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“The ballot line is under attack, and it could go away. To save it, we need as many New Yorkers as possible to vote for the Biden–Harris ticket on the WFP line this year.”
The number of polling places vary from county to county, but each county is required to have at least one early voting polling site.
“There’s new testing technology, there are rapid tests, is there a better, smarter way to handle a quarantine? None of this has been done before, so we’re figuring it out as it goes.”
“It could not come a day too soon. New Yorkers use a staggering 23 billion plastic bags every year.”
Also unanswered, said Cuomo, is how the vaccine will be funded, and whether states will be reimbursed for costs.
“We have flare-ups because in this state we have a microscope, and the other states don’t have a microscope. If you don’t have a microscope, you don’t see a lot of things.”
“Seven months in now, our local health departments are short-staffed. We’re working overtime, and we’re being folded into this newest initiative without any proper support, any funding or any guidance.”
The governors want to know about funding to help pay for mass vaccinations, and how a vaccine supply chain would function.
“I was not only unable to see her, not even technologically through a digital device, the nursing home, when I called, was nonresponsive,”
“Because nothing else I have done has motivated them, maybe money works.”
Cuomo said he’s taking the steps because he does not want the hot spots to spread to the rest of the state.
“The COVID-Alert New York does not track your location, your movement or use GPS. It does not collect or store any personal information. It is completely anonymous.”
Over 90% of businesses asked say more government funding is needed, and 75% support investment in affordable preschool child for children aged three and younger.
“These are embers that are starting to catch fire in dry grass. Send all the firefighting equipment and personnel to those embers, and stamp out the embers right away.”
Some of the zip codes coincide with areas that have large Orthodox Jewish populations, and some of those communities have been cited in the past for holding large gatherings, like weddings, in violation of COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
The COVID-19 pandemic, and an unsuccessful lawsuit brought by the plastics industry delayed its implementation.
“If we were not in this governmental structure I would sue the federal government for gross negligence.”
The state will set up a review committee, made up of scientific and health experts, to check that any coronavirus vaccine approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration is indeed safe.
New Yorkers who are not currently registered to vote in the November elections have until October 9th to do so.
Governor Cuomo says it’s another attempt by Trump to “manipulate and distort government agencies to play politics”, to further the President’s re election efforts.
“We are asking people to recognize the importance of getting an E-ZPass because it’s going to save you money.”
The governor has temporarily held back 20% in aid payments to schools, local governments and others, under emergency powers granted to him by the State Legislature.
Over half say they are wary of eating indoors at a restaurant, having a drink at bar, watching a movie in a theater, working out at the gym, or going bowling.
Masks are strongly recommended at all other times, including in the classroom, but they are not mandatory once the student is sitting down at a socially distanced desk.
“So you wanted a party. OK, now you have to go to remote learning, which means you basically stay in the dorm. It’s a function of discipline and compliance.”
“That constitutional right doesn’t go on hold because there are financial constraints, because the state is having financial difficulties. This is a constitutional right.”
“I will be a catastrophe. Many school districts depend just about totally on state aid to get their programs running.”
Shame on the people in the CDC. These will be indefensible actions in the light of history.”
Eventhough the new law essentially allows universal mail-in balloting, the Governor says New Yorkers might still be confused about how to actually request the absentee voting forms.
Voters can begin requesting absentee ballots right away from their local elections boards, citing the reason that they fear risks of contracting the coronavirus or any other contagious illness.
The New York Governor predicted that the flu season will put an added strain on the overburdened disease-testing system in the state and could lead to a further slowdown for obtaining timely results of coronavirus tests.
“It is congregate, it’s one ventilation system, you’re seated there for a long period of time. Even if you are at 50% capacity, with one seat between the two of you, two seats between the two of you, this is a risky situation.”
“From the governor’s point of view, he’s riding high right now with his New York constituents, and this is chance to show himself off on the national stage,”
There is no set date for gyms to reopen, but the governor says rules will be released on how they can do so safely.
“We are willing to go by any guideline the governor is willing to tell us. The problem is there has been no communication. He has gone radio silent.”
“I would have pulled my mom out of that facility. She would be alive today, actually, had we actually been informed.”
“A significant portion of our elections will be administered by an entity over which the Board of Elections have no control.”
Kentucky is also the home state of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell earlier this year suggested that states that lost revenue due to the pandemic should declare bankruptcy.
