The Capitol Pressroom

Aug. 29, 2025- Attorney Diane Houk explains why fair housing organizations are wading into a legal fight over the constitutionality of housing vouchers in New York and a law intended to prevent landlords from discriminating against tenants based on their payment method.

Aug. 29, 2025- Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Bill Magnarelli, a Syracuse Democrat, makes the case for increasing the cost of vehicle inspection fees and making the annual reviews more extensive. Legislation he moved this year would require the Hochul administration to study the existing standards and fees.

Aug. 28, 2025- The Hochul administration is looking for a firm to help craft the Next Generation Aviation Strategic Plan for New York so we consider what the future of this evolving field might look like with Ken Stewart, president & CEO of NUAIR.

Aug. 28, 2025- Politico New York reporter Marie French unpacks a decision by the state utility regulator to put another nail in the coffin of a scrapped transmission project originally intended to serve New York City.

Aug. 28, 2025- New York state lawmakers unanimously backed a measure to join a multi-state effort to promote accurate voter enrollment records. We discuss this voter integrity effort with Shane Hamlin, executive director of the Electronic Registration Information Center.

Aug. 27, 2025- Democratic state lawmakers want to empower state financial regulators to create standardized definitions for common insurance terms. We consider this pending legislation with Brad Lachut, director of government affairs for the Professional Insurance Agents of New York.

Aug. 27, 2025- University of Washington-Tacoma professor Eric Madfis explains how school behavioral threat assessments can reduce serious violence and considers how they might be deployed more widely in New York.

Aug. 27, 2025- The Hochul administration wants to update how parole officials consider applications from people who committed serious offenses when they were kids, but state Sen. Dean Murray, a Long Island Republicans, argues the emphasis is misplaced.

Aug. 26, 2025-Bottle redemption centers have been sounding the alarm about a fiscal crisis for years, but no relief has been coming from state lawmakers in Albany. We get an update on the situation from Jade Eddy, owner of MT Returnables.

Aug. 26, 2025- Assembly Health Committee Chair Amy Paulin, a Westchester County Democrat, discusses the crisis in early intervention accessibility and questions the Hochul administration's implementation of funding to support these services.

Aug. 26, 2025- In response to President Donald Trump's effort to allow church leaders to make political endorsements, Assemblymember Tony Simone, a Manhattan Democrat, makes the case for legislation intended to keep nonprofits from backing political candidates by tying nonpartisanship to their state tax-exempt status.

Aug. 25, 2025- Dr. Penelope Lema, an emergency room physician, makes the case for requiring hospitals to craft plans for keeping their staff safe from the threat of violence at work.

Aug. 25, 2025- State Senate Investigations & Government Operations Committee Chair Jim Skoufis, a Hudson Valley Democrat, reflects on an inquiry into the transition of a popular home care program. We touch on the lack of answers from the Hochul administration at the hearing and possible next steps for state lawmakers.

Aug. 25, 2025- The state senate's housing leader, Manhattan Democrat Brian Kavanagh, discusses why his chamber is looking into the cost and accessibility of residential property insurance.

Aug. 22, 2025- Drew Warshaw is hoping to be the next state comptroller and is mounting a big to wrest the Democratic nomination away from long-time incumbent Tom DiNapoli. We talk about changes he wants to make  to the administration of pension fund, approach to auditing and distribution of unclaimed funds.

Aug. 22, 2025- Employment is a key part of the recovery process from substance abuse, so we explore what New York policymakers are doing to promote recovery ready workplaces with Christopher Assini, director of policy at Friends of Recovery - New York.

Aug. 22, 2025- Assembly Energy Committee Chair Didi Barrett, a Hudson Valley Democrat, expresses her opposition to the governor's planned cutbacks on subsidies for home energy efficiency programs.

Aug. 21, 2025- This summer a quarantine zone for the European Cherry Fruit Fly was expanded in central New York so we explore the danger of this threat with Kevin Bittner, orchard manager at Bittner Singer Orchards.

Aug. 21, 2025- Dr. Rachel Flink-Bochacki, a board certified OBGYN and legislative chair of the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists District II, shares concerns with legislation requiring health care providers to share information about IUDs, including pain associated with insertion, when discussing birth control with patients.

Aug. 21, 2025- Assemblyman Phil Steck, a Capital Region Democrat, explains his bill protecting employees from getting trapped at a job through the threat of certain monetary penalties.