In 2022, Democrats’ poor performance in some of New York’s Congressional districts led to several republicans winning key seats. Then, the top issue was crime and, in some cases, the policies championed by the Democratic-led state legislature.

“The road to the majority in the House may go right through New York this time,” Lee Miringoff, the Marist Institute for Public Opinion’s poll director, said.

Knowing that the control of the U.S. House of Representatives could be decided in New York, some state lawmakers are especially aware of the policies they’re supporting or opposing in Albany this year.

That endgame is why some state elected officials told NY1: they are approaching next week’s end of the 2024 legislative session cautiously.

“I think New York voters think about what’s going to keep them safe and how to make their lives more affordable. That’s what drives me whenever I’m thinking about policy,” State Sen. Jessica Scarcella, a Staten Island Democrat, told NY1.

“There’s some really smart bills that should be tabled for the cycle. But I also think there’s an opportunity for us to take a step back in the off session, to look at some bills with more deliberation,” State Assemblyman Brian Cunningham, a Brooklyn Democrat, said.

All 213 seats in the legislature are up for grabs in November. Albany lawmakers are paying attention to the polls.

A recent Siena College survey showed more New York voters oppose, than favor, a bill that could double deposit fees to 10 cents per bottle or can.

“What is the impact going to be on the environment? And it’s important — there’s no doubt about that. However, at the same token, when you start getting into people’s households, whether it’s with their energy, whether it’s with what they do with their beer bottles, or their soda cans, or how their packages come, it takes a while to bring them along,” State Assemblyman John McDonald, an Albany Democrat, said.

“This is where it goes from a policy conversation to a political conversation,” McDonald added. “However, most people get caught up on doubling of the price, conversation’s over.”

The same poll also found voters oppose ditching fossil fuels for clean energy if it means a hit to their wallets.

“One strategy is to just kick it forward to after the session and after the election, so it’s a lot easier next spring to push some legislation which may or may not be popular with people’s districts back home,” Miringoff said.“It may make sense not to make sense not to give an opportunity for their opponent to clobber them on an issue.”

Also, top of mind: Congestion pricing.

Starting June 30, E-Z pass holders will be charged $15 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street. That price goes up to over $22 for non card-holders.

Brooklyn Democrat Brian Cunningham introduced a compromise bill that would cap the amount cars have to pay once the MTA reaches $1 million in revenue from the program.

“We will only allow cars to be charged once as they go and so [it] wouldn’t be this duplicative cost throughout the course of the day,” he told NY1.

Others are making their voices heard in court.

“If all of the sudden, you’re a Staten Islander, and your commute becomes wholly more expensive, you’re going to be pretty pissed off by the time you get to the ballot box,” Scarcella-Spanton said.
“So, I do want our voters to know that I’m adamantly opposed, and that I joined the lawsuit against congestion pricing to stop it in its tracks.”

Meanwhile, lawmakers must also decide on a package of bills that would restrict teens’ social media interactions.

And whether they will increase the number of red light cameras in the five boroughs and extend the program past its upcoming Dec. 1 deadline.