“It is unfortunate. It is sad. But it is true. 98% of nursing homes already had COVID in their nursing homes, and those are the facts.”
“I don’t care what any bureaucrat says,” said Cuomo. “If they don’t have a good plan for reopening, no kids are going to come and no teaches are going to come.”
“If you have the virus under control, reopen. If you don’t have the virus under control, then you can’t reopen,”
The governor says the state faces a $14 billion deficit in the current fiscal year, and $16 billion next year, and without federal funds, he’ll have to slash schools, hospitals and local government aid by 20%.
“Our school board members, really their heart is in opening up the school, but they know it’s going to cost a lot of extra money this year.”
“Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul are federal ‘bag men,’ to use a different expression. They’ve been taking New Yorkers’ money for years, putting it in a bag in Washington and bringing it home to their state.”
“Should you be a broker that is involved in illegal steering, you will have your license pulled.”
“Democrats are not providing any oversight of the governor’s decisions throughout this pandemic. And that is a real problem that I think should concern all New Yorkers.”
“If you take people who are highly mobile, and you tax them, well then, they’ll just move next door. Where the tax treatment is simpler.”
“New Yorkers are outraged at these establishments, we’re getting thousands of complaints, pictures, videos. This is a question of public health.”
Tenants’ rights groups protested in the Bronx and on Zoom Wednesday over what they fear is a looming housing crisis, for tens of thousands of out of work New Yorkers struggling to pay rent.
The bulk of New Yorkers, over 9 million, have already filed their taxes, but around 1.3 million have not and are expected to do so by Wednesday.
“They ignore us, they issue edicts, having no idea what the unintended consequences are going to be.”
“We’re in the middle of a health care crisis, right, but the overall impact on the health care system has been to reduce people using health care.”
“The federal government’s demands that schools reopen without concern for health, safety and equity are simply out of touch.”
“As the epidemic has eased, we think the legislature should get back to work. Hold committee meetings, move bills.”
“The data shows that the nursing home residents got COVID from the staff and also presumably those who visited them.”
They made several crimes once again eligible for bail, including second-degree burglary, promoting child pornography and vehicular manslaughter.
Cuomo blames local governments, who are supposed to enforce rules at restaurants, bars, stores and other public places.
Created just two years ago, the centers coordinate services including therapies, behavioral health specialists, job placement and recreational opportunities for their clients.
“The good news is, our house is doing very well. The bad news is the neighbor’s home is on fire.”
Governor Andrew Cuomo says New York is offering help to states like Texas and Arizona that are struggling with spiking COVID-19 infections.
“They don’t know when the temporary period is going to end. Or whether they, down the road, may might be told they will never receive the aid”.
The governor has talked about the possibility of imposing a 14 day quarantine for those who travel from the 20 plus other states
There’s a growing movement in the state Legislature to raise taxes on the wealthy to help balance the state’s budget and to help cities out.
Ortt takes the leadership post at a difficult time; during the COVID-19 pandemic, waning enrollment in the Republican Party and a fundraising disadvantage.
“The journey is over. I hope the journey stays over .”
“It is a day that we should all reflect upon. It’s a day that is especially relevant in this moment in history.
“Ever since this era, our system has been trying to make up for this huge breach in public health trust. Trust is core to our ability to counter the COVID epidemic in the United States.”
“A legitimate conversation about whether or not the police are the best people to send for a situation is, I believe, a valid conversation.”
Senate Leader Stewart-Cousins says passage of the bills gives her hope, but she says they can’t alone “fix racism in America”.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the first African-American to hold that title, has long supported the repeal of the provision, but it has long languished in the legislature.
“I’m hopeful that this is our moment, that George Floyd and all those that came before him did not die in vain.”
“The word is uncertainty. We don’t know what’s going to happen and it’s very tough for our school districts to budget.”
“Here in New York, we actually read the Bible. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’.”
“The No. 1 contributor to New York state sales tax are bars and restaurants, so it will help the economy, it’ll help local businesses and it’ll help (our) finances as well.”
Cuomo stopped short of saying that he would deploy the state’s National Guard to any city without a request by its political leaders.
“People lost their jobs, people wiped out their savings, and now, mass gatherings with thousands of people in close proximity? What sense does this make?”
“Last night was an ugly night all across this nation. It was an ugly night across this state.”
Voters eligible to cast ballots in the Democratic presidential primary and several congressional and state legislative primaries will be mailed applications for absentee ballots.
