April 25, 2024 - As part of an effort to address chronic conditions with healthy foods, Democratic lawmakers are pushing for Medicaid coverage of medically tailored meals. We explore the merits of this idea with Karen Pearl, chair of the Food is Medicine Coalition and special advisor to God's Love We Deliver.…

April 25, 2024 - Is New York going to be the next leader in artificial intelligence research? State policymakers hope so. Bloomberg Government Albany reporter Zach Williams explains the state's expensive bet on "Empire AI."โดย WCNY

April 25, 2024 - NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas discusses the state budget, including language designed to promote new home construction and increase tenant protections.โดย WCNY

April 24, 2024 - The state's Public Service Commission has a very important role, but do New Yorker understand what's going on? We explore how to make the work of the state regulator more accessible and comprehensible with Laurie Wheelock, executive director of the Public Utility Law Project of New York.…

April 24, 2024 - As the general counsel for the Berger Commission, Mark Ustin, a healthcare regulatory lawyer and lobbyist with Farrell Fritz, has firsthand knowledge about efforts to close and merge hospitals in New York, so we have him weigh in on efforts by Democratic state lawmakers to make it more difficult to shutter facilities.…

April 24, 2024 - New York State Association of Cemeteries Legislative Director David Fleming talks about the challenge of maintaining the state's non-profit cemeteries and highlights a statewide cleanup effort.โดย WCNY

April 24, 2024 - Assembly Higher Education Committee Chair Patricia Fahy, an Albany-area Democrat, discusses the recently adopted state budget, including tuition assistance for students and aid for public colleges and universities.โดย WCNY

April 23, 2024 - With the Biden administration adopting new drinking water regulations for PFAS, Kate Donovan, northeast director of environmental health for the Natural Resources Defense Council, wants state policymakers to do more to limit PFAS in everyday products.โดย WCNY

April 23, 2024 - Fiscal Policy Institute Executive Director Nathan Gusdorf weighs in on the topline spending figures in the new state budget and argues that New York could have spent more given inflation.โดย WCNY

April 23, 2024 - Siena College Research Institute pollster Steve Greenberg talks about a new survey of New York voters, which examined the asylum seeker crisis, illegal marijuana sales, and congestion pricing.โดย WCNY

April 23, 2024 - Albany Law professor and New York Court Watcher blog author Vin Bonventre discusses how New York Chief Judge Rowan Wilson has steered the state's top court.โดย WCNY

April 22, 2024 - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation interim Commissioner Sean Mahar talks about his new leadership role and the short-term challenges he faces.โดย WCNY

April 22, 2024 - We discuss parking in the Adirondack Park, as the state plans another year of reservation parking for the Adirondack Mountain Reserve. We speak with DEC Deputy Commissioner of Natural Resources Katie Petronis and interim Commissioner Sean Mahar.โดย WCNY

April 19, 2024 - New York's pay frequency law requires manual workers get paid weekly, but the implementation of this requirement is the subject of various legal challenges, according to Jared Cook, a senior counsel for Tully Rinckey's Rochester office.โดย WCNY

April 18, 2024 - We consider legislation requiring informed consent to screen pregnant and postpartum mothers for drugs and alcohol with the help of Jenna Lauter, policy council for the New York Civil Liberties Union, and Desseray Wright, a family defense practice policy advocate with The Bronx Defenders.…

April 18, 2024 - Assembly Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Committee Chair Phil Steck, a Capital Region Democrat, discusses his legislation to expand the types of opioid reversal agents that are widely deployed in New York.โดย WCNY

April 18, 2024 - We talk about the importance of preserving New York's native plants with Ed Toth, director of the Mid-Atlantic Seed Bank, and Janice Wiles, co-founder of a native seeds and plant nursery in the Finger Lakes.โดย WCNY

April 18, 2024 - Assemblymember Harry Bronson, a Rochester-area Democrat, and Maya Benattar, a licensed creative arts therapist, make the case for legislation expanding access to creative arts therapyโดย WCNY

April 17, 2024 - New York Council of School Superintendents Deputy Director Bob Lowry weighs in on the preliminary details that are emerging about state education in the budget.โดย WCNY

April 17, 2024 - Senate Racing, Gaming & Wagering Committee Chair Joe Addabbo, a Queens Democrat, talks about the gambling landscape in New York, including the effort to issue new casino licenses, expanding sports gambling options and authorizing online casino games.โดย WCNY

April 17, 2024 - Rewiring America New York Policy Director Michael Hernandez explains the lack of regulatory action to implement New York's transition to all-electric buildings.โดย WCNY

April 16, 2024 - We get an update on the legal maneuvering in the corruption case against former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin from Jon Campbell, the reporter at the Capitol for Gothamist & WNYC.โดย WCNY

April 16, 2024 - New York marijuana farmers are operating at a loss and the industry is at risk of collapsing if the state doesn't offer financial relief, according to Joseph Calderone, co-founder and president of the Cannabis Farmers Alliance.โดย WCNY

April 15, 2024 - Assembly Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Lavine, a Long Island Democrat, discusses the illegality of adultery in New York and why he's trying to repeal this section of the state's penal code.โดย WCNY

April 15, 2024 - Attorney Fatima Afia, of the Rudick Law Group, talks about legislation addressing illegal marijuana retailers and explains multiple legal challenges to New York's retail marijuana regulations.โดย WCNY

