Blog

In a ceremony at the Capitol in Albany, Letitia James was sworn in as the 67th Attorney General of the State of New York. She is taking over the role from Barbara Underwood, longtime Solicitor General of New York, who was thrust into the position after the resignation of Eric Schneiderman and will assume her former role as […]

Governor Cuomo, in an interview with WCNY’s Capital Pressroom, urged the Legislature to pass public financing of elections and take up other campaign finance reform agenda items like closing the LLC loophole. The details of the plan are unknown, but, they usually consist of a matching (or multiplying) of public money for small dollar donations to […]

Governor Cuomo issued pardons to 22 individuals that faced possible deportation and commuted the sentence of seven others who had demonstrated substantial evidence of rehabilitation. Cuomo said: “While President Trump shuts down the federal government over his obsession with keeping immigrants out, New York stands strong in our support for immigrant communities. These actions will help keep immigrant […]

The new Attorney General has joined a coalition of 17 state attorneys general in filing a notice of appeal in the Texas v. U.S. case, which ruled that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional.The ruling was based on the elimination of the individual mandate as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which was originally upheld […]

December 31 – Minimum wage increase The minimum wage in New York will increase for the third consecutive year as part of a phase in plan that will be fully implemented by the year 2021. This year’s increase is scheduled as follows: In Upstate New York, the minimum wage will increase from $10.40 per hour to $11.10 […]

Last week, Mayor de Blasio announced that the special election for Public Advocate for the City of New York would take place on February 26. In the interim, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson will fill the role of public advocate. The New York Times highlighted the interesting dynamic between the Mayor and City Council Speaker and how that may […]

Former Assembly Majority Leader Daniel Walsh passes away. City & State NY’s weekly Winners & Losers article here. City & State NY‘s collection of 2019 predictions here.

New York State’s 2019 legislative session begins on Wednesday, January 9. The state Board of Regents holds its next meeting on January 14 and 15. The Assembly plans to hold a joint committee public hearing on budget oversight and county-wide shared services property tax savings plans on January 15. The Public Service Commission (PSC) holds its next meeting on January 17. […]

As is common when a Governor begins a new term, Gov. Cuomo has started to make staffing changes within his Administration. Dani Lever has been named communications director, where she will oversee the Governor’s press shop, digital communications, and short- and long-term messaging strategy. Timothy Hartz will serve as Director of Executive Operations. He previously […]

Last Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader-Elect Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) announced the new Democratic Senate majority’s committee chairs for the 2019-20 legislative session.  Highlights include: Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) as Chair of the Senate Finance Committee; Senator Shelley Mayer (D-Yonkers) as Chair of the Senate Education Committee; Senator Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx) as Chair of the Senate Health […]