April 2, 2025 - The American Cancer Society-Cancer Action Network's Michael Davoli and Roswell Park's Dr. Mary Reid advocate for legislation preventing insurers from charging out-of-pocket costs for recommended lung cancer screenings.
March 31, 2025 - President Donald Trump is trying to dismantle the federal Department of Education, but what does it mean for New York? We explore the department's traditional role and the future with Brian Cechnicki, executive director of the Association of School Business Officials of New York.
March 31, 2025 - We consider the state's plans for certifying halfway houses with Van Smith, founder of the Recovery Houses of Rochester and president of New York State Alliance of Recovery Residences.
March 31, 2025 - New York State Insurance Association President Cassandra Anderson makes the case for state to give car insurers more flexibility to retroactively cancel policies used as part of a fraud campaign.
March 31, 2025 - Assemblymember Landon Dais, a Bronx Democrat, and Jeff Wice, of the New York Law School's Census and Redistricting Institute, discuss what state policymakers should be doing to prepare for the 2030 Census and reflect on what went wrong with the 2020 count in the Empire State.
March 25, 2025 - In an excerpt from this week's Dispatches from Planet Albany, we speak with Sen. James Skoufis, an Orange County Democrat, about his unsuccessful bid to lead the Democratic National Committee, his political ambition, and reforming his party in New York.
March 28, 2025 - A report from the Jack Kemp Foundation makes the case for changing the application of New York's sales taxes so they don't disproportionately hit low-income consumers. We discuss what the alternative could look like, including an increased sales tax on luxury purchases, with Ike Brannon, a senior fellow with the foundation.
March 28, 2025 - New York State School Boards Association Chief Advocacy Officer Brian Fessler explains why a coalition of education stakeholders are backing a plan from the legislative leaders that would restrict access to smartphones in schools, but give local districts more flexibility for implementing these restrictions than what is being championed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
March 27, 2025 - Assemblymember Carrie Woerner, a Capital Region Democrat, makes the case for establishing a labor board responsible for recommending rules and regulations to create safer working conditions for prison guards.
March 27, 2025 - New York State Attorney General Letitia James is pushing legislation updating New York's laws governing unfair and deceptive practices. We explore what these consumer protections would do with Ariana Lindermayer, a senior staff attorney with Mobilization for Justice.
March 27, 2025 - State Senator Lea Webb, a Binghamton Democrat, discusses steps New York could take to address its poor maternal health outcomes. She also identifies some of her priorities for inclusion in the state budget.
March 27, 2025 - State Senate Children & Families Committee Chair Jabari Brisport, a Brooklyn Democrat, calls for the state to step in and fund a popular child care voucher program that is in jeopardy of dropping thousands of enrolled families.
March 26, 2025 - Small claims courts are supposed to be a forum to quickly and cheaply resolve legal matters, but in some of New York's most populated counties justice can be a lengthy wait. New York Public Interest Research Group staff attorney Kyle Giller explains why there are delays and how they could be addressed.
March 26, 2025 - State environmental regulators could do more to oversee the conditions at thousands of dams in New York, according to an audit by the state comptroller's office. We discuss the findings with Tina Kim, deputy comptroller for the Division of State Government Accountability.
March 26, 2025 - Assemblymember Jon Rivera, a Buffalo Democrat, makes the case for the state to spend millions on refugee settlement services in light of the Trump administration's attempt to cut funding for nonprofits doing this work.
March 25, 2025 - A group of mobile home park residents in Western New York have taken their property manager to court arguing a 2023 rent increase violates the guidelines written into state law in 2019. Our guests are Maribeth Sheedy, a resident of Akron Mobile Home Park and lawsuit plaintiff, and Robert Friedman, the plaintiff attorney.
March 25, 2025 - Fresh off a big victory at the state's top court, we check in with Sandy Berland, executive director of the State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. We discuss the court ruling and its aftermath, a request for additional state funds, and new data releases.
March 25, 2025 - Vito Grasso, executive vice president of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, whose daughter suffers from a rare genetic disease, makes the case for the state to launch a rare disease advisory council.
March 25, 2025 - The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is hoping that Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrats in the state legislature can reach a consensus in budget negotiations on billions in additional capital funding for the downstate transit system. Our guest is Jamie Torres-Springer, president of construction and development for the MTA.
March 24, 2025 - The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York Executive Director Natasha Pernicka discusses the demand on food pantries, makes the case for spending more on state programs combatting hunger, and explains how Medicaid dollars might address food insecurity.
March 24, 2025 - A pilot program in Buffalo is trying to address the underlying problems that lead young people to frequently flee their homes. We talk about the coordinated response with David Mann, who works in the Special Victims Unit of the Buffalo Police Department and is a board member with BestSelf Behavioral Health.
March 14, 2025 - Construction unions and their allies in the state legislature are hoping to rewrite the laws governing the application of prevailing wage, pushing language that would expand when it applies and eliminating an obscure review board. We discuss this legislative campaign with Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.
March 21, 2025 - New York Focus Albany Bureau Chief Chris Bragg shares that political patronage is alive and well in the court system, despite a reform effort two decades ago to prevent connected New Yorkers from profiting off their relationships with judges.
March 20, 2025 - We break down the ruling from the state's top court that upheld the constitutionality of the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government with Richard Rifkin, legal director for the Government Law Center at Albany Law School.
March 20, 2025 - We examine the governor's proposals to target drugged driving and crackdown on fentanyl analogs with Toni Smith, state director in New York for the Drug Policy Alliance.
March 20, 2025 - New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli calls for more fiscally prudent budgeting from the state Legislature and addresses a campaign to divest the pension fund of its Tesla holdings.
March 20, 2025 - Businesses paying credit card fees are hoping the state will prohibit tacking these costs on to sales taxes and gratuities. We explore these concerns with Ashley Ranslow, state director in New York for NFIB, and Mike Durant, president & CEO of the Food Industry Alliance of New York State.
March 19, 2025 - New York State Association for Affordable Housing President & CEO Jolie Milstein discusses efforts to promote the growth of affordable housing and calls for more government subsidies for developers.
March 19, 2025 - New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon explains the effort to place former federal workers into state government jobs. We also examine why the governor thinks it's necessary to study how to fund universal child care in New York.
March 19, 2025 - The administration transition of the state Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program is scheduled to be done at the end of March, but most stakeholders say the process won't be completed on time. We explore why and what that could mean with Ilana Berger, New York political director for Caring Majority Rising.
