New York has one of the weakest consumer protection laws in the country. This year’s state budget may change that.
Guidelines limiting gifts of taxpayer resources have “no teeth whatsoever,” according to good government watchdog.
Local regulations haven’t kept up with the rollout of new surveillance tech. Some reformers see Washington as their best hope.
As the state legislature considers a bill to change warranty payments, unions join their bosses to make car companies pay more.
Backing primary opponents to progressive Democrats, the new Solidarity PAC resembles a state-level analog to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
As the relationship was coming to light, Heastie returned $5,000 in campaign cash to a labor group from which he’d recused himself.
Referencing a New York Focus story, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas introduced legislation to prevent public agencies from naming the medically discredited condition in their reports.
We read the governor’s, Senate’s, and Assembly’s budget proposals — so you don’t have to.
While Heastie privately pledged to avoid meetings with relevant interests, lobbyist Rebecca Lamorte has sought to keep representing them before the Assembly, according to her employer’s attorney.
We answer your questions on the state’s notoriously opaque budget process.
What are industrial development agencies?
The former budget director’s role may break a law meant to keep ex-state employees from monetizing insider knowledge.
While the nonprofit Greater New York Hospital Association lobbied, a lucrative for-profit arm may have run up costs for hospitals.
New York Focus has published thousands of pages of county jail oversight records. Browse them in our database.
New York’s incarcerated population has been declining for decades. Why is it so hard for prison closures to keep pace?
Hochul’s budget would level off funding for addiction treatment — and use opioid settlement funds to fill the gaps.
The county is ready to restart real estate subsidies after a two-year pause. Residents fear it won’t fix their housing crisis.
Her administration says the fund won’t be harmed. Legal experts question whether she can take it at all.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law directed billions toward public transit in New York, but the state is choosing to spend billions more on highways.
When local authorities hand out subsidies, school budgets lose revenue. The state teachers union is now pushing back.