May 23, 2025 - The state budget includes a controversial codification of a new standard for involuntary commitments in New York, which was championed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and opposed by civil rights advocates. The New York Public News Network's J.T. Stone explores what this new language could mean, as he talks with state mental health officials, ad…

May 23, 2025 - We explore how the state budget affects New Yorkers with developmental disabilities and their caregivers with Mike Alvaro, president and CEO of the Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State. He also outlines his agenda for the remainder of the session.WCNY

May 222, 2025 - We explore how the state budget impacts health care facilities, like hospitals and nursing homes, with Bea Grause, president of the Healthcare Association of New York State. We also chat about the bills she wants to push and kill during the remainder of the legislative session.WCNY

May 23, 2025 - We explore how the state budget may transform access to mental health services in New York with Dr. Ann Sullivan, commissioner for the State Office of Mental Health. We also consider the possibility of federal cuts to Medicaid.WCNY

May 22, 2025 - We explore the topline state budget numbers, including what's driving New York's spending to record heights, with Patrick Orecki, director of state studies for the Citizens Budget Commission.WCNY

May 22, 2025 - Assemblywoman Sarah Clark, a Rochester-area Democrat, makes the case for legislation requiring law enforcement use an enhanced risk-assessment tool when responding to domestic incidents to determine if things might escalate.WCNY

May 22, 2025 - NAACP New York State Conference President L. Joy Williams discusses her vision, advocacy work in the state budget, and agenda for the remainder of the legislative session in Albany.WCNY

May 21, 2025 - After a major overhaul in 2019, New York's laws governing evidence disclosure are getting tweaked again at the behest of county prosecutors. We discuss what the changes in the budget consist of and their impact with Kevin Stadelmaier, the first deputy defender for Erie County’s assigned counsel program’s criminal division.…

May 21, 2025 - Protect the Adirondacks Executive Director Claudia Braymer explains how the state budget impacts the Adirondack Park and discusses her legislative agenda for the rest of the session.WCNY

May 21, 2025 - We explore agriculture loans, credits and grants in the state budget with Renée St. Jacques, acting director of public policy for the New York Farm Bureau, We also discuss what the group is hoping to pass and block during the remaining days of the session.WCNY

May 21, 2025 - In the aftermath of the state budget being adopted, we check in with the Siena College Research Institute's Steve Greenberg to discuss how New Yorkers feel about some of the more high profile items that were in this budget. We also get an update on the race to be the Republican nominee for governor.…

May 20, 2025 - Stony Brook University Professor Robert Harrison, the interim executive director of the Empire AI, discusses the idea behind this consortium, explains the state funding going into the initiative, and highlights the ongoing research.WCNY

May 20, 2025 - Earthjustice New York Policy Advocate Liz Moran responds to what was (and wasn't) in the state budget that impacted the environment, including a new $1 billion initiative and a dearth of aggressive policies.WCNY

May 20, 2025 - Johanna Miller, director of the education policy center for the New York Civil Liberties Union, shares her concerns about the state's impending restrictions on smartphones in schools and makes the case for a more local approach.WCNY

May 19, 2025 - The state budget included an expansion of the child tax credit, money for child care vouchers, and a rebate check, but how will it impact child poverty? We consider these policies with Pete Nabozny, director of policy at The Children's Agenda, and Kate Breslin, president and CEO of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, who a…

May 19, 2025 - Schenectady County Public Health Director Keith Brown explains why local health officials want timely access to unnatural death information, like autopsies, so they can steer public health decisions.WCNY

May 19, 2025 - Assembly Tourism, Arts, Parks and Sports Development Committee Chair Ron Kim, a Queens Democrat, discusses a recent hearing on the live-event ticketing industry and how it might be regulated in the future.WCNY

May 19, 2025 - Younger voters make up a small portion of the electorate in New York, but legislation promoting civic engagement on college campuses hopes to change this dynamic. We explore this effort to rock the vote with Brendan Cushing, managing director for Generation Vote.WCNY

May 16, 2025 - New York should have enough power to get through the demands of a normal summer, according to a report by the New York Independent System Operator. We review their findings and consider what needs to happen to boost the state's energy capacity with Kevin Lanahan, the organization's vice president of external affairs and corporate com…

May 16, 2025 - We examine an effort to give law enforcement more tools to go after drivers who are impaired by drugs. Our guest is Maureen McCormick, co-chair of the vehicular crime subcommittee for the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York.WCNY

May 16, 2025 - Assembly Labor Committee Chair Harry Bronson, a Rochester-area Democrat, makes the case for giving all New Yorkers the same rights and protections when considering whether to accept a severance package from their employer. We also discuss the ramifications of the state paying off its unemployment insurance debt.…

May 15, 2025 - Common Sense Media Senior Counsel for Tech Policy Holly Grosshans and Counsel for Tech Policy Brenna Leasor discuss a package of bills designed to keep New Yorkers, especially kids, safe as they navigate social media and utilize artificial intelligence companions.WCNY

May 15, 2025 - Assemblymember Chuck Lavine, a Long Island Democrat, makes the case for a leadership shakeup at Nassau University Medical Center, the largest public safety net hospital on Long Island.WCNY

May 14, 2025 - Lev Ginsburg, executive director of the New York State Conference of Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans, makes the case for legislation promoting hospital cost transparency and increasing prescription drug purchasing options.WCNY

May 14, 2025 - Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and New York State Power Authority President and CEO Justin Driscoll discuss their collaboration on the development of a solar farm at a closed landfill in the capital city.WCNY

May 14, 2025 - We consider what the recently adopted state budget means for New York's public colleges and universities with SUNY Chancellor John King, who talks about operating aid for campuses, free community college, and the Trump administration's attack on higher education.WCNY

