New legislation ensuring the collection of information on New Yorkers involved in hate crimes has passed in the Senate Finance Committee as of Monday, March 1. As hate crimes against Asian-American and Pacific Islander citizens reach all time highs in the state, legislators are taking action to ensure safety for […]
Policy
State to use undercover “renters” to seek out housing discrimination
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a program of undercover testers and new regulations to root out discrimination in real estate. The undercover program will be administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal, the state’s affordable housing agency, which will partner with nonprofit groups to dispatch trained fair-housing testers to […]
Coalition says more children’s mental health services needed during the pandemic
With the coronavirus pandemic reaching its one-year anniversary, the impact on the mental health of many Americans has been monumental. People are losing their loved ones, their jobs, their businesses, their educational opportunities, their social contacts, and more. A coalition of groups, which has an ally in Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, […]
Ulster County offers Kingston High School field house as a state vaccination center
Ulster County has offered to become a joint state-county COVID vaccination distributor after members of the County Legislature sent a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo on February 26. “Ulster County stands ready to partner with the state to serve as a vaccine distribution center at the Kate Walton Field House […]
New app will help reopen music, arts and sports venues
With sporting events slowly starting to allow limited fan attendance, New York State is preparing to expand that to arts and entertainment venues. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that events, arts and entertainment venues can begin to reopen at 33 percent capacity starting April 2. These venues will be up […]
New poll shows widespread mistrust of how nursing home deaths were reported
A new Quinnipiac poll released Thursday shows that three-quarters of New York registered voters believe Governor Andrew Cuomo did something wrong when it comes to his handling of the way nursing home deaths during the coronavirus pandemic were reported. A slim majority of voters — 51 percent — say they […]
Tonko hopes to streamline response to mental health, substance abuse crisis with new bill
Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, is co-sponsoring legislation that would give the federal government more say over how mental health treatments are regulated and administered in all 50 states. Previously, the federal government had a more hands-off approach to the treatment of mental illness and substance abuse. They would provide necessary […]
Cuomo apologizes, said he is not stepping down
In his first public appearance in a week, and his first since three women have accused him of sexual harassment, Gov. Andrew Cuomo stated he will not be stepping down and he intends to push forward with budget negotiations, the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, and fixing the precarious economy […]