Covering the politics, policies and people of New York State government.
Despite layoffs, a loss of revenue and grim economic projections, a majority of upstate New York business owners agree that public health is the most important thing right now, and that the economy can wait. In a poll Sponsored by The Business Council of New York State, the Siena College […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
