Albany, N.Y. (WBEN) - The final rush is on in Albany. The end of the 2024 state legislative session is fast approaching.
As lawmakers prepare to wrap things up later this week, analyst Jack O'Donnell of O'Donnell and Associates told WBEN one of the big fights is centered around an environmental bill called the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act.
The goal is to reduce New York’s use of plastic packaging by 50% over 12 years.
"It's targeted at lowering people's use of plastic and it would require companies that use single-use plastic packaging to find sustainable alternatives, or pay (a disposal fee)," he said.
There's also a big push for the Safe for Kids Act, a proposal that
cracks down on social media. This is a priority of Gov. Kathy Hochul.
It would require social media companies to restrict the addictive features on their platforms that can harm young users.
Hochul recently hosted a roundtable with students at Williamsville East High School about the challenges posed by social media.
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O'Donnell also said there's a lot of talk about a Medical Aid in Dying,
which would allow doctors to help terminally ill New Yorkers end their lives. It would be limited to individuals with less than six months to live, who are physically able to ingest life-ending medication of their own accord.
It is strongly opposed by the Catholic Church, among others.
O'Donnell does not expect it to pass.
The clock also appears to have run out on the New York Heat Act, a package of climate related bills that would reduce the state's reliance on fossil fuels.
"There are four scheduled days this week and there could be a fifth.
That's a lifetime in Albany," added O'Donnell.