The governor is proposing a tax break to reimburse volunteer organ donors for their gift. Meanwhile, the state has failed to implement a 2022 law that would do the same thing.
Student performance in math and reading is still below pre-pandemic levels, according to new data — but on par with the national average.
Hochul proposes school funding updates and a climate funding alternative. A prominent lobbying firm racks up fines.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to halt all new approvals for offshore wind, which New York is counting on to meet climate law targets.
The Bronx Community Foundation spent almost none of the funds it raised for victims of the 2022 Twin Parks apartment fire.
The change was among a handful of eleventh-hour tweaks to Hochul’s policy briefing book.
In the last three years, New York has become the sports betting capital of the US.
Hochul says she has a plan to make New York affordable, through tax cuts and payments to families.
It looked like 2025 could be a tipping point for climate action in New York. Instead, the governor is backtracking on key parts of her agenda.
After years of targeting bail, the governor is proposing changes to New York’s 2019 discovery reform law.
The governor also wants to make some community college programs free. But she didn’t touch the thorniest issue: the school funding formula.
Among her many health-related proposals, the governor wants to rein in drug prices — possibly by importing them from Canada.
Hochul is pushing an array of financial incentives to tackle the state’s housing crisis. But will they make a dent?
Our team will be descending upon Albany on Tuesday. Here’s what they’ll be watching.
New York’s plan to put a price on carbon could arrive in 2025. Here’s how it would work.
Updates about an increase in emissions, violence within New York’s prison system, and a breakup of two nonprofits over cannabis in NYC.
Here are the major findings from a months-long investigation into what allegedly takes place inside the Queens Supreme Courthouse.
Brandon Bishunauth is an unlikely candidate to pick a fight with a bastion of old-time machine politics.
One hundred and twenty-four laws that almost were.
New York Focus education reporter Bianca Fortis reflects on the most important education stories in New York this year, and what to keep an eye on next year.
Chris Bragg, New York Focus’s Albany bureau chief, reflects on how even the most familiar topics brought new twists to his coverage in 2024.
New York Focus reporter Julia Rock reflects on her varied coverage of state policy in an end-of-year wrapup.
New York Focus climate reporter Colin Kinniburgh reflects on his environmental coverage over the past year and what’s coming on the beat in 2025.
New York Focus reporter Chris Gelardi reflects on the criminal justice reporting that shined light on overlooked agencies and shady practices in 2024.
The state is due to unveil a “cap and invest” program — its biggest effort yet to fund climate initiatives. But fears about hiking prices may limit its scope.
New York Focus reporter Sam Mellins reflects on what he learned this year, and teases what lies ahead for 2025.
A newly obtained document sheds light on how the disavowed diagnosis infiltrated the Rochester Police Department before Prude’s death.
An advisory group set up under a 2021 state law finalized its proposals to cut child poverty in half.
The NYC Law Department, which runs the city’s insurance program, has been cited over 10,000 times for legal infractions each year since the pandemic.
New York’s faster-than-average decarceration has led to dozens of prison closures.
New York’s push for electric school buses by 2027 has districts across the state struggling with voter approval and funding.
The foundation offered few explanations for its hefty spending on overhead, or what it’s doing with millions in government grants.
The Business Council, whose members include major warehouse owners UPS and Amazon, is pressing Governor Kathy Hochul to veto or amend the bill.
Much of Albany’s lawmaking process is controlled by a platoon of mostly young, low-paid employees who craft policy ideas into potential laws. And they’re turning over in droves.
New York Focus traveled across the state to meet with communities about their local news needs.
New York has a little-noticed tool to shift billions of highway dollars to climate-friendly public transit projects. The governor doesn’t seem interested.
The state’s top court has the final word on interpreting New York law and has seen dramatic changes in recent years.
New York’s home care workers are suing insurance companies for systematically underpaying them for grueling, around-the-clock work.
Most utilities barely track how much water they lose to leaks, but one thing is clear: Aging infrastructure is costing customers.
New York could see more frequent and destructive blazes, but the state doesn’t have enough forest rangers and firefighters to respond to the growing threat.