Where’s Kathy?

With help from Shawn Ness

THEY DON’T HAVE THE VOTES: Gov. Kathy Hochul remains missing since her last-minute decision to suspend congestion pricing via a video message Wednesday morning. And a legislative leader’s transatlantic vacation threatens to leave New Yorkers without a solution to the $1 billion hole for the nation’s largest transportation system as lawmakers head home this year.

Lawmakers continue to rally in Albany during the final hours of this year’s legislative session after the governor’s reversal of congestion pricing forced them to regain $1 billion in revenue lost from the fixed toll plan.

The problem is that they only have hours – not days – to solve this funding crisis. And an even bigger problem is that many of them don’t want to.

“The governor is pointing an unloaded gun at us and asking us to give her the ammunition to shoot us and our constituents,” Senator Julia Salazar said in a statement.

At least two solutions to close the financing gap have already failed to achieve their goals. An eleventh-hour plan to raise taxes on New York City businesses died Thursday after lawmakers immediately rejected it. Another proposal was panned this morning after it became clear there was not enough support. Prominent Democrats, including Manhattan Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Queens Sen. Jessica Ramos, said they would not vote for the second idea to dip into the state’s general fund and provide $1 billion a year as a guarantee against a bond.

Now Democratic legislative leaders are trying to come up with a third solution for which they can rally support before they go home. Lawmakers are determined to leave Albany at dawn tomorrow — and they won’t be back until January. (House Speaker Carl Heastie is said to have booked a jet ticket to Europe tomorrow.)

When asked repeatedly about his trip abroad — making it almost certain that the House of Representatives will not have time to resolve the issue tomorrow — Heastie did not deny his trip to reporters. He then turned to your Playbook reporter and snapped, “Where are you going tomorrow?”

And in the midst of it all, the governor has locked herself behind closed doors, refusing to answer questions or face the public after making one of the most consequential policy decisions of her tenure.

But she can’t hide forever. That’s on the plan make a fundraising appearance at a brunch sponsored by Saratoga County Democrats on Saturday prior to the Belmont Stakes.

“It’s wrong that she doesn’t answer questions,” Ramos said. “It would be really disappointing if she avoids the public unless people donate.”

Another lawmaker offered a similar position: “If [Hochul] If she really believed that her betrayal of congestion pricing was popular, you’d think she’d brag about it. Instead she hides,” Assemblymember Emily Gallagher posted on X.

Hochul’s political and government communications teams did not respond to Playbook’s requests for comment. —Jason Beeferman

A PURRFECT END TO THE SESSION? Both Houses of the Legislature are introducing a bill to ban the surgical devocalization of cats and dogs.

“It is a gruesome practice to literally rip the vocal cords out of an animal because you don’t like the sound they make,” said Senate sponsor Mike Gianaris. “Anyone who is willing to do that to their pets doesn’t deserve to have a pet.”

The bill was passed by the Senate this afternoon. An Assembly version, sponsored by Ken Zebrowski, passed through committee in recent days; Zebrowski says he “hopes to get it done” before the House is done in the next few hours.

“Devocalization is a convenience operation that can cause long-term harm to the animals affected and does not address the root cause of the barking,” says Brian Shapiro of the Humane Society of the United States. “It is an animal in need, and this type of convenience surgery is not in the best interest of the animal.” –Bill Mahoney

– FOLLOW THE UNEXPECTED LEADER: State lawmakers want to import drugs in bulk from Canada, a move Florida Governor Ron DeSantis implemented in his home state earlier this year. The state wants to import medicines to treat diseases such as HIV and AIDS, various mental illnesses and prostate cancer. (POLITICS Pro)

– NY HEAT ON ICE?: Lawmakers in the Assembly are still looking to pass the NY HEAT Act, which could result in a “Big Ugly” omnibus bill. Many lawmakers are cautiously optimistic that the bill will pass, but have concluded that it won’t be anywhere close to what it originally looked like. (State of politics)

— AMMO FOLLOW: In line with Hochul’s emphasis on public safety, lawmakers want to introduce a bill that would allow credit card companies to track gun and ammunition purchases. But it is still unclear whether Hochul will sign the bill if it passes the General Assembly today. (Times Union)