. “That’s how democracy works. I believe there will be a vote, and I’m cautiously optimistic it will pass.”
In the meantime, Cuomo continues to negotiate greater protections for religious groups sought by Skelos as lobbying over the issue went into high gear yesterday.
Conservative Party boss Mike Long repeated his threat to pull his support from Republicans backing same-sex marriage while backers of the bill manned phone banks last night to flood lawmakers with calls of support for the measure.
Cuomo hailed yesterday’s agreements, saying: “We’re making good progress on a lot of fronts. I think we have a good strategy for the close-out of the people’s business and the end of the legislative session.”
The “tentative framework agreement” between Cuomo and legislative leaders called for the first in crease to tenant protections in nearly three dec ades and would raise the monthly rent threshold above which land lords can escape price controls from $2,000 to $2,500.
It would also raise the annual household-income limit from $175,000 to $200,000 and re duce the rent hikes owners can apply after reno vations or vacan cies in apartments.
In return, As sembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) agreed to pass the 2-percent cap on rural and suburban property taxes proposed by Cuomo and sought by Skelos, who favored only a bare extension of existing rent laws.
The trio also agreed to allow SUNY and CUNY to raise tuition by $300 annually for the next five years, replacing, in CUNY’s case, $40 million the institution was shorted in this year’s budget.
The rent proposal fell far short of the massive expansion tenant groups and their allies among Silver’s Assembly majority hoped they could get. Michael McKee of Tenants PAC called the bill an “unmitigated disaster.”
Silver had sought “decontrol” thresholds of $3,000 a month and $300,000 annually and wanted them adjusted for inflation. He also wanted to repeal or roll back late-1990s provisions that allow landlords to raise rents on vacant units.
“The days of pushing are over,” Silver said. “The alternative is expiration or enhancement, and I think it’s a significant enhancement.”
Additional reporting by Fredric U. Dicker