State lawmakers returned to session this week, with plans to vote on bills aimed at helping New Yorkers cope with all of the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The poll finds Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 66% approval rating is still among the highest during his 9 years in office.
There are growing concerns and many unanswered questions about the pediatric inflammatory disease associated with COVID-19.
“We are going to have to put strict limits in terms of capacity in every church, and all sorts of restrictions.”
Small business owners, including restauranteur Carlos Suarez, testified about the struggles they have endured to get federal aid.
He said New York’s North Country and the Central New York regions have met the state’s criteria.
“They are all feeling very ready to get back to work. Most of them are in the process of trying to develop plans to get there.”
There will likely still be polling places open on June 23rd, but Governor Cuomo is strongly encouraging voters to use the mail- in option instead.
“You’d rather have a controlled start, so that you don’t have to stop. You reopen too fast, then you have to stop.”
“We’re going to have the schools closed for the rest of the year. We’re going to continue the distance learning programs.”
“It’s very frustrating. We have excess milk but we can’t get it to people who are in need at this time.”
“The science just does not back up shifting to plastic bags. But everyone is trying to make the best of a really difficult situation.”
The state’s economy could lose a staggering $243 billion, or 14% of the state’s gross domestic product, over the course of the pandemic and the economic recovery.
The governor has said he might cut funding to schools, hospitals and local governments by 20%, but he said Friday no decision has been made.
Cuomo also said elective outpatient surgeries will be allowed to resume in counties that do not have a significant number of people sick with the coronavirus.
“We’re at a point where some of the upstate hospitals have significant financial burdens because they are not doing the elective surgeries.”
“Is the session effectively over? It’s up to the legislature, but I think it’s effectively over.”
Cuomo compared the President’s briefings to a comedy skit, and said they are “infuriating” and “ignorant”, and that there is “no value” in watching them.
“We want it ASAP, but we want it smart. Not political.”
The New York State School Boards Association says schools are bracing for teacher lay offs over the next year.
With New York facing a $10 to $15 billion dollar deficit, and a steep drop in revenue with almost all businesses closed, the governor says he has few choices.
“The bad news isn’t just bad. The bad news is actually terrible.”
731 New Yorkers died in the past day from the virus, the highest number yet, bringing the death total to 5,489.
“People are dying, people are losing their jobs, businesses are folding. That ought not be reason for politicians to figure out a way to give themselves a little extra money in their campaign coffers.”
“Those institutions will either get their ventilator back, or they will be reimbursed and paid for their ventilator. So they can buy a new ventilator.”
“The bail reform that we did last year I’m very proud of, and I think we made the right change now.”
“The budget that we are passing is not the budget that any of us had hoped to pass at the beginning of this session.”
“If money comes in during the course of the year, we’ll spend it. If we actually lose money, we have to adjust it. That’s life. We can’t spend what we don’t have.”
“Not moving to legalize cannabis through the budget process right now … it makes sense.”
“We have to make drastic cuts to the budget. Like you have never seen.”
The numbers are the highest since January 2013, just before Cuomo championed a strict gun control law after the Sandy Hook, Connecticut school shooting.
“This is not a lockdown. It’s nothing that we haven’t been doing. Nonessential people should stay home.”
“Any at risk individuals should be rightfully wary of voting in person at crowded polling places.”
New York’s governor wants to pass the budget by April 1 and then update the state spending plan quarterly.
“We will pass a budget and address the policy items that we laid out and we discussed. We’re going to pursue all of them.”
State health officials are still exploring whether one ventilator can serve two patients, as was done in Italy when the virus overwhelmed that country’s health care system.
The states of California, Ohio and Texas are already releasing some prisoners to prevent a major outbreak in their prisons.
The governor says he has absolutely “no second thoughts” about ordering a complete shut down of businesses this week.
“The federal government should order factories to manufacture masks, gowns, ventilators. The essential medical equipment that’s going to make a difference between life and death.”
If someone feels sick, they should seek a telehealth appointment, or call their doctor, and should not try to go to a doctor’s office.
A state panel tasked with reducing the state’s Medicaid budget voted on a plan to cut $2.5 billion out of the state’s health care system.
The governors of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania also moved to close the indoor portions of retail shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys.
“I hope [it] assures every single person in our state that we are at work and we will not rest,”
“This is an extraordinary time that we are going through, and it makes estimating the revenue impact of the pandemic very, very difficult.”