May 13, 2025 - Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris, a Queens Democrat, discusses what his conference got into the state budget, weighs in on the possibility of reforming the budget process, and talks about the governor's authority to make mid-year spending changes.WCNY

May 13, 2025 - Mental Health Association in New York State CEO Glenn Liebman talks about state budget funding for organizations contracting with the state to provide mental health services and outlines some of his group's legislative priorities for the rest of session.WCNY

May 13, 2025 - Assemblyman Alex Bores, a Manhattan Democrat, makes the case for lifting the constitutional cap on state supreme court judges and describes legislation that would set the number of judges by a new formula.WCNY

May 13, 2025 - New York was granted flexibility to spend some of its federal Medicaid dollars, but the Trump administration has indicated the waiver could be short lived. We discuss the ramifications of this decision with Michael Kinnucan, health policy director at the Fiscal Policy Institute.WCNY

May 12, 2025 - Fountain House CEO Ken Zimmerman explains how clubhouses promote therapeutic social engagement for New Yorkers with serious mental illnesses and talks about their funding in the state budget.WCNY

May 12, 2025 - We discuss the state budget's effect on public schools with Brian Fessler, chief advocacy officer for the New York State School Boards Association. We break down funding for public education, relaxing a transition to zero-emission school buses, and implementing free school meals.WCNY

May 12, 2025 - Katie Schaefer, director of advocacy and organizing, at the Center for Community Alternatives, makes the case for eliminating fees in the criminal justice system, which she argues are predatory.WCNY

May 12, 2025 - We explore the state's investment in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library with Jenn O'Connor, director of partnerships in early childhood policy for Education Trust-New York, and Peter Gannon, president and CEO at the United Way of the Greater Capital Region. The guests also weigh in on other elements of the state budget affecting kids…

May 9, 2025 - Patrick Wildes, director of Albany Law School's Government Law Center, discusses language in the state budget making it easier for New Yorkers to be involuntarily committed and considers what the implementation will look like.WCNY

May 9, 2025 - Rockefeller Institute of Government President Bob Megna, a former state budget director, talks about the power governors have to unilaterally control spending and addresses Gov. Kathy Hochul's expanded authority over budget cuts.WCNY

May 9, 2025 - We check in on the state of New York's marijuana landscape, including special showcase events, language in the state budget, and a backlog of license applications, with Joe Belluck, chair of the state's Cannabis Advisory Board.WCNY

May 8, 2025 - Rose Duhan, president and CEO of the Community Healthcare Association of New York State, discusses how funding in the state budget and cuts to Americorps will impact the services provided by community healthcare centers. She also makes the case for expanding the scope of practice for health care professionals.…

May 8, 2025 - Former Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy, now the president and CEO of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, discusses changes to the selection process of future lieutenant governors that was included in the state budget at the behest of Gov. Kathy Hochul, who had a public break with her number two. The Rochester Democrat also talks about a hea…

May 7, 2025 - State Sen. Dean Murray, a Long Island Republican, and Ken Pokalsky, a vice president of The Business Council of New York State, express their objections to an evolving plan to fund the state's share of a $68 billion capital plan for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which would include cutting the payroll tax for small New Yo…

May 7, 2025 - Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Deborah Glick, a Manhattan Democrat, discusses some of her priorities in Albany, including getting harmful chemicals out of everyday products and limiting plastic packaging waste.WCNY

May 7, 2025 - Assemblymember Robert Carroll, a Brooklyn Democrat, discusses legislation designed to limit sports gambling advertising and restrict how much can be bet in one day.WCNY

May 6, 2025 - A quiet campaign by an organized labor and a prolonged advocacy effort by the business community appears to have been successful in convincing state policymakers to pay off New York's multi-billion dollar unemployment insurance debt to the federal government. We consider the ramifications of the deal that is taking shape, including wh…

May 6, 2025 - In order to foster climate-resilient communities, the state is promoting the planting of trees and shrubs along tributaries in New York. We explore what this effort looks like in the Hudson Valley with Beth Roessler, stream buffer coordinator for the Hudson River Estuary Program with the New York State Department of Environmental Cons…

May 5, 2025 - After years of objections from governors and state budget officials, Democratic state lawmakers and housing stakeholders appear to have advanced their campaign for a state housing voucher program. We consider the pilot program that could be included in the state budget with Christine Quinn, president and CEO of WIN.…

May 5, 2025 - A new survey from the Siena College Research Institute examined how New Yorkers feel about the risk of climate change and some of the key environmental and energy questions being debated by the state policymakers. We break down the polling results with Travis Brodbeck, the organization's associate director of data management.…

May 5, 2025 - Biosolids are billed as a cheap alternative that farmers can use instead of fertilizer, but environmentalists and public health officials are now warning that these treated materials could be dangerous. We discuss legislation pausing the use of biosolids in New York with Claire Walsh Winsler, director of food agriculture and land use …

May 2, 2025 - The process of selecting a firm to manage the Long Island power grid took a dramatic twist this week, so we're unpacking the drama with Mark Harrington, a reporter with Newsday.WCNY

May 2, 2025 - The medical cannabis industry is leery of language they claim Gov. Kathy Hochul is advancing in the budget that would effectively limit the market for medical marijuana patients. We discuss the potential fallout from the governor's plan with Katie Neer, who is of counsel for Dickinson & Avella and represents the New York Medical Canna…

May 2, 2025 - Assembly Insurance Committee Chair David Weprin, a Queens Democrat, considers what can be done to restrain New York's constantly increasing car insurance costs.WCNY