Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie Has Been Dating a Legislative Lobbyist
While Heastie privately pledged to avoid meetings with relevant interests, lobbyist Rebecca Lamorte has sought to keep representing them before the Assembly, according to her employer’s attorney.
Update: March 14, 2024 — This story has been updated to include responses to a question that Devoe, the Empire State Development spokesperson, answered after publication. Devoe added that Lamorte answered “yes” when asked whether she was a lobbyist with business before state government, but ESD did not publish that information. ESD declined to provide New York Focus with a copy of its form, citing concerns about personal information.
New Yorkers for Local Businesses has spent half a million dollars trying to kill a bill to help workers recover stolen wages. Almost all its backers appear to own McDonald’s franchises.
In New York, unemployment recipients can be found guilty of fraud even if they thought their information was true. The state demands repayment at the highest rate in the country.
New York’s Equal Rights Amendment would enshrine the right to abortion in the state. A judge threw it off the ballot for the fall, but an appeal is expected.