Covering the politics, policies and people of New York State government.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Department of Health today announced a public education campaign to make it clear abortions will remains legal and accessible in New York. The statewide campaign includes advertising across various media and a new […]
A new Siena poll finds that 76 percent of New York registered voters say a new law requiring a permit to get a semi-automatic rifle will be “good for New York.” For the same question, 14 percent of New York voters said the new law will be “bad for New […]
In the final hours of session, the Legislature passed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on cryptomining. Grassroots environmental advocates — with a coalition of elected officials, small business owners, and winemakers — successfully beat back millions of dollars in lobbying from the crypto industry. Advocates and Assembly member Anna Kelles, […]
The social activist group Citizen Action of New York has called the 2023 state budget “a betrayal of everyday New Yorkers,” and vowed to keep fighting for their priority programs and legislation until the end of session. “The budget is a moral document, because it is the clearest statement of […]
After the Clean Slate Act (S1553C/A6399B) was left out of the FY2023 budget, the Senate Codes Committee narrowly passed the bill on April 25, by a vote of 7-6, sending it to the Finance Committee for further consideration. It will be one of the more closely watched bills in the […]
The Senate Health Committee passed a bill that would create a temporary state commission with subpoena power to study the more than 15,000 deaths of New York state nursing home residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill (S.8285), sponsored by Sen. James Tedisco, R-Glenville, moved out of the Senate Health […]
New York Attorney General Letitia James held a virtual press conference on April 19 to announce the first round of payments from statewide opioid settlements for the Capital Region. The funds are the result of the $1.5 billion that James secured for New York so far as a result of […]
The Senate passed the Adult Survivors Act (S.66/A.648), sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Brad Hoylman and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. The legislation would create a one-year window for the revival of time-barred civil lawsuits based on sex crimes committed against individuals who were 18 years of age or older. On […]