Housing has sucked up much of the oxygen in ongoing state budget negotiations, but another disagreement between the governor and lawmakers remains unresolved: whether to toughen penalties around shoplifting.
Gov. Kathy Hochul put retail theft at the center of her policy agenda this year, amid data showing that shoplifting has risen in New York in recent years even as it has fallen in other parts of the country. Most notably, her budget proposal called for making it a felony to assault a retail worker — a provision that is facing resistance in the state Legislature.
“I just don’t believe raising penalties is ever a deterrent on crime,” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said last month. He spoke for many in the Democratic-controled Legislature, which has generally opposed Hochul’s prior attempts to toughen criminal penalties and roll back parts of the state’s 2019 bail reform laws.
The disagreement has helped delay the state budget well past its April 1 due date, although Hochul and other officials have indicated that a deal might be within reach.
Hochul’s other proposals include making it illegal to aid the sale of stolen products online, funding a $25 million State Police deployment to investigate “organized retail theft rings,” and giving a combined $15 million to local prosecutors’ offices and police departments to combat shoplifting. Hochul would also set aside $5 million to create a $3,000 tax credit for small businesses that spend money on anti-shoplifting measures.
State Senate leaders have voiced support for some of those plans, like the tax credit and the penalty for online sales, while the Assembly said little about the issue in its official budget proposal. But the increased penalty for assault in particular has been a sticking point.
“The retail theft problem is a national problem,” said Assemblyman Harvey Epstein of Manhattan. “I’m optimistic that we’ll do something that’ll be impactful.”
Hochul’s push has won support from some business leaders. Leaders of the Five Borough Jobs Campaign — a coalition that includes business improvement districts, the city’s chambers of commerce and the Real Estate Board of New York — has called on the Legislature to fully back Hochul’s package, saying shoplifting has eaten into the bottom lines of the city’s small business owners. The Retail Council of New York State, an industry group, has also praised the governor’s plan and has reported lobbying lawmakers on related issues.
Another supporter of the tougher penalties is Mayor Eric Adams, who has urged state lawmakers to approve Hochul’s package. He said last week that he disagreed with Heastie’s assertion that harsher penalties would not deter crime.
“What it does, and what I believe it should do, it keeps dangerous people off our streets,” Adams said of the proposed felony charge.
Nick Garber , 2024-04-09 22:39:22
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