The governor, trying to tamp down rumors spreading on social media, also said he has no plans at this time to quarantine any cities in the state.
“This will be a period of disruption for the local community, I understand that. This can’t be a political decision; this is a public health decision.”
State health officials are releasing a plan for possible school closures if a child is found to have the illness.
The Leader of the New York State Senate says it’s likely that changes will soon be made to the state’s new bail reform laws, which end most forms of cash bail for non violent offenses.
“We’re lucky that over half of our shoppers are already using reusable bags. We sell dozens of different kinds. It’s kind of a normal thing here.”
The Department of Environmental Conservation has stepped up its efforts in recent days to help New Yorkers understand the new rules.
Cuomo said he’ll go to California, Colorado, Illinois and Massachusetts in the coming weeks to meet with officials there and find out how they are carrying out the monitoring, sale and taxing of the drug.
“This is literally a matter of life and death, literally every day, more kids are getting addicted. One way or the other, by April 1 this has to become law.”
“They’re going to have a mess on their hands when this really goes into effect. There’s going to be some clean up on aisle three.”
“On some level, this is the Boy Scouts accepting responsibility for what happened.”
Brian Kolb stepped down from his leadership post after being arrested for drunk driving on New Year’s Eve.
“Sometimes you’ve got to be profane to be profound.”
“You need real data, real information, not cherry – picked stories and sensationalized events to try to paint a picture as to whether the law is working or not.”
“I felt like my body rejected me and now my home state has rejected me.”
“It will slow down commerce, it will cost our economy. All while posing a significant threat to public safety.”
Global Entry, part of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service, allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to get expedited clearance through automatic kiosks at select airports.
“Too many corporations are increasing their profits at the expense of the employee.”
“They don’t give a damn about our community. What they want is to continue to put black and brown folk and poor white folk (in jail).”
“The unsanitary conditions and ways in which these animals are kept is cruel and inhumane.”
“We’re going to probably get some negative feedback those first few weeks as we try to transition.”
“This is the number one issue, it’s not even close. This is what people are talking about.”
“A lot of people need more time. Some people are just starting to come to grips with the abuse that happened to them, and they’re not ready.”
Several New York lawmakers called the governor’s proposal a blatant “cost shift” to local governments.
“I know the governor has a good heart, and I know he probably will try to make sure that there are resources invested in communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted.”
“The process is rigged to advance the governor’s agenda, undermine the role of the legislature, and distract from the hard financial choices that need to be made this year.”
Since the state pays for the cost overruns, which the Governor said run in the billions of dollars, local governments don’t have the incentive to hold the line on medical costs.
While New York may be first in the amount of spending per pupil, it ranks 49th in the nation in its unequal distribution of school funding.
“We literally have to knock on doors, call people’s homes. Let them understand what the census is.”
“No one should worry. Be optimistic, it’s going to work out.”
“We are part of a very small number of states that are net donors to the federal government. A little fairness would be nice,”
“They are tone-deaf. They are not listening to people back in their districts.”
“I do know that the laws we are passing in this chamber, including this one, are certainly making it far more likely that someone who is here illegally will be registered to vote.”
Governor Andrew Cuomo drew cheers from the audience of lawmakers, lobbyists and state judges when he outlined his proposal to create a new crime of domestic terrorism.
Will Barclay, who represents parts of Onondaga, Oswego and Jefferson counties, replaces Brian Kolb, who resigned after being charged with drunk driving on New Year’s Eve.
“The big gorilla of the session is how are they going to deal with the budget deficit, and that’s not easy.”
“There’s no doubt this is still a work in progress, and there are other changes that have to be made.”
Over the New Year’s holiday, New York’s Governor announced that health care providers will see a 1% drop in the reimbursements they receive for the government-funded Medicaid health care program.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who shepherded the criminal justice reforms through his chamber, said the new laws are meant to change a “racist and classist system.”
New York will end cash bail for everyone accused of a nonviolent crime and adopt new rules in the pretrial discovery process.
Much of the gap is caused by higher costs for Medicaid, the health care insurance program for low-income people.
Legislators did decriminalize possession of marijuana, from a misdemeanor to a fine, although people can still be arrested for having the drug on them.
It would outlaw the sale of some toys and other children’s products like car seats and bedding that can contain over 100 harmful and toxic substances.
The measure would make illegal the use of the plastic foam for single-use food containers by restaurants, caterers, food trucks, retail food stores, delis and grocery stores.
