Dispatches from Planet Albany

The big win this year for environmentalists in the state budget was holding the line on clean water funding, as the big green priority - the NY HEAT Act - didn't make it through budget negotiations.

We discuss what happened behind the scenes on both of these issues and look ahead at the end of the legislative session with Liz Moran, a policy advocate with Earthjustice, and Rob Hayes, director of clean water for Environmental Advoca...

This week is a sampling of Planet Albany voices, as we check in on the budget process, consider the appointment of a new DEC commissioner, and examine why there was no major investment in the child care workforce.

We'll hear from New York State Budget Director Blake Washington, Assembly Children & Families Committee Chair Andrew Hevesi, Senate Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Pete Harckham, and ReInvent Albany's Rachael F...

The fight over a cost of living adjustment for New York's non-profit organizations providing human services has become a recurring part of the state's budget negotiations, with this year's back and forth producing a 2.84 percent bump for the industry.

This week, we explore the making of this year's increase with Jihoon Kim, who in a previous life was a top official in the Hochul administration and is now the CEO of InUnity Alliance...

The week began with Gov. Kathy Hochul announcing the parameters of a conceptual budget deal, which news to Democratic state lawmakers who thoughts they were still working on the state's overdue spending plan.

Things got weirder from there, with a cyberattack on the Legislative Bill Drafting Commission and more details emerging about the widely panned housing deal.

To break down these headlines, and revisit her past budget trauma, w...

Over multiple elections in New York, Republicans made inroads with Asian American voters, but Democrats are hopeful that the results of a recent special election for Congress is an indicator that the pendulum is swinging back in their favor.

Trip Yang Strategies President and founder Trip Yang discusses what the Democratic Party needs to do to win Asian American voters and explains why this demographic is so influential in the New ...

The education headlines of a decade ago are back in the news on Planet Albany, with policymakers fighting over state aid to public schools and teacher evaluations up for debate.

To make sense of these big stories, as well as the conversations around zero-emission school buses and why no one is talking about charter schools, we spoke with Katelyn Cordero, education reporter at the Capitol for Politico New York, and Brian Cechnicki, ...

2024 is uncharted territory for incumbent state lawmakers and aspiring members of the state legislature, who will have access to matching campaign funds from the state, which would dramatically amplify the value of in-district contributions.

To discuss the ramifications of this program we spoke with Bill Mahoney, a Capitol reporter for Politico New York, and Karen Wharton, democracy coalition coordinator at Citizen Action of New Yo...

The budget process has passed the "end of the beginning" threshold, according to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, following the adoption of one-house budget proposals this week.

In light of this milestone, we're talking about the significance of these latest salvos in budget negotiations with Shontell Smith, head of the New York practice and a partner for Tusk Strategies.

We also discuss what's next on the budget cale...

Democratic lawmakers and progressive activists have a laundry list of items - worth billions of dollars - that they want to get funded in this year's state budget, but the conversation around raising revenue to pay for those recurring costs is not very loud at the Capitol.

Why is that?

We try to answer that question and examine what new or higher taxes might be considered in the future, with the help of Charles Khan, deputy directo...

After state lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul emerged from the 2023 legislative session without a grand compromise on housing, there is growing optimism - at least on the left - that the 2024 budget process has the potential to result in some new action on housing.

But if there is a deal, will it include some form of "Good Cause," a roll back of rent stabilization protections, or housing vouchers?

To answer some of these questions, a...

The fate of New York's congressional lines will soon b...

Gov. Kathy Hochul voiced the frustration of nearly all the stakeholders in New York's burgeoning marijuana marketplace, when she recently conceded to the Buffalo News editorial board that the rollout (under her watch) had been a "disaster."

And it's through this lens that we're examining the marijuana landscape in New York, including why state lawmakers and the governor have been inclined to delegate so much authority to state can...

Politico New York's energy and environment reporter at the Capitol, Marie French, schools us on the state's effort to realize its renewable energy goals for 2030, the potential backlash to a proposed overhaul of transmission siting, and Gov. Kathy Hochul's opportunity to shape a key utility regulator.

Then we'll talk about a recent Siena College Research Institute poll with Joe Reubens, who leads the qualitative and quantitative re...

We're back with another recording in front of a raucous audience at the Bull Moose Club down the hill from the Capitol, with Jasmine Gripper, co-director of the New York Working Families Party, and Shontell Smith, head of the New York practice for Tusk Strategies.

The show features a discussion about the ideal karaoke partners and road trip companions, as well as a conversation about Gov. Kathy Hochul's budget priorities, the possi...

Somewhere between a governor vetoing a bill and simply signing legislation that makes it to their desk is the approval message and subsequent chapter amendment, which has become an ever increasingly popular tool for New York's chief executive.

We explore how chapter amendments come together, consider why they're being used at comparatively high levels by Gov. Kathy Hochul, and discuss whether state lawmakers should play hard ball o...

The budget season officially kicked off this week with Gov. Kathy Hochul revealing her $233 billion spending plan for New York, which includes her commitment to address an influx of asylum seekers, slower growth in school aid, and a lot of Medicaid money.

We talk about the underrated and overrated aspects of the proposal, as well as the potential stumbling blocks with the state legislature, with Freeman Klopott, a vice president wi...

Gov. Kathy Hochul shared her vision of New York and priorities for the upcoming legislative session as part of her third State of the State address this past week at the Capitol. The Democratic leader focused on fighting crime, addressing mental health issues, and making the Empire State more affordable.

This week's episode, which comes from a webinar hosted by Marathon Strategies, analyzes the content and style of the speech, as w...