The Capitol Pressroom

August 8, 2025- We go through the agenda items in Albany for New York's nearly 500,000 public sector retirees with Tom Tatun, the recently anointed executive director for the Retired Public Employees Association.

August 8, 2025- Gov. Kathy Hochul is promising affordable and reliable energy from new nuclear power plants, but how achievable is her vision? We get a contrarian take from John Howard, the former head of the New York Public Service Commission.

August 7, 2025- The state's "All-Electric Buildings" mandate will begin to be phased in next year and, while environmental advocates are welcoming the change, the construction industry is continuing to warn about unintended consequences. We discuss the transition with Mike Fazio, executive director of the New York State Builders Association.

August 7, 2025- In the wake of Gov. Kathy Hochul pushing to make it easier for New Yorkers to be involuntarily committed, President Donald Trump issued an executive order designed to promote more forced psychiatric institution of the country's homeless population. We unpack the significance of the action at the federal level, which could also hurt undermine harm reduction efforts in New York, with Patrick Wildes, director of the Government Law Center at Albany Law.

August 7, 2025- Starting in August, the more than 30,000 people incarcerated in New York don't have to pay to make outgoing phone calls. We unpack this policy decision from the Hochul administration, including how it could benefit society, with Bianca Tylek, founder and executive director of Worth Rises.

August 6, 2025- More than 100 marijuana dispensary owners are grappling with the revelation that their approved locations are in violation of a state law as the result of a measuring mix up by the Hochul administration. We consider possible remedies to this situation with Joe Rossi, founder of Modern Advocacy and a cannabis lobbyist, and Joseph Levey, founding partner of Helbraun Levey, a law firm focused on cannabis and hospitality.

August 6, 2025- As we continue to unpack the ramifications of the Big Beautiful Bill adopted by Republicans in Washington D.C., we're turning our attention to what it means for community health centers that serve low-income New Yorkers in medical deserts. Our guest is Rose Duhan, president and CEO of the Community Healthcare Association of New York State.

Aug. 5, 2025 - Shontell Smith, the former political director for Andrew Cuomo's unsuccessful mayoral primary bid in New York City, reflects on what went right and what went wrong during this Dispatches from Planet Albany excerpt.

August 5, 2025- School districts have been encouraged by the state to find regional partnerships that might save money and improve operations. We consider what regionalization has looked like in the past and how it could happen in the future with Anita Murphy, a retired superintendent from the Capital Region BOCES, and Brian Backstrom, director of Education Policy Studies at the Rockefeller Institute of Government.

August 5, 2025- New Yorkers will get a chance this fall to bring the expansion and operation of the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports complex in compliance with the state Constitution, while also expanding the footprint of the Adirondack preserve. We hear the case for the constitutional referendum from John Sheehan, director of communication for the Adirondack Council.

August 5, 2025- A United States Supreme Court ruling this summer may give parents more influence over their school curricula if they have religious concerns with subjects and materials. We discuss the majority opinion from the court and its implications with Daniel Morton-Bentley, counsel for the State Education Department.

August 4, 2025- New York's prisons may have rescinded from the headlines, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to discuss about the corrections system with Chris Gelardi, a criminal justice reporter for New York Focus.

August 4, 2025- New York's development of offshore wind has stalled, so state regulators are hitting pause on the hunt for more transmission capacity. We explore the decision by the state Public Service Commission and its ramifications with Ekin Senlet, co-chair of Regulatory Practice area at Barclay Damon, and David Solimeno, an associate with the firm.

August 4, 2025- The administration of non-emergency medical transportation has undergone multiple transformations in the past 15 years as state policymakers look to save money. State Sen. George Borrello, a western New York Republican, argues the simplest answer to preventing fraud and abuse is returning oversight to the counties.

July 31, 2025- New York's effort to cap emissions may have stalled, but the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has entered a new phase, with updated goals adopted this summer. We talk about the program and its role in combatting climate change with Jackson Morris, director of state power sector policy for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

July 31, 2025- As New York pivots away from using Regents exams in order to graduate from high school, the state Board of Regents met this summer to approve an updated pathway to getting a diploma. We hear concerns about implementing this new vision from Jeff Smink, deputy director of The Education Trust-New York.

July 31, 2025- We explore the significance of new prevention agenda adopted by state health officials with our guest Dr. Elizabeth Whalen, medical director for the Office of Public Health at the State Department of Health.

July 30, 2025 - State law required a system restricting pollution from major emitters to be in place by now, but it hasn't been implemented so environmental groups sued the Hochul administration in a case now making its way through the courts. We explore the legal challenge and what's at stake with Collin Kinniburgh, a climate and environment reporter for New York Focus.

July 30, 2025 - New York State Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank Hoare discusses an expanded speed camera program, gives an update on the service plazas, and explains what is being done to target toll evasion.

July 30, 2025 - We explore a new survey of LGBTQ New Yorkers and how it will be used to address health disparities with Kraig Pannell, director of the Office of LGBTQ Services at the state's AIDS Institute, and Dr. Lauren Miller, coordinator for the New York State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.