Senator Rich Funke of Rochester joins a growing list of 7 other minority party GOP Senators who say they are moving on to other things
State regulators have released new rules to enforce the changes, but groups on both sides of the issue say those rules are flawed.
“It’s a sales tax. It was actually brought in by the Republican Party in 1905 because Republicans don’t like income taxes, they prefer sales taxes.”
The proposed Department of Labor rule notes that it could allow employers to save some money by letting tipped and non-tipped workers pool their pay.
In recent days, three Republican Senators have announced they are done after next year.
The leader of the New York state Senate said she does not think there will be new broad-based taxes on the wealthy to close the state’s multi-billion dollar budget shortfall.
The leader of the New York state Senate said lawmakers will not revise criminal justice reforms that will result in an end to most forms of cash bail beginning in January.
Beginning in January, New York ends cash bail for all nonviolent crimes and prosecutors reveal all the evidence they have to suspects within 15 days.
New York State is facing the largest budget gap in several years. The $6 billion dollar deficit is due largely to higher costs for Medicaid.
The Assembly Speaker said it’s a better choice than “cutting health care or denying health care” to New Yorkers.
It’s called a severability clause, and it’s often included to protect a new law from court challenges.
The commission’s work is being challenged in court by the Working Families Party, the Conservative Party, and republicans in the senate and assembly.
The Siena College poll finds that former Vice President Biden has a 10 point lead among New York Democrats in the race for President.
“I can not sit back and allow this to continue to occur in the state of New York. Particularly after the death of a young person in the Bronx that was due to vaping.”
“We do not currently have the staffing to meet the timeline that’s in place right now,” Binghamton Mayor Rich David said.
“The charge of this commission is to set up a system of public financing to reduce the undue influence of big money in our politics. These contribution limits will allow big money to continue flowing, and it’s just completely unacceptable.”
“For too many years, adoptees have been wrongly denied access to this information, and I am proud to sign this legislation into law and correct this inequity once and for all.”
“I think everybody would admit it’s a gimmick. You don’t have enough money in your checking account to pay your bills and so you just tell the people who are expecting money, ‘You have to hang on for a few days until my checkbook replenishes.’ ”
“War chests are in, high contribution limits are in. We are designing a system that is not going to incentivize viable candidates to participate.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo mostly avoided President Donald Trump, who also attended Monday’s Veterans Day parade in New York City.
“The law aims to make our roads safer, our economy stronger, and allows immigrants to come out of the shadows to sign up as legal drivers in our state.”
“Every DA in the state is going to try. What you’ll see is that there are going to be difficulties.”
“Everybody is invited, everyone should honor veterans. The more that come, the better.”
Sweeping reforms that will end cash bail for all misdemeanor and nonviolent felony charges in New York state take effect in January. But some law enforcement groups are objecting.
There were mixed reactions Wednesday from New York’s politicians and political parties on this year’s election results.
Governor Andrew Cuomo supports fusion voting, or allowing candidates to run on multiple party lines, even though a commission appointed by the governor could end the practice.
The vaping-related respiratory illness that has sickened over 1,800 people across the nation, including 156 New Yorkers, and caused 38 deaths.
In New York, a bill that would regulate CBD is in limbo. The State Legislature has approved it, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo hasn’t acted on it yet.
Over 130,000 New Yorkers have already voted in the November elections as part of the state’s first-ever early voting system. And those who are closely watching say so far, it’s been a largely successful rollout.
In the email to a commission formed to create a public campaign financing system for New York elections, Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs proposed changing the qualifications for minor parties to automatically earn a place on the ballot.
Two Democratic state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would give customers in cafes, fast food shops and even in some restaurants, the option to use their own container for coffee, water, or to bring home left overs.
The possible timing of a special election for a congressional seat has some Republicans crying foul.
“When there’s a sudden reversals based on zero evidence, it seems, it makes you wonder whether other people are pulling the strings here.”
Republican leaders in the New York Legislature are speaking out against a commission that is creating a public campaign financing system for state elected offices, saying the panel is fatally flawed.
“I think we need to come up with better guidelines from the state and not leave it just to the counties to determine where (polling places) can be.”
The states also agreed to take more steps to discourage minors from vaping any type of products, including nicotine.
A New York commission formed to come up with a plan to publicly finance state election campaigns will hold a special meeting on Columbus Day.