April 12, 2024 - Democratic state lawmakers are pushing for stricter regulations and more awareness of additives put into food, which are generally overlooked by federal officials. We learn about this public health initiative from Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports.โดย WCNY

April 12, 2024 - With ticks beginning to emerge after the winter, we consider how to prevent and address tick-borne illnesses with Royale Scuderi, executive director of the Central New York Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Alliance.โดย WCNY

April 12, 2024 - Across the political spectrum there are concerns about the implementation of Raise the Age, so we examine how it can be improved. Our guests are Alison Lake, executive director of the Westchester Children's Association, and Julia Davis, director of youth justice and child welfare for the Children's Defense Fund-New York.…

April 11, 2024 - Business Council of New York State Executive Vice President Paul Zuber makes the case the for the state to replicate a federal tax credit designed to encourage employers to hire people who usually struggle to find employment.โดย WCNY

April 11, 2024 - Is this the year of a grand bargain on tenant protections and housing creation? We consider what should be in a deal with Jay Martin, executive director of the Community Housing Improvement Program.โดย WCNY

April 11, 2024 - The state's consumer directed personal assistance program is one of the fastest growing Medicaid costs, but controlling costs and retaining the integrity of the initiative requires a nuanced approach, according to Lindsay Miller, executive director of the New York Association on Independent Living, and Doug Hovey, CEO of Independen…

March 10, 2024 - After a wolf was detected in central New York, environmentalists have been calling on the state to gather more information about this endangered population. We discuss this issue with Protect the Adirondacks Executive Director Peter Bauer and Protect the Adirondacks Deputy Director Claudia Braymer.…

March 8, 2024 - The proliferation of artificially generated political content is prompting calls for greater disclosure requirements. We consider how those new rules should be applied with Daniel Weiner, director of the elections and government program at the Brennan Center.โดย WCNY

April 8, 2024 - The push for environmental issues at the Capitol is getting new energy from young activists, such as Keanu Arpels-Josiah, a high school senior and policy co-lead of Fridays for Future NYC.โดย WCNY

March 8, 2024 - Despite New York banning the sale of flavored vaping products in 2020, Democratic lawmakers and health officials worry that more needs to be done. We talk about additional enforcement tools with Kevin O'Flaherty, director of advocacy for the northeast region of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, and Max Ferris, director of environm…

April 5, 2024 - Brian Sampson, president of the Empire State Chapter of the Associated Builders & Contractors, explains why he is against an effort to mandate project labor agreements on SUNY construction projects worth at least $3 million.โดย WCNY

April 5, 2024 - New York Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has some concerns about the borrowing habits being embraced by the governor, which we explore with Maria Doulis, deputy state comptroller for budget and policy analysis.โดย WCNY

April 5, 2024 - Assemblymember Jeffery Dinowitz, a Bronx Democrat, makes the case for legislation addressing sexual consent after becoming voluntarily intoxicated.โดย WCNY

April 4, 2024 - Assemblymember Alex Bores, a Manhattan Democrat, makes the case for a constitutional amendment that would pave the way to increasing the number of state supreme court judges in the New York City area.โดย WCNY

April 4, 2024 - New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association President Mark Dorr discusses how the incoming solar eclipse could bring a million people into the parts of New York along the path of totality.โดย WCNY

April 4, 2024 - Assembly Health Committee Chair Amy Paulin, a Westchester County Democrat, wants to focus the state Office of the Medicaid Inspector General away from what health care providers call clerical errors.โดย WCNY

April 2, 2024 - Assemblymember Ken Zebrowski, a Rockland County Democrat, explains why Democratic state lawmakers took steps to nullify past resolutions calling for a national constitutional convention.โดย WCNY

April 3, 2023 - After more than four decades of imposing 9 percent interest on money judgements, Empire Center for Public Policy adjunct fellow Cam Macdonald says its time to make the rates more flexible.โดย WCNY

April 2, 2024 - High school graduation rates in New York didn't change much from 2022 to 2023, which is raising some red flags for Arlen Benjamin-Gomez, executive director of Education Trust-New York.โดย WCNY

April 2, 2024 - We discuss the update to the state's Mover Over Law to cover non-emergency vehicles with Lauren Paterno, senior government affairs adviser for AAA Northeast.โดย WCNY

April 2, 2024 - New York State Division of Criminal Justice Commissioner Rossana Rosado talks about the state's first youth justice conference at the Capitol and the positive outcomes she hopes it can promote.โดย WCNY

April 1, 2024 - Temporary housing needs to be more than just a place for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness to lay their heads, it also needs to offer internet connectivity, according to Adolfo Abreu, housing campaigns director for VOCAL-NY.โดย WCNY

April 1, 2024 - Scrutinize founder Oded Oren discusses a report his organization co-authored on excessive sentences from trial judges and how more transparency in the judiciary is needed.โดย WCNY

April 1, 2024 - The debate at the Capitol over a cost of living increase for human services workers is omitting some of the non-profit staff serving vulnerable New Yorkers, according to Association on Aging in New York Executive Director Becky Preve and Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley Executive Director Denise Figueroa.…

March 29, 2024 - New York Focus Capitol Bureau Chief Chris Bragg discusses his exclusive story on Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie's secret relationship with a lobbyist. We talk about the steps the speaker has (and hasn't taken) to avoid a conflict of interest and learn about the fallout from Bragg's reporting.…