Dec. 19, 2024 - Assembly Health Committee Chair Amy Paulin, a Westchester County Democrat, previews the 2025 legislative session, including the likely fight over Medicaid funding, the implementation of CDPAP changes, and abortion access.
Dec. 19, 2024 - State Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Committee Chair Julia Salazar, a Brooklyn Democrat, discusses her criminal justice priorities for the 2025 legislative session and addresses how politics could impact what's the possible in Albany.
Dec. 19, 2024 - Assemblymember Sarah Clark, a Rochester-area Democrat, responds to the governor's veto of her bill expanding child care assistance and talks about what should be done in 2025 to improve access to high-quality care.
Dec. 19, 2024 - This December, a state law took effect prohibiting the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits at pet stores, despite the industry trying to stop the implementation in court. We talk about the legal challenge and the industry's critique of this bill with Mike Bober, CEO of the Pet Advocacy Network.
Dec. 18, 2024 - New York City Campaign Finance Board Executive Director Paul Ryan compares the state's nascent public financing program to the long-established system in New York City and addresses a recent decision to deny matching funds to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Dec. 18, 2024 - State Medicaid Director Amir Bassiri discusses an effort to ensure uninterrupted health insurance for kids, gives an update on the Medicaid "unwinding" effort, and addresses allegations of ineligible New Yorkers getting government health insurance.
Dec. 18, 2024 - New York Focus Senior Reporter Sam Mellins shares what he uncovered about the working conditions and compensation for Assembly staffers, which may be contributing to a brain drain at the institution.
Dec. 17, 2024 - More than a dozen municipalities, including Albany, have taken advantage of a state law that allows local speed limits to be set at 25 miles per hour. We talk about this safety measure with NY SAFE Streets Coalition members Anne Savage and Rose Quinn.
Dec. 17, 2024 - Wildfires that hit the Hudson Valley this fall reached a scope that hasn't been seen in New York in more than a decade. We discuss the state's response to these fires, which claimed the life of one responder, with state Forest Ranger Major Bob Rogers and state Forest Ranger Bryan Gallagher.
Dec. 17, 2024 - John Olsen, co-chair of the emerging technologies and innovation practice for Statewide Public Affairs, discusses the artificial intelligence regulatory landscape in New York, including moving new bills through Albany in 2025.
Dec. 17, 2024 - Video conferencing provides an easy medium for connecting with people behind bars, but criminal justice advocates don't want it to replace in-person visits. We highlight legislation ensuring in-person visits continue with Tanya Krupat, vice president of policy and advocacy at The Osborne Association, and Jamila Small, a youth fellow with See Us, Support Us.
Dec. 16, 2024 - We get to know the work of Peter Reuben, director of the state Office of Indian Nation Affairs with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, including the process of contacting different communities and working within the Hochul administration.
Dec. 16, 2024 - State Senator Dean Murray, a Long Island Republican, makes the case for imposing financial control board on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Dec. 16, 2024 - Environmental activists want to pay for billions of dollars of infrastructure upgrades - responding to the threats of climate change - by retroactively penalizing major past emitters of greenhouse gases. We hear the case against this legislative effort from Daniel Ortega, executive director of New Yorkers for Affordable Energy, which represents fossil fuel businesses and organized labor.
Dec. 16, 2024 - We talk with Paul Pettit, public health director Genesee and Orleans counties, about a new law lowering the professional standards for who serves on county boards of health so rural communities can fill these important positions.
Dec. 12, 2024 - Junior political analyst Isaac Olshan discusses the presidential election results, the political interests of his fellow zoomers, and where New York's political scene is moving.
Dec. 13, 2024 - Long Term Care Community Coalition Executive Director Richard Mollot discusses staffing levels at nursing homes in New York and considers what they mean for the quality of care being received.
Dec. 13, 2024 - Brian Fessler, of the New York State School Boards Association, and Bob Lowry, of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, think the Rockefeller Institute made some good first steps with their review of education funding distribution in New York and are waiting to see how policymakers use their state-commissioned report.
Dec. 12, 2024 - Medical marijuana companies hoping to open recreational dispensaries have taken the Hochul administration to court over proposed license fees. We discuss the industry's case withgiste Abebe, spokesperson for the state Medical Cannabis Industry Association, and Matthew Schweber, an attorney who filed the lawsuit.
Dec. 12, 2024 - The state senate held a hearing this fall to examine the efficacy of economic development subsidies included in the budget. We explore this fact finding effort and how it should inform future actions with state Sen. Sean Ryan, a Buffalo Democrat.
Dec. 12, 2024 - Hunger persists as a major problem in New York, so a coalition has come together to push for a package of measures to address food insecurity in the budget. We discuss these solutions with state Sen. Rachel May, a Syracuse-area Democrat, and Ryan Healy, advocacy manager for Feeding New York State.
Dec. 11, 2024 - SUNY Chancellor John King discusses an enrollment bump at the state's public colleges and universities, providing operating aid to upstate campuses, and transforming a teaching hospital in Brooklyn. state of the SUNY system, enrollment, and the opportunities for prospective students to receive financial aid.
Dec. 10, 2024 - The latest survey of New Yorkers by the Siena College Research Institute - conducted in early December - has some worrisome omens for Gov. Kathy Hochul, identifies the top priorities for voters heading into the 2025 legislative session, and gauges attitudes about the incoming Trump administration.
Dec. 10, 2024 - Increasing literacy in New York has become a major focus of state policymakers, and to that end there is a new plan on how to prepare future educators to teach reading and writing skills. We discuss how to prepare teachers with Ruth Genn, executive director of the Literacy Academy Collective.
Dec. 12, 2024 - New York Farm Bureau Senior Associate Director of Public Policy Renée St. Jacques talks about the fiber landscape in the Empire State and how this agricultural asset could be utilized in the future.
Dec. 10, 2024 - New York is doling out federal dollars to help low- and moderate-income families afford electrical upgrades in their homes and purchases environmentally friendly clothes dryers. We talk about this initiative with Chris Corcoran, assistant director of codes, products and standards for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
Dec. 10, 2024 - Fiscal Policy Institute Director Nathan Gusdorf discusses Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to send a rebate check worth a few hundred dollars to the vast majority of taxpayers and we evaluate whether this is the best way to spend a revenue surplus.
Dec. 12, 2024 - New York City officials are hoping that updating the local zoning rules will help them increase the local housing supply. We talk with Gothamist/WNYC housing reporter David Brand about what they're planning to do and how Gov. Kathy Hochul is supporting the effort.
Dec. 12, 2024 - 1199SEIU may be a vocal advocate for their union members, but the organization's leadership is not warmly welcoming a unionization effort by their own staff. We discuss this campaign, as well as the future leadership of the union, with Maya Kaufman, a health care reporter for Politico New York.
Dec. 3, 2024 - Building homes in New York could become much more expensive if an obscure building council follows through with plans to mandate fire suppression systems in one- and two-family residential construction projects. We hear opposition to this mandate from Mike Kelly, from the New York State Association of REALTORS, and Michael Barrett, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of New York State.
