Covering the politics, policies and people of New York State government.
Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo, R-New Suffolk, is introducing legislation to expand the Long Island Pine Barrens by approximately 800 acres, which will include the Mastic Woods and the lands surrounding the Old Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant. By crafting this legislation, Palumbo hopes to preserve the bucolic nature of the Long Island […]
Nearly 20 years ago, 32 year old Kendra Webdale was tragically pushed in front of a subway train by a man with untreated schizophrenia roaming the streets of New York City. Now, lawmakers are looking to pass a bill that would prevent Kendra’s Law, which provides services for the mentally […]
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, is sponsoring a bill (A.273) that will increase the age required to purchase cigarettes and other tobacco products from 18 to 21-years-old statewide. New York City and Suffolk, Albany, Schenectady, Chautauqua and Cortland counties already require tobacco purchasers to be 21 years old. Nassau and Onondaga […]
A bill introduced by Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, D-Ossining, and Senator David Carlucci, D-Clarkstown, would ban employers from inquiring about an applicant’s previous salary when applying or interviewing for a job. The bill (A6707, S5233) would prevent hiring managers from utilizing this information when determining a new employee’s wages, which legislators […]
For the first time in more than a generation, a sitting president has refused to release his tax returns to the public, even as a candidate. Former President Richard Nixon began the tradition for presidents to do so in 1969, and in 1973 Nixon told reporters, “People have […]
Using funds from banks that played a part in the national housing crisis, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced $20.9 million in new grants for 19 land banks statewide — programs aimed at putting abandoned properties back on the tax rolls. This brings the total funding to $57 million for such […]
For nearly 440,000 infertile New Yorkers and same-sex couples, gestational surrogacy is the only option for starting or growing a family. However, compensating a surrogate is illegal in New York, and there are no established legal grounds for the intended parents to have custody of their child at birth. A […]
Hoylman bill would have required full disclosure of tax documents to be on the general ballot in New York state Sponsor lashes out at republicans for “carrying the water” for President Trump The Senate Elections Committee on Monday defeated a bill that would require presidential candidates to release […]