Following Connecticut’s footsteps, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, has teamed up with author and activist Anneke Lucas to promote a new bill that would require staff at hotels, motels, inns and boarding houses to undergo mandatory training to recognize human sex trafficking and provide aid to victims if they see it […]
Policy
Uber, Lyft and other ridesharing companies get green light for upstate expansion
A provision in the 2018 budget is changing the face of transportation in New York state. Ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft got the green light to start building their fleets in upstate communities. Nearly six years after Uber began operating in New York City, ride-sharing will now […]
Officials mourn death of Court of Appeals justice
State court system begins accepting nominees to fill vacancy left by Abdus-Salaam’s death The first African-American women to serve on the New York State Court of Appeals was found in the Hudson River Wednesday near the shoreline at 132nd Street and pronounced dead not far from her home in […]
After years-long fight, NY adopts new juvenile justice system
With the signing of the state budget last week, New York joins 48 other states that do not automatically treat 16- and 17-year-olds as adults. On April 10, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a new law that will phase-in a higher age of criminal responsibility and move inmates under 18 […]
‘Landmark’ free tuition program will take effect this fall at SUNY and CUNY schools
Governor Cuomo’s first legislative priority for 2017 becomes a reality: More than 75 percent of New York’s families will be eligible for free tuition at SUNY and CUNY schools Back in January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo was joined by Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders to unveil an auspicious plan […]
Lawmakers moving from autism ‘awareness’ to acceptance and advocacy
Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam, is observing Autism Awareness Month by introducing a package of bills that would make it easier for autistic students to attend college and make it easier for first responders to assist those with special needs. Santabarbara, the father of a teenager with autism, has been a […]
Comptroller’s Office finds Justice Center for disabled withholding crucial records
In an audit conducted by the State Comptroller’s Office, the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs was found to have withheld more than 70 percent of the incidents for which it was initially under investigation. In response, representatives from Disability Rights New York, a nonprofit […]
Indigent defense to be fully funded statewide
New York state will begin phasing in full funding of public defense offices across the state as part of the 2018 budget finalized last week. Advocates from the Bar Association, defenders association, clergy, and local leaders commended legislators and Governor Cuomo for including the groundwork for the funding in […]