Covering the politics, policies and people of New York State government.
Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a $227 billion budget proposal on Wednesday that she says follows through on her pledge to not raise income taxes in the 2024 fiscal year. All-funds spending is $227 billion, an increase of $5.4 billion over the current budget. State operating funds are projected to be $125.2 […]
Below is Gov. Kathy Hochul’s first State of the State Address as an elected governor, delivered before the full Legislature on January 10, 2022 in the Assembly Chamber in the New York State Capitol, Albany: My fellow elected officials, it is an honor to be back in this Chamber finally […]
The New York state Cannabis Control Board has approved the first 36 Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary licenses out of 900 applications so far. Twenty-eight of these licenses were awarded to a person previously convicted of a marijuana-related infraction and eight went to by nonprofits with a focus on helping former […]
New York state continues to move toward a cleaner and greener future with new legislation signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul that will make it easier for New Yorkers living in certain communities to make the switch to electric vehicles. The Electric Vehicle Rights Act (S.8518A/A.6165) amends New York […]
The Clean Slate Act (S.1553D/A.6399C) passed a Senate vote in Albany earlier this year but has yet to make to the Assembly floor. Advocates and lawmakers have recently begun a push, ahead of the new legislative session, to ensure the bill makes it to an Assembly vote and eventually Gov. […]
Payton Gendron, the teenage gunman who killed 10 people in the horrific Buffalo Tops Market shooting on May 14, 2022, pleaded guilty to state charges, including multiple counts of first-degree murder and domestic terrorism motivated by hate. In the wake of the racially motivated shooting, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a […]
As opioid related deaths continue to skyrocket across New York, many are left wondering what can be done to solve this problem. State and local leaders face some tough decisions on how to combat the opioid epidemic. Elected officials acknowledge that, just as there is no single reason why addiction […]
As the end of New York state’s gas tax holiday draws closer, some lawmakers are proposing making it permanent. Sen. James Tedisco, R-Glenville, is asking his colleagues to return to Albany before the end of the year to pass a permanent cap on the state’s gas tax. Suspended since June, […]