New York Focus obtained and analyzed a proposal presented by Senate leadership to the chamber’s Democratic caucus.
Democrats immediately said they would appeal the decision.
Green groups charged that Kathy Hochul is punting the issue until after the primary.
Rather than try to improve Hochul’s proposal, some environmentalists want to scrap it and instead concentrate on a forthcoming bill from Assemblymember Steve Englebright.
The legislature wants to spend $250 million to combat homelessness. Hochul says it’ll actually cost $6 billion.
The final budget made changes to bail law, discovery law, pre-arraignment detention, involuntary commitment and more.
A comprehensive tracker of the issues at stake in New York’s budget.
“I told the workers beforehand that they would lose based on the ‘numbers.’ They said they knew the workers. They were right!”
Officials routinely refuse to send requests for medical release to the state parole board, frustrating advocates and raising questions about the murky criteria for medical release.
The state’s grand plan to convert unused hotels into affordable housing hasn’t gotten off the ground. Lawmakers just boosted funding — but developers and housing advocates say that won’t help without lifting onerous zoning restrictions.
After New York Focus reported on illegal contributions to candidate Russell Squire, his campaign announced it would return the money.
Legislators opposed to a bill enacting a temporary moratorium on proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining are warning that it could harm New Yorkers often excluded from traditional financial markets, sources say.
The state legislature has passed a measure intended to counter a court ruling that made it easier for lenders to win cases against homeowners.
Before the Russian-funded delivery startup collapsed, Buyk sold itself as a way for workers to escape the gig economy. Former workers say it failed to deliver.
A bill in the state legislature would prohibit police from interrogating minors before they consulted with a lawyer.
In the raucous debate over bail reform, simple facts have fallen out of sight.
“Expect delays, expect secondary screening, expect frustration, and expect to miss your train from time to time.”
Black and Latino nonunion flaggers on public construction projects say they’re paid just a third of wages they’re legally entitled to.
After New York Focus reported that the elections board wasn’t enforcing a landmark transparency law, it sent delinquent donors a letter requesting that they comply. Thousands did within weeks.
At the urging of the correction officers union, the prison agency is restricting packages to private vendors that charge steep markups and have limited selections.