Covering the politics, policies and people of New York State government.
Senator Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, announced legislation that would help New York’s frontline medical workers by granting them a tax deduction for both equipment they purchase and transportation expenses related to the virus pandemic. The legislation was introduced on April 15, which is traditionally the deadline for filing income taxes. But […]
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday the state will take a regional approach to reopening and will make decisions on which counties to open, and when they can open, based data specific to that area. While there are cases of COVID-19 in every New York county, it has been primarily concentrated […]
Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on the federal government Monday to increase funding for states to help with budget deficits, provide hazard pay to essential workers and fix problems with the national supply chain for testing equipment. Without adequate funding from the federal government, Cuomo believes the state will likely be […]
The state Department of Health has begun statewide antibody testing this week to determine the percentage of the population that is now immune to the virus, allowing more individuals to return to work. The testing will sample 3,000 people for a population of 19.5 million people. By comparison, Germany performed a […]
As New York hospitals, nursing homes and testing sites struggle with a lack of sufficient resources, the State University of New York and the City University of New York have banded together to create personal protective equipment for essential health care workers. With the help of 3D printers, campuses have […]
There’s New York City and there’s upstate New York. From what I can figure, Yonkers is where upstate starts. This is just another example of what we can call “we-they” syndrome. Human beings have always been territorial. That’s why people hire professionals to make sure that no one encroaches on […]
New York State’s Child Safe Products Act, also known as the “toxic toys bill,” was finalized as part of the the Enacted Fiscal Year 2021 budget and signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The law will require manufacturers to disclose chemicals of concern in children’s products and gives the state the […]
Despite layoffs, a loss of revenue and grim economic projections, a majority of upstate New York business owners agree that public health is the most important thing right now, and that the economy can wait. In a poll Sponsored by The Business Council of New York State, the Siena College […]