The teen was previously hospitalized in early September with a vaping-associated respiratory illness. He was re-admitted to the hospital in late September and passed away on October 4.
Immigrants’ rights groups wanted $40 million dollars to pay for programs and staff to help convince people in under counted communities that it is in their interest to complete the census. But they say only $20 million is was included.
The New York State Health Department has decided to put off a ban on menthol-flavored nicotine vaping products until a court case challenging an earlier ban on other flavored e-cigarettes is resolved.
A survey by Siena College finds that two-thirds, 65% of New Yorkers, say there’s a wider political divide than they’ve seen in their lifetimes, and it’s effecting the way they relate to others.
The governor’s remarks follow seemingly contradictory comments he’s reported to have made last week.
“This is not 1970, where we can have the concept that because of economic reasons, we can have acceptable levels of materials like this in our drinking water.”
“This ban on the sale of menthol flavors further enhances our efforts to protect young people from forming dangerous lifelong habits.”
“Because it makes no sense to pass one set of rules in New York when they can just drive across the border to Connecticut and have a different set of rules and vice versa.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a $1 billion high-tech development project on the State University of New York’s Polytechnic Institute campus near Utica.
In New York, individual counties make up the rules for voting, so there is no uniform statewide system. As a result, the procedures for when and where early voting will happen will be different in each county.
Owners of existing clean energy power plants in New York say they’d like the same support from the state for their businesses that new ones get.
The tensions centered on the commission’s decision to consider whether to end fusion voting, which allows candidates to run on multiple ballot lines.
The ban comes over the protests of vape shop owners, who say they are helping people quit smoking tobacco cigarettes, and that they will lose their businesses when the ban takes effect.
A spokesman for Governor Andrew Cuomo says a plan to charge up to $45 for a requirement that license plates more than 10 years old be replaced is no longer going forward.
“There’s no doubt that this will put us out of business. If we lose 90 to 95% of our sales, that’s just not going to pay the bills.”
Proposals to ban flavored e-cigarettes are gaining momentum. Some say that would present a big problem.
Critics of the proposal say Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to strike against a left-leaning party that he’s been feuding with, something the governor denies.
Calling it an “industrywide conspiracy,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his intention to file a lawsuit for the overprescription of opioids that he said has defrauded New Yorkers out of billions of dollars.
“This is a frightening public health phenomenon, and common sense says if you don’t know what you are smoking, don’t smoke it.”
ALBANY, NY (WSKG) – A law that decriminalizes possession of up to 2 ounces of marijuana took effect Wednesday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it’s “long overdue.” But some advocates say the law does not go far enough. Starting Wednesday, possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana is punishable by a $50 fine. Anyone caught with 2 ounces of cannabis would be fined up to $200.
The head of the state’s Republican Party says there’s no need to require New Yorkers to buy new license plates beginning in 2020, if their current plates are still readable and in good condition.
Advocates hope the commission, which has been slow to start, will start taking steps toward a final report due in December.
“It clearly is a step forward. It increases accountability and decreases corruption risk.”
The case against former Assembly member Angela Wozniak from the Buffalo area dates from 2016, when she was accused of harassing a male staffer.
“The penalty should be the same as it is for other terrorism crimes — up to life without parole — because these are hate crimes on steroids.”
“The nuns were selective in who they targeted. They kept trying to break my spirit. It didn’t work then, and it won’t work now.”
The one year window allows all survivors, who aren’t covered by the new rules and who were barred from court action in the past, to bring civil lawsuits against their alleged abuser and any institution who may have enabled the abuse.
New York’s senior U.S. senator said that he will push to provide funds for local boards of elections to harden their security against potential threats by foreign governments.
The measure, also known as an extreme risk protection order law, would allow a judge to order the confiscation of a person’s guns if law enforcement, school officials, or a family member signs a statement saying they believe the person to be a potential danger to themselves or to others.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is asking Democratic presidential candidates to endorse four gun control measures previously adopted in New York.
The only measure approved in 2019 that is unpopular with voters is a new law to allow undocumented immigrants to apply for drivers licenses, with only 43% overall supporting the law.
Beginning August 14, New Yorkers who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse will have a one year window of opportunity to file civil suits against their abusers
Governor Cuomo called Trump’s speech one of the “great acts of hypocrisy,” saying the president has “made racism his stock and trade” through his prior remarks and tweets.
“By providing individuals who have suffered the consequences of an unfair marijuana conviction with a path to have their records expunged and by reducing draconian penalties, we are taking a critical step forward in addressing a broken and discriminatory criminal justice process.”
