On April 24, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the opening of a state facility in the Capital Region for the purpose of storing unreported sexual assault evidence kits, giving victims more time to prioritize recovering from the incident and plan their next move. This secure, climate controlled storage facility began accepting […]
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Hochul Signs Legislation Expanding Access to Reproductive Health Care
ALBANY, NY — On the first anniversary of the leak of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s draft that inevitably overturned the precedent set in Roe v. Wade, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed a pair of bills into law earlier today that fulfill her previous promises of protecting reproductive […]
Bill Would Prohibit Auto Insurers From Setting Rates Based on Credit Scores
On Wednesday April 26, New York lawmakers and consumer advocates called for legislation to end auto insurance pricing discrimination. According to a report released by the Consumer Federation of America, New York drivers pay substantial insurance premium penalties if they have fair or poor credit scores. Bill A.00843, introduced by […]
Court of Appeals Back to a Full Bench Following Two Confirmations
History was made in New York State’s Court of Appeals on Tuesday, April 18; Rowan Wilson – former associate judge – was chosen in a 40-19 vote to be the first person of color to serve as chief judge on the state’s highest court. Taking his spot as associate will […]
New Bail Laws, Higher Minimum Wage Included In ‘Conceptual’ Budget Agreement
After a month-long delay, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced a “conceptual agreement” on a $229 billion state budget for the 2024 fiscal year. The budget would hold State Operating Funds spending to under 3 percent in the coming fiscal year and would increase the state’s reserves to 15 percent, […]
Opinion: Criminal Justice Reform Must Fix New York’s ‘Career Criminal’ Issue
New York continues to lag the nation in job recovery but creating the new profession of “career criminal” is not the answer. Crime across the state, and particularly in New York City, has become completely entrenched in our daily lives. While the Assembly Minority Conference continues to push our counterparts […]
Anti-MAGA Group Urges Republican House Members to ‘Back Off Our Benefits’
Courage for America — a group of military veterans, educators, faith leaders, and community leaders from across the country who are pushing back against the far-right Make America Great Again agenda — stopped in Albany on Wednesday, April 12 to urge Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, and other MAGA Republican House […]
‘Denim Day’ Honors Sexual Assault Survivors
In observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, New York State is using the last Wednesday of April — April 26 — to recognize Denim Day, which was created in 1999. It began when a young woman in Italy was denied justice after the Italian Supreme Court stated that since “the […]