Covering the politics, policies and people of New York State government.
On March 8 — International Women’s Day — the group One Fair Wage held a flash mob and rally to increase tipped workers’ wages in the state Capitol. Restaurant workers and their supporters orchestrated a 75-person flash mob as part of a rally on wages at the Million Dollar Staircase […]
Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages and Sen. James Sanders have introduced a bill to prevent the use of the app TikTok on state-owned devices. The bills (S.508/A.03317) would prevent anyone — employee or contractor — from using or accessing TikTok on any government issued device that can connect to the internet, whether […]
The SeeThroughNY database — the largest single depository for information on New York state salaries and spending — published new 2022 payroll details for employees that worked for the state’s executive, legislative and judicial branches. The database is published by the Empire Center, an Albany-based think tank focused on making sure […]
In the wake of a Texas federal court ruling against access to the pregnancy-ending drug Mifepristone, New York lawmakers and health care experts met for a virtual press conference Tuesday to promise uninterrupted access to reproductive health care, including abortion, in the state of New York. Dipal Shah, the executive […]
In the recent days, there has been an unfortunate increase in false reports of active shooter incidents at schools across New York. The Ballston Spa School district for example, had a report that led to a large police presence. Such incidences lead to a heightened degree of stress, fear, anxiety […]
On March 28, the Cannabis Association of New York (CANY) and their legislative supporters called for a change to how recreational cannabis will be taxed. The organization, joined by Senator Jeremy Cooney, D-Rochester, is pushing for a bill (S.4831/A.4619) that would repeal the THC potency tax and replace it with […]
A coalition of 30 groups have sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders asking them to remove “corporate handouts” in this year’s budget. During an event in the state Capitol on Thursday, March 2, government watchdogs asked state leaders to reject billions in new and expanded tax […]
The National Federation of Independent Businesses organized a press conference in the Capitol on March 22 to make its case that a mandatory minimum wage increase could have a detrimental impact on New York’s economy, and even have a reverse effect on the working-class individuals who legislators are trying to […]