New York is one of just eight states that allows major party candidates, Democrats and Republicans, to also appear on the ballot on minor party lines.
“In New York, people regularly spend months and years and even decades in solitary confinement. People have spent 30 years (there). It’s barbaric. It has to stop.”
“There’s an intelligence to being a progressive, it’s not political, you can’t do it in a tweet,”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Thursday mandating 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040, and an 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. That’s below levels from 1990.
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a farmworkers’ rights bill into law Wednesday that will for the first time give the workers benefits other employees get, including time off and overtime pay.
MaryEllen Elia, who is the first female commissioner in the history of the New York State Education Department, said now is the right time to leave the post, and has agreed to accept a job with a national firm that works to turn around struggling public schools.
Is New York entering the bad old days of fiscal gimmicks like selling Attica prison? A budget watchdog group says the delay of a major medicaid payment from one fiscal year into the next is reminiscent of those times.
“It’s shifting the burden of proof from the employee to the employer, and also making sure that the burden is not on the person who is coming forward.”
The first lawsuit has been filed against New York’s new law to permit undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses, as Governor Andrew Cuomo continued to cast doubt on the effectiveness of the new law.
The measure would make registering to vote an opt- out rather than an opt- in process.
Some county clerks who are opposed to the law are pressing forward on a federal lawsuit.
He is an avid supporter of President Donald Trump, and said Republicans should learn from the president that it’s OK to play hardball in politics.
“The Jewish community is part of our family. And part of our family has been offended. And my family is going to go to Israel to make the point that we stand in solidarity with them.”
Advocates of legalizing adult recreational marijuana plan to spend the next six months convincing New York lawmakers that allowing the drug to be sold.
The 2019 legislative session was among the most productive in several years, with the passage of bills that ranged from strengthening abortion rights, to allowing undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses.
“It makes the situation much, much better, especially for the black and brown community that has paid such a high price. But politically, the support was not there to pass legalization.”
Assemblyman Stephen Hawley, a Republican from Western New York, comes from a long line of farmers. He predicts the new requirements will be too onerous and that farms will close.
“It’s going to create a road map to 2050, and it’s going to recommend regulations, incentives and a plan to really change the whole economy.”
“We have to write a law that does not have an unintended consequence, that’s what the smart people are worried about.”
“We’ll begin to reverse the tide of the last 25 years of the landlords having the advantage to having people not be priced out of their homes, pushed out of their homes, threatened out of their homes.”
“I believe this is the best tenant protections they will pass,” Governor Cuomo said, “and I will sign it.”
“We have to be mindful of those who also want to do us harm. That is something I don’t think this bill takes into account.”
“We see this as fundamentally something that will exploit women’s bodies for the benefit, largely, of men.”
Respondents overwhelmingly back getting rid of the religious exemption for vaccinations, in the wake of a measles epidemic in New York due to unvaccinated children. They also back amending the state’s constitution to guarantee equal rights.
“What I don’t want to do is to give people a political placebo where we put forth dates and goals that we cannot make. And I don’t want to tell people that we can move to a carbon-free economy in a period of time that I know that we can’t.”
The groups achieved some results: Senate Democrats announced they have agreed to the measures pushed by the groups.
With 11 working days left in the legislative session, the atmosphere is intensifying at the State Capitol. Democrats who lead the Legislature are facing pressure from all sides to deliver on legislation that they campaigned on.
“We’ll do whenever it comes together, with whomever it comes together with. We’re interested in getting the work done, and not so much, who does it first and who does it second.”
“Once people know they’re registered, a really significant proportion, 40 to 50 percent of them, take that invitation and go in and vote. That’s a big increase.”
“Our immigration system is broken. This does not fix it, but what it does is it gives undocumented immigrants the opportunity to sit for a test, to get licensed, to get on the road, and to have insurance.”
“I guess he gets particularly animated during these stressful times, and we are coming to the end of session. Everybody has their way of coping. I prefer to keep my eye on getting the work done.”
A national report finds that New York state’s ethics panel is among the worst in the nation. Reform groups say that’s not news to them and have called for an overhaul of the commission.
Under current laws, voters in New York must register in a political party more than six months before the primary vote is held. Party registration can only be changed 25 days or more before a general election, held in November.
“It is about transparency, and making sure that we have folks governing us who are not circumventing the law or getting away with things that they should not.”
