The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is facing the worst financial crisis of its history, expecting to lose up to $8.5 billion this year because of the coronavirus, MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick Foye said. The MTA has received nearly $4 billion from the federal coronavirus relief bill, also known as the […]
Month: April 2020
Starting Friday, executive order requires everyone to wear a mask in public
The governor has issued an executive order requiring all people in New York to wear a mask or a face covering in public situations where social distancing cannot be maintained, such as on public transportation and in stores. The order goes into effect on Friday, April 17. The decision to […]
State releases number of COVID-19 deaths at nursing homes and adult-care facilities
State officials released the first county-level data on COVID-19 related deaths in nursing homes and adult care facilities. As of April 14, there have been 3,060 nursing home and adult care facility deaths in the state. Both Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York Health Department Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said there is […]
Some lawmakers say finishing session is more important than ever
Although the state Legislature met remotely at the end of March and beginning of April to complete the FY 2021 budget, there is still a big question mark about the remainder of the session. At this time, it is unclear whether they will continue to meet remotely when the legislative […]
Republican senators urge Cuomo to un-freeze scheduled pay raises for essential employees
Since Gov. Andrew Cuomo deferred a scheduled pay increase for state workers, members of the state Senate Republican Conference are calling for an exemption of the deferment for state essential employees on the frontline of the pandemic. The would-be 2-percent salary increase for unionized state employees was meant for those […]
New York budget moves forward with ban of fentanyl analogs to curb opioid overdoses
Fentanyl analogs will be added to the list of controlled substances in the New York state 2021 budget, giving law enforcement authority to prosecute makers, sellers and users of the drugs in an effort to combat fentanyl-opioid related deaths. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid prescribed to treat severe pain. […]
Budget includes compromise on bail reform and judicial discretion
As part of the new state budget adopted earlier this month, the governor and state lawmakers rolled back some of the controversial pre-trial justice reforms that went into effect on January 1, reinstating bail for many crimes and giving judges more options to use it. Bail reform was a divisive […]
Federal and state governments must work together; no time for politics, says Cuomo
In response to President Trump’s recent comments about having absolute control over re-starting the economy, and then a string of tweets about ungrateful and mutinous governors, Gov. Andrew Cuomo expressed the importance of a positive federal-state relationship to fight COVID-19 in his Tuesday press conference. In a Tuesday morning tweet, […]