“We (Republicans) lost this majority in one election. I think we can gain this majority back in one election.”
“Too many New Yorkers are suffering at the end of life without this option.”
“We need to send the message that you have to wear your seat belt regardless of where you’re sitting in that vehicle.”
After the failure to include legalized recreational marijuana in the New York state budget earlier this year, sponsors of the legislation say they are introducing a new bill that they hope stands a better chance at becoming law.
Two bills that challenge President Donald Trump and his policies are advancing in the New York State Assembly.
“After decades and decades of being kind of do nothing-ish in the New York State Legislature, we have a Legislature that was elected to do something to fight for justice.”
“Decriminalizing ‘pimping and sex buying’ would increase the industry and demand in New York, and that ‘tens of thousands’ of women could be exploited.”
“If they are starting to suggest that I need to twist arms, then that’s a bad sign. Because arm-twisting doesn’t work. And it means they don’t have the political support.”
“We believe very strongly that if you do not work together, tenants are going to be screwed. We have a governor who will do everything he possibly can to undo what we’re trying to do and water it down.”
“The President and his administration has repeatedly shown a true hostility to the rule of law and Presidential customs. No one is above the law.”
“I was beat up, had all my wages and personal property stolen by this person and was forced to do sex work without a condom.”
“We haven’t really prioritized them as the workforce and the backbone of the agricultural industry that they are.”
“The Assembly Democrats have always wanted to expend their energy and time on traditional public schools.”
“A lot of New Yorkers, and frankly, Americans have questions about what he’s hiding.”
A bill to grant drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants advances in the assembly
Lawmakers say the current law, which allows a child to skip vaccinations because of religious reasons, is creating too big a loophole and leading to what they say is a growing health crisis.
“I may just get a banner and put it across the front of the building that we will have ICE on speed dial.”
Supporters say the current system favors a small group of big-money donors at the expense of the average citizen and needs to be changed. But not everyone agrees that is a good idea.
“An estimated 40% of robocalls are scam calls, amounting to some $350 million dollars in financial losses each year to consumers.”
“When you think about 8- and 9-year-olds having to go through this, your heart breaks for them. They’re sitting there, doing the very best that they can, trying as hard as they can.”
Fusion Voting resulted in the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor appearing on six different ballot lines in 2018.
New York state lawmakers pulled an all nighter to complete the state budget before the deadline, but not everyone is happy
The push for a public campaign finance system for New York’s politicians heated up as a feud erupted between three young female lawmakers and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s top aides.
Details of some issues are still being worked on, like how to create a congestion pricing system for parts of Manhattan.
The prevailing wage rules require that all publicly funded construction projects in a region pay at least the average wage paid on all projects completed in that area.
Supporters of legalizing recreational marijuana plan to hold rallies each day at the State Capitol this week.
With less than a week to go to the budget deadline, interest groups converged on the state Capitol, lobbying to get their measures included in the budget plan
Cuomo has been disparaging toward the Democrats, saying the Assembly is too beholden to the teachers unions, and Senate Democrats are too inexperienced.
“I believe it was a form of government corruption. And I want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
There are a number of obstacles to overcome, but the proposal may seem tempting to lawmakers, who are strapped for cash this year.
There are still many unanswered questions about who would be permitted to grow marijuana, distribute it and sell it.
There have already been 125 fundraisers for legislators’ election campaigns in Albany since the session began.
Governor Andrew Cuomo and his aides say they are redoing the state budget proposal, in light of deep health care cuts proposed by President Donald Trump.
New York’s Attorney General Tish James says she’s reached an agreement with the state legislature to amend the state’s double jeopardy laws.
Budget talks are intensifying in Albany as the deadline nears, and they are revealing tensions and divides between Democrats.
Cuomo is drawing some lines in the sand on items that he said must be in the spending plan, like a permanent property tax cap.
The Senate and Assembly are due to release their own versions of the state budget next week. They come as Governor Andrew Cuomo is demanding that a number of unrelated provisions be included in the spending plan. Without them, he threatens, the budget could be late.
Students in the public university systems rallied this week at the State Capitol to end what they say is a built-in flaw in the state’s student aid policies.
The state comptroller came out with revenue projections that will limit the ability to spend more money in the state budget. Under law, the governor and legislature have to abide by those numbers, but that hasn’t stopped interest groups, and some lawmakers, from saying that they will increase spending.
